Berlin: Borussia Dortmund moves atop the standings for the moment after goals from Niclas Fullkrug, Marco Reus and Julian Ryerson provided a 3-1 victory over wasteful Hoffenheim at the curtain raiser of the Bundesliga sixth round.
The BVB assumed control from the kick-off and almost opened the scoring with 15 minutes played as Donyell Malen’s effort forced Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann into action, reports Xinhua.
However, Baumann was hapless three minutes later when Julian Brandt dispossessed John Anthony Brooks, allowing Fullkrug to score his first goal in the BVB dress.
Even though Dortmund controled the proceedings, Hoffenheim restored parity out of the blue as Andrej Kramaric converted a foul play penalty from the spot to make it 1-1 in the 25th minute.
Dortmund remained unfazed and took the lead again just before the break, as Baumann palmed a freekick into the path of Reus, who made no mistake and tapped home from close range.
After the restart, Hoffenheim came out with its guns blazing and dominated possession, but Grischa Promel couldn’t level the scores with only Dortmund custodian Gregor Kobel to beat while Robert Skov’s dangerous free kick got denied by the woodwork.
Hoffenheim gained momentum while Dortmund had to continue with ten men from the 71st minute as Ramy Bensebaini was sent off after his second bookable offence.
The hosts couldn’t turn its numerical advantage into goals whereas the BVB clinically killed the game in the dying seconds of the game when Ryerson finished off a solo run to round off the 3-1 win on the road.
“Very important win for us. We got into the game really well but then we made too many mistakes. After the penalty, it took too long to get back on track. Hoffenheim had two big chances after the break. That was something we didn’t like of course. After the dismissal it was a different game. We scored and secured the win despite being outnumbered,” said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic.
“Unnecessary defeat. We didn’t defend well. The first half wasn’t good overall. We staged a better performance in the second half. We had several chances and should have at least leveled the scores,” Hoffenheim coach Pellegrino Matarazzo said.
–IANS
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