Hoffenheim 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund’s Bundesliga title hopes have suffered another blow as they lost against Hoffenheim at the Rhein-Neckar Arena last night.
The home team mounted a furious comeback after a lethargic first half, capped off by the late goals care of Sargis Adamyan and Andrej Kramaric that should be part of our Bundesliga 2019 highlights.
“It’s not going to kill us, but it’s tough to accept. We played well and somehow let this game slip through our hands. We should have scored more and cut out the mistakes we made,” said Julian Brandt after the match.
BVB were seemingly in control for the majority of this game, as they would dictate the pace and control the majority of the possession. Mario Gotze converted an early goal in the 17th minute, and it looked like they were on their way to add three points to their ongoing campaign.
But alas, fatigue seeped in for the guys in yellow as their defence looked lacklustre in the late game. Hoffenheim took advantage of their poor fitness levels and they are officially back to their winning ways.
Die Kraichgauer improved to the sixth spot at the table with 27 points. After suffering back-to-back losses against RB Leipzig and Augsburg, the Alfred Schreuder-managed squad won two straight against Union Berlin and Dortmund.
On the other hand, Dortmund are still level with Bayern Munich with 30 points. However, with teams like Borussia Monchengladbach and RB Leipzig looking unstoppable, their Bundesliga 2019 odds of winning a title is looking bleak by the day.
SBOBET gives you a quick recap on this match.
Highlights of the game
Dortmund showed their attacking prowess early as they pretty much dominated the whole first half.
Achraf Hakimi was brilliant in his ball-handling as he would generate Dortmund’s first chance of the evening. He would flick over a nice cross inside the box, but his teammate narrowly missed a sliding strike that would’ve been their first goal.
Hakimi would finally register an assist at the 17th minute, as his lovely pass on the right-wing found a cutting Mario Gotze who converted a nice, low finish.
Jadon Sancho would have his try as he hit the woodwork after he found himself free around the 19th minute. However, his attempt went too far to the right.
Interestingly, Hoffenheim would launch long balls to catch BVB’s defence off guard. But oftentimes, their shot would either be overcooked or their forward couldn’t quite handle it.
Robert Skov would almost score one for Die Kraichgauer when he let out a powerful long-range strike. But his shot just bounced off the crossbar which left Roman Burki relieved.
The rest of the first half was quite uneventful. Thorgan Hazard had a great shot but it was blocked by Oliver Baumann and Mats Hummels was subbed out after hurting his finger in an earlier scramble.
BVB started off the second half well as their defence had been steady for the most part. Julian Brandt has a great opportunity in the 50th minute, but Baumann was there once again with a spectacular save.
Jadon Sancho tried to add one more goal for Dortmund in 60th minute, but he was taken down by a multitude of Hoffenheim defenders. The referees didn’t call a penalty, however, and it was a missed chance by BVB to go up 2-0.
Sancho, who is Dortmund’s leading scorer in the Bundesliga, tried to will his team for chances at the attack. However, his teammates weren’t able to respond well from his facilitating.
You could tell that Lucien Favre’s men looked sluggish as the game wore on. Their passes were inaccurate and their defence had trouble in stopping their counterparts in transition.
Fast forward to the 79th minute, everything changed in favour of the home team.
After a wide cross that went into the box, Sargis Adamyan scored off of a vital touch from Jurgen Locadia. The ball was so close for Burki to grab, but he mishandles it, unfortunately, to give Hoffenheim their first goal of the evening.
Andrej Kramaric capped off their wonderful comeback via a header coming from a Sargis Adamyan volley in the 88th minute.
Key statistics
Hoffenheim have now scored in all of their 11 home games against Borussia Dortmund since being promoted to top-flight in 2008. That is their longest streak in the Bundesliga against any team.
Prior to this match, Hoffenheim were unbeaten in six games in their home pitch (W1, D5).
Borussia Dortmund had more set pieces than Hoffenheim (eight corners). They also had more shots (12) and passes completed (588).
What’s next?
BVB will fly over to the WWK Arena and visit the 10th-seeded Augsburg on their next game to round up their two-game road trip.
Hoffenheim, on the other hand, will host Eintracht Frankfurt on January 18th before visiting the Weserstadion to lock horns with Werder Bremen.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
