Dortmund narrowly push past Hoffenheim in tense affair
BVB kept an important clean sheet to barely move past Hoffenheim 1-0 on Matchday 5. But, if these poor offensive outings continue, Dortmund may find it difficult to seriously challenge for the Bundesliga title.
It was a slow opening start to the game, but Dortmund broke through in the 16th minute with some excellent ball movement. Marco Reus finished it off by converting a Julian Brandt layoff, giving BVB a much-needed early 1-0 cushion.
A few moments later, Anthony Modeste was unable to finish a sublime cross from Marius Wolf, who started in place of Raphael Guerreiro (illness) on the left. Modeste returned the favor later in the half with a surprise cross of his own that Jamie Bynoe-Gittens couldn’t tap home.
BVB wanted a penalty for Ozan Kabak’s handball, but VAR controversially did not believe there was enough evidence to overturn the original call. Thorgan Hazard replaced Bynoe-Gittens, who was unable to continue with what looked to be some sort of shoulder injury.
Dortmund were the better side in creating chances on goal, as they clearly held the edge over Hoffenheim heading into halftime. BVB had nine shots compared to Die Kraichgauer, who had just one.
Hoffenheim manager Andre Breitenreiter made several changes to begin the second 45. In turn, they seemed far more aggressive in challenges and were better able to keep possession, creating some seriously dangerous chances.
Dortmund looked flat to begin the second period which resulted in some Edin Terzic screaming from the touchline. A brief scrum also broke out when Reus threw Sebastian Rudy to the ground that saw three yellow cards handed out.
Oliver Baumann’s quick reaction prevented a Hazard goal right before the 70th minute mark, but that proved to be BVB’s last best chance on target. Hoffenheim continued to inch closer and closer towards an equalizer.
In the end, Dortmund were able to narrowly hold on for a 1-0 victory. It’s another unconvincing performance from Terzic’s side who momentarily lead the Bundesliga with four wins through their first five matches.
But, with a goal difference of only four goals, it’s clear that BVB are not playing their best football at the moment. They're getting the job done defensively, but something will have to change at the other end of the pitch.
Dortmund can’t scrape out these wins by the skin of their teeth forever.