N. Subotić enters the game and replaces C. Pulišić.
Peter Stoger makes another substitution, sending on centre-back Neven Subotic in place of Christian Pulisic whose goal looks to have won this match.
90' +1
The referee has signalled 3 added minutes at the end of this match.
90'
K. Akpoguma enters the game and replaces S. Posch.
Nagelsmann makes his third substitution immediately after going 2-1 down as defender Stefan Posch is removed for Kevin Akpoguma.
89'
C. Pulišić has scored a goal for Borussia Dortmund!
THE HOME SIDE HAVE DONE IT! CHRISTIAN PULISIC SCORES AT THE DEATH FOR DORTMUND! Pulisic keeps himself onside as the pass from central midfield comes to the right and the American attacker chips the ball over the arms of Baumann and rounds the keeper before tapping a volley into the net! A beautifully taken goal and the comeback is complete! 2-1 Dortmund!
87'
Steven Zuber lets out a scream as he is fouled on the left touchline and it appears Weigl stepped on the Hoffenheim midfielder’s foot. The free-kick is passed all the way back to Baumann before coming back into Dortmund’s half, where Toprak commits a foul and gives Hoffenheim another set-piece.
85'
Kaderabek once again chooses to be unselfish as he tries to pass across the face of goal instead of shooting after receiving a great ball over the top. The following corner is taken well but Kramaric’s shot is poor and goes right into Burki’s goal.
83'
Demirbay passes the ball into Szalai just on the outside of Hoffenheim’s area and gets the ball returned to him immediately. The midfielder then angles his body well and attempts a curler into the top corner but his aim is poor and the shot flies high and wide of the target.
81'
Schmelzer has four of five yellow jerseys to aim at inside the Hoffenheim penalty area but he sends his cross deep to the back-post where only an away defender is stationed. The clearance is sloppy and Aubameyang is almost allowed to go through on goal alone, but Baumann does well to come out of his 6-yard box and dispel the danger.
79'
SO CLOSE FOR KADERABEK! Szalai uses his back-heel to pass the ball to Kaderabek on the right flank where he gets possession of the ball and charges down the wing. The Czech wing-back then cuts inside and tries to curl the ball into the far corner, but he does not get enough bend on his shot and it goes harmlessly wide.
76'
STAT: 34.6% of Hoffenheim’s goals this season have been scored from the 75th to the 90th minute – the highest percentage of any time-span.
Minute
Description
74'
That substitution brings with it a tactical change, as Guerreiro will be pushed onto the left wing and Dahoud comes into the midfield trio with Weigl and Kagawa.
73'
Mahmoud Dahoud enters the game and replaces A. Yarmolenko.
Peter Stoger makes his first change of the day, bringing on midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud and taking off Andriy Yarmolenko.
71'
The ball is played forward for Kramaric but it rolls too far ahead of the substitute who was occupying the opposite wing and goes out for a Burki goal-kick.
69'
Á. Szalai enters the game and replaces M. Uth.
Hoffenheim’s second substitution sees Adam Szalai come on for goal-scorer Mark Uth who picked up a shoulder injury at the end of the first half.
68'
Kaderabek passes to the right for the substitute Kramaric, but his cross is blocked by the first man the ball goes out for a corner. The ensuing corner is passed and then crossed immediately into a very dangerous area but the ball rolls across the box and away from danger. There seems to have been a push by Yarmolenko on his marking assignment but the referee sees no issue.
65'
STAT: Borussia Dortmund have not been held goalless at home in the Bundesliga this season – a streak which will continue thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
63'
Penalty goal scored by P. Aubameyang for Borussia Dortmund!
A. Kramarić enters the game and replaces S. Gnabry.
PENALTY TO BORUSSIA! Several quick interchanging passes between Yarmolenko and Aubameyang in the penalty area were too much for Hoffenheim to deal with and Aubameyang was taken down illegally with a harsh challenge. It is now Aubameyang who has a chance to level the score!
Just before the penalty Julian Nagelsmann makes the first change of the match replacing Serge Gnabry with Andrej Kramaric.
GOAL! Aubameyang sends Baumann the other way and neatly finishes the penalty with a low ball into the bottom left-hand corner! 1-1!
60'
Play stops as Hoffenheim gives away a free-kick after Uth fouls Weigl. The set-piece is taken short and Dortmund retain possession in front of Baumann’s area.
57'
The game is now getting a bit stretched as Dortmund hit a counter-attacking ball towards Yarmolenko on the right, but he is unable to control the pass and it rolls out for a Hoffenheim throw-in. It has been that kind of night for Yarmolenko who has been unable to capitalise on a number of chances.
55'
Jeremy Toljan goes flying down the right wing but a last-ditch tackle takes possession away from the full-back and puts the ball out for a corner. The set-piece is put into a great area but Baumann asserts his dominance in the box and claims confidently.
53'
STAT: Hoffenheim have lost their last 3 away matches in all competitions
51'
The ball which was originally on the left wing rolls into Kagawa in a central position but without any passing options and a number of defenders closing in, the Japanese international is unable to hold possession and promptly loses the ball.
49'
Pulisic has the ball on the left wing but he runs out of room after being marked by two Hoffenheim defenders and the ball rolls out harmlessly for a Baumann goal-kick.
47'
Hoffenheim begin the second half much in the same way as the first, with a slow, concentrated build-up. With the ball almost in the Dortmund box, the away side opted to pass backwards to the goalkeeper.
45'
The referee has indicated there will be 1 minute of extra time to be played at the end of the first half.
Dortmund get the second half underway!
44'
Yarmolenko once again fails to convert a chance and the Ukrainian pounds the ground with his fist in anger. A misplayed ball by a Hoffenheim defender allows Pulisic to break with three Dortmund players in support. The American picks out Yarmolenko and plays him into the box but he is unable to take a shot on net and he is crowded out and the ball is cleared.
43'
Uth returns to the field though he seems to be carrying a knock on his left arm as he is carrying it very unnaturally. Perhaps Nagelsmann will just hope to make it to half-time with the lead intact and his striker still on the pitch and decide his plan moving forward at the interval.
42'
Play stops as Schmelzer’s challenge leaves Uth on the ground in the Dortmund half. Uth scored Hoffenheim’s winning goal against Stuttgart and he has what is so far the winning goal this evening and with Sandro Wagner already deemed unfit to play, Nagelsmann may be without his top 2 strikers for the second-half of this match.
40'
Guerreiro and Kagawa engage in a lovely bit of one-two passing in front of the penalty area but Kagawa could not get the ball out from under his feet to take a strike at goal and the Hoffenheim defence once again clears. It has been that kind of half for Dortmund who have had a number of half-chances.
38'
Play is brought to a halt as an aerial duel between Toljan and Zuber leaves both players on the floor and in need of treatment. Zuber was over-zealous in his defensive responsibilities and climbed over Toljan to make the clearance, however play resumes not with a free-kick, but with the ball at Baumann’s feet.
36'
Borussia Dortmund must be getting increasingly frustrated chasing Hoffenheim passes to no avail. The ball is constantly going forwards, then being returned back into the away half before being knocked about again. Dortmund’s chances have been good enough to score, but opportunities are now few and far between as Hoffenheim are killing the game off.
34'
The ball is crossed in well and Sokratis meets it at the back-post with his head but the chance is directed wide. The away side still lead at the Signal-Iduna-Park with roughly twelve minutes to play before half-time.
33'
Dortmund win a free-kick just outside the opposing penalty area as Shinji Kagawa was dragged down whilst in possession. It seems too far out for an attempt at goal.
32'
Hoffenheim seem extremely happy to keep possession of the ball in midfield – milking away what could be precious seconds in the process. The away side have done very well passing the ball around the Dortmund press, but their forward balls have been wasteful and lacking purpose. Continuously giving the ball back to Dortmund could end up costing Hoffenheim whose goal came somewhat against the run of play.
29'
Steven Zuber makes himself some room on the left-hand side and takes a powerful shot towards Burki but the ball does not trouble the Swiss international goalkeeper who makes the catch right in front of his face.
26'
Toprak sees Aubameyang virtually unmarked just in front of Baumann’s 18-yard box but the Gabonese striker strays offside and the official on the near touchline flags immediately.
24'
Different manager, same issue as Borussia Dortmund once again find themselves a goal down at home. Peter Stoger will have to imbue belief in his side as he cannot afford for heads to drop on the pitch – or things will go from bad to worse.
21'
M. Uth has scored a goal for Hoffenheim! Assist by P. Kadeřábek.
AGAINST THE RUN OF PLAY HOFFENHEIM HAVE THEIR GOAL! Amiri plays a great through-ball for Kaderabek who does delightfully well to stay onside. Through on goal, Kaderabek instead chooses to pass the ball across the box for the waiting Uth who slots the ball home coolly! 1-0 for Hoffenheim!
Kadeřábek's fantastically unselfish pass receives credit as the assist.
20'
Yarmolenko for what seems like the hundredth time today pounces on a loose ball on the right wing, but the offside flag goes up immediately. Hoffenheim, who play with 3 centre-backs are having a tough time keeping a lid on Yarmolenko who has already had a number of chances.
18'
Great save by Burki who gets down well at his near post to collect a Serge Gnabry attempt.
16'
Hoffenheim turn the ball over in midfield and Yarmolenko is once again sent a through-ball down the right-hand side. The Ukrainian cuts inside, beating two defenders in the process and gets himself inside the penalty area but his shot is blocked and put out for a corner. The ensuing corner is taken well and falls to Aubameyang but he could not get his shot through the bodies in the box and the danger is cleared all the way to Burki.
14'
Great chance for Aubameyang! Weigl wins the ball in midfield and releases Yarmolenko down the right. The winger then pulls the ball back to the penalty spot for the waiting Aubameyang but the marking is tight and the striker’s touch sends the ball in the air for Baumann to claim.
12'
Dortmund are passing the ball with purpose in the Hoffenheim half, switching from left to right but Yarmolenko’s cross is blocked and the pressure is cleared as the ball goes out deep in Dortmund’s half for a throw-in.
10'
Yarmolenko centres for Pulisic just outside the Hoffenheim penalty area and the American takes a strike at goal but goes to ground as he lets fly and Baumann can once again consider himself lucky that the end product was poor as Pulisic’s shot weakly rolls into Baumann’s arms.
8'
Hoffenheim are once again in possession and are knocking it about in their defensive third, showing little impetus to move play forward despite Nagelsmann’s gesticulating on the touchline. When the ball does finally fly forward, it is a wayward pass which goes right to Roman Burki in the Dortmund goal.
5'
HOW HAS YARMOLENKO DRAGGED THAT WIDE!? A terrible giveaway in midfield by Grillitsch gives the ball directly to Yarmolenko just outside the penalty area. With only Baumann to beat, the Ukrainian playmaker took a strike but the effort just misses the far post and out for a goal-kick.
3'
Hoffenheim have started the match confidently in possession – passing from right to left trying to expose gaps in the Dortmund midfield. Nagelsmann’s side do not seem very motivated to go forward.
1'
Hoffenheim get the game underway attacking from right to left!
The teams are now making their way onto the pitch and kick-off should follow shortly.
Julian Nagelsmann keeps the 3-5-2 formation that was successful in their last outing against Stuttgart but makes 3 changes in midfield. Oliver Baumann remains in goal behind Hubner, Vogt and Posch. A midfield 5 consisting of Kaderabek, Demirbay, Grillitsch in the place of the suspended Geiger, Amiri instead of Rupp and Steven Zuber in the place of Schulz will play behind the attacking partnership of Serge Gnabry and midweek match-winner Mark Uth.
Peter Stoger selects the same formation and personnel as he did in Borussia Dortmund’s midweek victory over Mainz – though his hand may have been forced slightly considering Dortmund’s lengthy injury list which includes: Erik Durm, Lukasz Piszczek, Gonzalo Castro, Mario Gotze, Marco Reus, Sebastian Rode, and Maximilian Philipp. Roman Burki retains his place in goal and will be protected by a back four of Toljan, Sokratis, Toprak and Schmelzer. The midfield trio will consist of Kagawa who scored an in Dortmund’s 2-0 victory on Tuesday, Julian Weigl and Raphael Guerreiro. The attacking trident features Yarmolenko and USA Player of the Year Christian Pulisic either side of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Hoffenheim substitutes: Lukas Rupp, Eugen Polanski, Adam Szalai, Kevin Akpoguma, Gregor Kobel, Andrej Kramaric, Felix Passlack.
Hoffenheim Starting XI (3-5-2): Oliver Baumann; Stefan Posch, Kevin Vogt, Benjamin Hubner; Pavel Kaderabek, Kerem Demirbay, Florian Grillitsch, Nadiem Amiri, Steven Zuber; Serge Gnabry, Mark Uth.
Borussia Dortmund substitutes: Mahmoud Dahoud, Nuri Sahin, Roman Weidenfeller, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Neven Subotic, Marc Bartra, Alexander Isak.
Borussia Dortmund Starting XI (4-3-3): Roman Burki; Jeremy Toljan, Omer Toprak, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Marcel Schmelzer; Shinji Kagawa,Julian Weigl, Raphael Guerreiro; Andriy Yarmolenko, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Christian Pulisic.
With fifteen minutes to go before kick-off, the team news has been announced! Let's begin with the home side.
Borussia Dortmund will be hoping to end their wretched form in front of their home supporters where they have only won 1 of their last 5 and conceded thirteen in that time. Peter Stoger’s side however can draw comfort from the knowledge that in that same time-span, Hoffenheim have the exact same record (1-1-3) away from the Rhein-Neckar-Arena.
Scoring goals has been a bit of an issue of late for Hoffenheim, who have failed to score in their last two away trips and only managed a late goal to beat fourteenth place Stuttgart. Though they did manage to net 4 against Leipzig earlier this month, that can be seen as an anomaly. To make matters worse, German international striker Sandro Wagner may not feature in this game depending on the results of a late fitness test. This could perhaps be a perfect opportunity for Dortmund to improve upon their horrendous defensive record.
Hoffenheim are enjoying another successful season under youthful coaching prodigy Julian Nagelsmann, who in recent weeks has been earmarked as a potential long-term option for Borussia Dortmund. Though results have been inconsistent of late –alternating wins and losses in their last 4 games - the away side began their campaign on a run of 6 unbeaten which left them 2nd in the table only behind their opponents this evening.
After a run of 8 successive matches without a win in the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund finally managed a victory in midweek under new manager Peter Stoger. The 2-0 victory away from home against Mainz was Dortmund’s first domestic league win since the end of September– a stretch of results which saw Peter Bosz sacked at the conclusion of last week’s match against Werder Bremen. A win today would propel the home side who currently sit in 7th place as high as 3rd, overtaking 6th place Hoffenheim in the process.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of Borussia Dortmund v Hoffenheim from the Signal-Iduna-Park in Dortmund!
HALF-TIME: Borussia Dortmund 0 - 1 Hoffenheim
It has been a half where the difference between the two sides has been their clinical finishing. Dortmund have had many more – and better – opportunities than their counterparts but have been thoroughly unable to trouble Baumann in the Hoffenheim goal. Yarmolenko on several occasions has gotten free on the wing or found himself with the ball in front of goal but wasted every one of his opportunities. The service to Aubameyang has not been great and with the exception of sparking a counter-attack at the end of the first period, Pulisic has not been a factor.
Mark Uth’s 21st minute goal separates the two sides and it was a brilliant pass from Amiri to Kaderabek to get Hoffenheim behind the line of defence. The unselfish Czech winger then centred perfectly for Uth to finish – leaving Roman Burki no chance of saving it. Hoffenheim before the goal, as well as certainly after, have been comfortable bringing the game to a halt. Long periods of the first-half were spent in the Hoffenheim half, with their centre-backs passing it casually amongst each other while Dortmund could only chase shadows. Stoger will need to inspire his side at the half and use his bench wisely if he is to win his first two matches as boss of Borussia Dortmund.
FULL-TIME: Borussia Dortmund 2 - 1 Hoffenheim.
Thank you for following along and we hope you enjoyed the match. This concludes our coverage of Borussia Dortmund v Hoffenheim – see you all next time!
Hoffenheim were clinical and patient in the first half, but it seems as though their lead undid them, as Nagelsmann’s side were all too happy to keep possession in their own half and pass the ball without any real urgency. They showed precious little in an attacking sense in the second forty-five and were also unable to deal with the increased attacking insistence by the home side. Hoffenheim end the first half of the season in 7th place and will resume their season in 2018 with a game away against Werder Bremen on the 13th of January.
Borussia Dortmund earn themselves a much needed victory after a second-half comeback featuring goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Christian Pulisic in the last minute of normal time. Dortmund showed a lot of impetus going forward in the second half and displayed some lovely attacking football at times, attacking with tempo and purpose. The penalty was called correctly by the referee after Aubameyang was impeded by a Hoffenheim defender and it was the striker who stepped up and finished from the penalty spot. Pulisic’s last-minute goal was worked very well and on the balance of play in the second period, Dortmund came out worthy victors. Dortmund’s next game comes away to Bayern Munich in the Deutscher-Pokal on Wednesday; their last match of 2017.
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