Dortmund Rally From Two Down to Beat Hoffenheim 3-2 on Late Own Goal
Borussia Dortmund completed a stunning 3-2 comeback at Hoffenheim, with Albian Hajdari’s late own goal settling a frantic Bundesliga contest and sending Niko Kovac’s side into second place with six points from two matches.
Hoffenheim had looked in command at the PreZero Arena. Leon Avdullahu put the home side ahead before Tim Lemperle doubled the advantage by the 54th minute, leaving Dortmund facing a major recovery job away from home.
Serhou Guirassy started the response and Fabio Silva levelled as Dortmund raised the tempo, before Hajdari turned the ball into his own net late on to complete the turnaround. It was Dortmund’s first away Bundesliga victory after trailing by two goals since January 2022.
The result also gave Kovac a club landmark in his 50th Bundesliga match as Dortmund coach. His side have collected 107 points across those first 50 league games, moving beyond Lucien Favre’s previous club-best mark of 106.
Kovac admitted Dortmund benefited from fortune, particularly with the decisive own goal, but praised the reaction after a difficult opening hour. He said the team only truly came alive once they were 2-0 behind, having been troubled by Hoffenheim’s quality and intensity.
“It was a fortunate victory, especially because an own goal decided it,” Kovac said. “But the energy from the team was fantastic and showed what they can do. It was an extremely intense match.
“Hoffenheim played very well before we went 2-0 down and caused us plenty of problems. Then we committed everything forward, and the substitutions helped. The players coming on gave us something extra.”
Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel said Hoffenheim’s pressing made it hard for Dortmund to establish their usual passing combinations or win the key loose balls. He felt the game became more open after Dortmund’s first goal, with the visitors eventually taking their chance to finish the comeback.
Champions League test next
Dortmund now turn immediately to Europe. Villarreal visit Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday night for Dortmund’s opening Champions League league-phase fixture.
Promoted Paderborn await in the Bundesliga next weekend, with Kovac needing to preserve Dortmund’s attacking momentum while managing his squad through a packed schedule.
