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Hoffenheim edges past Borussia Dortmund to gain three massive points in the top-four race.
The majority of the first half was dominated by both teams sparring against each other for chances. Borussia Dortmund’s Ryerson, who has made the most crosses in the first division this season, sent one in the 24th minute, which could have been converted. However, both striker Fábio Silva and Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann missed it, and the ball went away. Play settled in the midfield again, and the deadlock was finally broken in the 42nd minute when veteran Andrej Kramarić netted from the spot, following a VAR check on Niklas Süle’s handball, which even resulted in an injury for him.
Die Borussen started the second half on the front foot, but Christian Ilzer’s men had received their orders to park the bus to see through the rest of the contest. While the hosts looked set with their defence, Dortmund clawed back into the match with a thunderous shot from distance by substitute Serhou Guirassy in the 87th minute.
The Sinsheimers came out of the deep after conceding, and they had another VAR decision for a Dortmund handball inside the box in their favour at the death as Kramarić made no mistake in slotting the ball home again. Julian Brandt had a chance in the final moments to equalise from a direct free kick, but he squandered the opportunity.
This result opens up the door for Bayern Munich to seal the Bundesliga title tomorrow with just a point from their match against Stuttgart. Niko Kovač’s men must continue their wait to secure Champions League football while Hoffenheim are within touching distance of finishing in the top four.
PLAYER RATINGS | Hoffenheim 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
Hoffenheim:
Baumann (7), Bernardo (6), Hajdari (7), Kabak (7), Coufal (7), Burger (6), Avdullahu (7), Touré (6), Asllani (6), Kramarić (9), Lemperle (5).
Others: Prass (5), Prömel (6), Hranáč (6), Moerstedt (-)
Borussia Dortmund:
Kobel (5), Süle (3), Anton (8), Schlotterbeck (6), Ryerson (6), Bellingham (6), Sabitzer (6), Svensson (5), Chukwuemeka (6), Beier (5), Silva (4).
Others: Bensebaini (7), Guirassy (8), Inácio (5), Brandt (5)
GGFN Man of the Match: Andrej Kramarić (9)
The Croatian striker handed the match to the hosts with his two precise penalty strikes. A rather quiet match on both sides for the attackers, but Kramarić stood out for keeping his cool and handing three crucial points to Hoffenheim, which could potentially help them end up as top-four finishers at the end of the season. Special mention goes to Dortmund’s Waldemar Anton for his 14 defensive contributions (FotMob) throughout the match.
GGFN | Trambak Bhattacherjee
