Match report- Dortmund vs TSG Hoffenheim

A goal and an assist from England hotshot Jadon Sancho proved not to be enough as TSG Hoffenheim clawed back from 3 goals down to rescue a point at Signal Iduna Park.

Bundesliga pace-setters Borussia Dortmund played host to Europa league chasers TSG Hoffenheim on a misty day in North Rhine-Westphalia. A game many would have tipped to be a walk in the park for those in Yellow and Black, that prediction looked bang on the money once Dortmund seemingly took the lead after 12 minutes, however a fluke deflection off Jadon Sancho was ruled offside. However, the league leaders weren't to be denied just after the half hour mark, once Sancho played a smart give-and-go with veteran defender Lukasz Piszcek, he raced in behind to smash beyond the helpless Oliver Baumann in the Hoffenheim goal, who was rooted to the spot. They didn't finish there though, as yet again Dortmund proved to everyone that they're top for a reason, this time Sancho playing the providing role. A hard and low effort was saved from the German stopper, however it bounced straight into the path of former World Cup winner, and german international, Mario Gotze, who made no mistake from all of 5 yards. 2-0 and cruising, the hosts looking in fine form. They didn't have it all their own way however, as shortly before their second Hoffenheim's Brazilian sensation Joelinton missed the target with a header. You could say, though, that Dortmund were good value for their two goal lead at the interval and, on another day, really could've lead by more.

Second Half
The second half took a while to get going in truth, however Hoffenheim did attempt to swing the game back in their favour with 2 substitutions. Dennis Geiger and Ishak Belfodil replacing Kerem Demirbay and Andrej Kramaric respectively. Hoffenheim proved to be the brighter spark in the early stages, with both of their fullbacks, Pavel Kaderabek and Nico Schulz being denied by Dortmunds Swiss stopper, Roman Burki. They kept driving forward however, and were desperately searching for a way back into game, with Joelinton leading their attacks and having a few attempts denied. However, Dortmund, as rampant as ever, weren't looking to rest on their laurels and found themselves  with various threats of their own. 66 minutes in, and the game effectively put to bed, with smart work from the young England international Sancho to find Gotze, who he previously assisted. From then on in Gotze found Portuguese full back Raphael Guerreiro, who calmly dispatched from 6 yards, in front of a packed out Yellow Wall stand in the WestFalenStadion. The game looked out of reach for the days visitors, and Dortmund were playing games with their visitors and again threatened to score, as Sancho made a mockery of defender Stefan Posch, before striking off the face of the post, desperately close for the young forward. This was as good as it got for The Black and Yellows, complacency kicking in you could say, as they let their foot off the gas. This suddenly brought a great deal of pressure to their defence after vast amounts of space in the middle were being exploited by the visitors. With 15 minutes remaining, Hoffenheim really had nothing to lose and found themselves desperately throwing players forward in order to find a route back into the match. Their goal did eventually come after some smart work down the right hand side saw Kaderabek with a crossing opportunity, his smart ball to the back post was finished off by substitute Belfodil. Burki was unlucky to have not kept his effort out as it slowly crept over the line, however despite the stoppers best efforts, the goal stood. Then, shortly after the visitors goal, Guerreiro once again found himself in a goalscoring opportunity around the 18 yard area, however a powerful effort was unsuccessful, Baumann gratefully clutched the ball into his midriff. A disappointing effort from the Portuguese international, who really could've put the game to bed once and for all. The visitors belief continued to grow, and found themselves with opportunities of their own, with on-loan prodigy Reiss Nelson and Florian Grillitsch both having shots blocked by the Dortmund defenders. Shortly after though, the latter delivered a perfectly timed ball into the box, which was met by the head of Kaderabek, just shortly after teeing up Belfodil for his strike. The game was hanging in the balance, and with just over 7 minutes remaining on the clock, fear was present in the Dortmund camp, foul after foul by their defence, and seemingly penned into their own half. Hoffenheim's hard work and resistance eventually told in the 87th minute, after another perfect ball came into the Dortmund area, this time from Dennis Geiger and with the hosts once again failing to clear their lines, the substitute Belfodil powered in a wonderful header to restore parity in the game. Belfodil capping off a wonderful performance, having only been on the field for 40 minutes, you wonder if the outcome would've been slightly different if he was on the field from the get go. It remained 3-3 in West Germany, with Der BvB not knowing what just hit them. Undoubtedly 2 huge points dropped, you never know how vital those could be come the end of the season. However, they remain 5 points clear at the top and will still be favourites to lift the coveted trophy come May.


Man Of The Match- Jadon Sancho
A terrific showing from the England international, who must be one of the first names on the team sheet. His willingness to take on players and his total fearless attitude is a breath of fresh air. At 18 years of age the world is truly his oyster, and with such confidence and skill to go with his attitude, he could truly develop into one of the worlds best. England manager Gareth Southgate will surely be quivering in anticipation at what Sancho could become, not only for 5 years time, but for the immediate future. He could become a national hero.

Flop of the match- Maximilian Philipp
The 25 year old struggled to make an impact after being Marco Reus's replacement. His struggles meant he was subbed off in the 70th minute, and made way for Paco Alcacer

Moment of the match- Sancho off the post
As well as he played, his effort off the post has to go down as the moment of the match, simply because if he scores the game is put to bed. At 3-0, the game looks beyond Hoffenheim, it looks dead and buried. However, you see this as a moment that could have breathed new life into the visitors, therefore proving a huge factor in the comeback.

Match stats
Possession: 59%-41%
Shots: 16-14
Shots on target: 7-6
Corners: 7-8
Fouls: 7-14

Referee- Marco Fritz (Germany)

Attendance- 81,365