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Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Hoffenheim : Pulisic scores massive late winner for BVB

By Shawn Ivan D'souza

DORTMUND, GERMANY - DECEMBER 16: Christian Pulisic of Dortmund celebrates after scoring his team`s second goal with team mates during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at Signal Iduna Park on December 16, 2017 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/TF-Images via Getty Images)
DORTMUND, GERMANY - DECEMBER 16: Christian Pulisic of Dortmund celebrates after scoring his team`s second goal with team mates during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at Signal Iduna Park on December 16, 2017 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/TF-Images via Getty Images) /
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Borussia Dortmund came from behind to beat Hoffenheim 2-1 after Christian Pulisic scored a late winner for the hosts.

Peter Stoger had a successful outing in mid-week when Borussia Dortmund picked up a 2-0 victory against Mainz on his debut. The new boss was looking to stamp his authority once again and enter the holiday break with a 2-game win streak in the Bundesliga. The Black and Yellows were up against 5th place, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at the Signal Iduna Park.

Starting XI

Bürki; Toljan, Sokratis, Toprak, Schmelzer; Weigl, Kagawa, Guerreiro; Pulisic, Aubameyang,  Yarmolenko

Peter Stoger announced an unchanged starting XI from the previous matchday in an attempt to achieve the same result as at Mainz.

First Half

It was a tentative start to the game with both teams trying to force their dominance in the game. The first chance of the game went to Borussia Dortmund. In the 5th minute, Yarmalenko broke free into the Hoffenheim box but his shot was wide off the far post.

Pulisic and Aubameyang were quick to follow but their shots were blocked out by the opposition defence. Julian Nagelsmann’s side came back into the game as it progressed.

The away side were probing at the Dortmund defence. In the 21st minute,  Kaderabek broke free on the Dortmund wing and managed to find Uth in the box. The German International made no mistake and gave Hoffenheim the lead.

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A few minutes later, Steven Zuber tried to test Roman Burki with a long-range shot. But the Dortmund keeper had a clear sight of the ball and made a simple catch.

Borussia Dortmund took control of the game with keeping hold of possession in the attacking half. But the forward line failed to create a clear-cut opportunity.

Towards the end of the half, Pulisic set-up a wonderful chance for Yarmelenko. But the Ukranian took too much time to sort his feet and was eventually blocked out. The players returned to the dressing room with the score 1-0 in the favour of Hoffenheim.

Second Half

Borussia Dortmund started the second period on the front foot. In the very first minute, Pulisic broke free through the flank. But the American winger failed to find a player in the Hoffenheim box.

The game entered a period of stagnant as both sides tried to win the midfield battles and break into the defence. Borussia Dortmund were creating chances around the Hoffenheim box but were unable to get their opportunities at Bauman’s goal.

In the 62nd minute, Kagawa was tackled by Stefan Posch in the penalty area and the referee quickly pointed to the spot. Aubameyang stepped up to take the penalty and calmly put it in the back of the net to level the score.

Both teams were out there with full strength, trying to find the winning goal. But in the process, they were negating each other perfectly and the opportunities were pretty rare in the last quarter of the fixture.

In the last of regulation time, Kagawa released Pulisic into the Hoffenheim box with a perfect box. The 19-year old took the ball over the goalkeeper before putting it in the back of the net to give Dortmund the lead.

DORTMUND, GERMANY – DECEMBER 16: The team of Dortmund celebrates after winning the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at Signal Iduna Park on December 16, 2017 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/TF-Images via Getty Images)
DORTMUND, GERMANY – DECEMBER 16: The team of Dortmund celebrates after winning the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at Signal Iduna Park on December 16, 2017 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/TF-Images via Getty Images) /

In maybe one of the misses of the season, Aubameyang had an open goal to make it 3-1. But the Gabonese International missed his header from a yard out. He recovered on the follow-up and found Dahoud, who shot was wide of the goal. The referee put an end to the game with Borussia Dortmund picking up a priceless 2-1 victory.

Conclusion

2 games, 2 victories. Peter Stoger’s streak continues but the manager would surely not be happy with the performance. Borussia Dortmund lacked the abilities to break the defence on multiple and left it late to achieve the 3 points. On the league table, The Black and Yellows could sit in the 3rd spot for the holidays if rest of the game week results go in their favour.

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