10-man Borussia Dortmund dig deep to claim 3-1 win over Hoffenheim

Borussia Dortmund produced a strong rearguard performance to see off the challenge of Hoffenheim and move to the top of the Bundesliga standings.

Borussia Dortmund made it three wins in a row in the Bundesliga, as goals from Niclas Füllkrug, Marco Reus and Julian Ryerson helped them claim a 3-1 win over Hoffenheim. It was by no means a statement performance from the Black and Yellows, but they will certainly be delighted with the three points, especially considering that they ended the game with ten men after Ramy Bensebaini was sent off.

Hoffenheim were the dominant team for much of the game, but were wasteful in front of goal. And Borussia Dortmund made the most of their chances to take home the all-important three points.

Edin Terzic made just one change to the side that defeated Wolfsburg last weekend, with Donyell Malen coming into the team for Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. Felix Nmecha kept his place in the team, with Niclas Füllkrug starting up front.

Malen made a very bright start to the game and nearly gave Borussia Dortmund the lead in the 15th minute after an excellent run into the box. But his effort was well parried away by Oliver Baumann.

But Borussia Dortmund got their lead just three minutes later, with Füllkrug taking full advantage of an error from John Brooks for his first goal since his summer move from Werder Bremen.

Hoffenheim were then awarded a route back into the game, as the referee adjudged Mats Hummels’ foul on Anton Stach to be just inside the box. Andrej Kramarić converted the penalty to make it 1-1.

The equaliser served as a big confidence boost for Hoffenheim, and Borussia Dortmund were left penned in for much of the remainder of the first-half. But a rare BVB attack resulted in Marco Reus finding the back of the net with the final kick of the first-half, after some excellent work from Malen.

The second-half was more of the same, with Hoffenheim the dominant team and Borussia Dortmund struggling to contain them. The away side had Gregor Kobel and the crossbar to thank for Hoffenheim’s failure to score early in the second-half.

Even though Borussia Dortmund were forced to end the game with ten men after Ramy Bensebaini was sent off in the 71st minute, Hoffenheim failed to find an equaliser. And Julian Ryerson made sure of the win late on with a goal that he will fondly remember for the rest of his life.

The Norwegian international made a stunning run all the way from his own half before firing his shot past Baumann to make it 3-1.

Borussia Dortmund claimed the win despite delivering yet another below-par performance. The result will certainly come as a big boost for BVB, who have a home game against AC Milan up next in the UEFA Champions League.