Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac has admitted that his side got lucky in their 3-2 comeback win over Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Debutant Ethan Nwaneri came off the bench to force an own goal in the 86th minute which won them the match after having trailed 2-0 earlier on.
Speaking to the press after the game, Kovac said:
"It was a lucky win, you have to say that, especially when you win the game thanks to an own goal. But it was a fantastic display of energy that shows what the team is capable of. It was a very intense game."
Dortmund were enduring a frustrating opening half in Sinsheim again with Die Kraichgauer's pressing keeping them boxed up in their own half.
At the stroke of 45 minutes, Leon Avdullahu broke the deadlock for the home side with a lovely finish from outside the box before Tim Lemperle doubled their advantage early into the second half.
Kovac reserved special praise for Hoffenheim, who led 2-0 until the 60th minute and seemed to be edging towards another home win over Dortmund as they did in April:
"We knew we had to give everything against Hoffenheim. Everyone saw the quality TSG possesses. Hoffenheim moved the ball well. I would have preferred to see us take a 2-0 lead. We only woke up after going down 2-0. Before that, Hoffenheim played very, very well. "
Just seven minutes after falling 2-0 behind, Dortmund pulled one back through Serhou Guirassy before he teed up substitute Fabio Silva for their second another five minutes later as the BVB drew level quickly.
But, they still needed a third goal to continue their winning run and that came through another substitute Ethan Nwaneri, who made his first appearance for the side since joining on loan from Arsenal.
Kovac acknowledged the impact the players made off the bench, adding:
"They caused us problems and after going down 2-0, we went all out and made some good substitutions. The players who came on brought that extra something."
Following a lovely one-two with Silva, Nwaneri drove inside the box and looked to cut it back for Guirassy, but it deflected off Albian Hajdari and over the line as Dortmund completed the turnaround with only four minutes of normal time remaining.
It also ensured the side won both their opening two games of a Bundesliga season for the first time since the 2022-23 season.
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