Borussia Dortmund's managing director Lars Ricken has lavished praise on his team after they bounced back from two goals down to beat Hoffenheim 3-2 in the Bundesliga.
Serhou Guirassy, Fabio Silva and Ethan Nwaneri combined to save the blushes as the BVB made it two wins from their opening two games of the league season for the first time since 2022-23.
Having lost 2-1 on their last visit to Rhine Neckar Arena in April, it was turning out to be deja vu for Die Borussen with Leon Avdullahu and Tim Lemperle scoring apiece to give Die Kraichgauer a 2-0 lead.
But Niko Kovac's side got their act together after the second goal, as Guirassy and Silva made it 2-2 within five minutes of each other scoring.
Debutant Nwaneri came off the bench to force an own goal from Albian Hajdari in the 86th minute as the turnaround was complete.
Ricken admitted that coming back from a two-goal deficit didn't seeme possible at first, but was delighted at his side pulling it off eventually.
"Wherever Dortmund plays, things never get boring! It was the same thing against Hamburg. After we went down two-nil, it was tough to imagine a positive response But we did bounce back. Kudos to the team."
He further highlighted contributions of some of the players who were instrumental in staging the comeback, including Arsenal loanee Nwaneri, who made his first appearance for the BVB today.
"They really showed character. Nwaneri was constantly involved in our dangerous plays. Even though he didn't score the goal, he was crucial [on the game winner].. Fabio scored a goal and set up another. I’d also like to highlight Waldemar Anton — not just because he set up the first for two-one brilliantly, but also for how he kept the defense together."
Dortmund were abject in the opening stanza, lacking in the attacking flair we saw from them against Hamburger SV and HEBC. Filippo Mane also went off injured after just 32 minutes into the clash.
Die Kraichgauer made them pay for their cageyness at the stroke of 45 minutes with Avdullahu firing in a fearsome strike from outside the box.
Things got worse for the BVB nine minutes into the second half, as Lemperle dispossessed Joane Gadou near the box and drove inside to make a finish which deflected off Waldemar Anton.
In an attempt to redeem himself, the German international then teed up Guirassy for their first by regaining possession and starting the move.
The Guinean then set up Silva for their second, while Nwaneri and Silva combined for the third, with the loan signing's cutback inside the box turned home by Hajdari with only four minutes of normal time remaining.
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