Borussia Dortmund's sporting director Nils-Ole Book was delighted to see his side stage a memorable comeback in their 3-2 win over Hoffenheim on Saturday.
The BVB trailed 2-0 in Sinsheim until 60 minutes, but quickfire goals from Serhou Guirassy and Fabio Silva brought them level before debutant Ethan Nwaneri forced an own goal to complete the turnaround.
Coming off two consecutive wins, first in the Bundesliga against Hamburger SV and then against HEBC in the DFB-Pokal, the Prussians were supposedly headed towards a defeat here as lapses in defense once again appeared to cost them.
But Niko Kovac's side displayed excellent character and steel in the last half an hour to claw their way right back into it and maintain their 100% record at the start of the league season.
Ole Book, who was in attendance at the Rhine Neckar Arena to witness the pulsating clash, revealed his pleasure at watching Dortmund go from 2-0 behind to win 3-2.
"At the end of the day, soccer remains a results-oriented sport. That’s why we’re pleased with the response in the final half hour and with our successful start to the season. We’ll have two days to analyze all the other aspects because at that point we’ll have another game already. "
He further added that while they now possesses a side that's capable of turning things around, Book prefers his side to remain dominant from the off.
"The substitutions made a significant impact. We know we have a strong roster and that it allows us to win games late. Still, we’d all prefer to have better momentum on the field right from the start. It was high-intensity intense game. We let them get the better of us during certain stretches."
The first half was a cagey affair with chances being few and far between for both teams, especially with the BVB looking toothless after demonstrating their frightening attacking capability in the cup win on Tuesday.
Leon Avdullahu then broke the deadlock for Die Kraichgauer right at the stroke of 45 minutes to leave Dortmund trailing at the break, before Tim Lemperle doubled the home side's advantage after capitalizing on some sloppy play by them in defense.
A defeat seemed imminent for Kovac's side, but Guirassy pulled one back with a lovely chip in the 61st minute before teeing up Silva for their second. Nwaneri, coming off the bench for his first substitute appearance since joining from Arsenal, looked to cut back across for Guirassy inside the box, but his cross was inadvertently turned him by Albian Hajdari in the 86th minute.
Borussia Dortmund are at home to Paderborn for matchday three of the 2026-27 Bundesliga season next Saturday, but first welcome Villarreal to the Westfalonstadion in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
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