On Saturday, too, well over 10,000 Black-and-Yellows made the trip to Sinsheim. Anyone unfamiliar with the situation might have thought the Swedish national team was playing there, with large sections of the stands mixed in yellow and blue. “It felt like there were more BVB fans in the stadium than Hoffenheim fans,” said managing director Lars Ricken with a wink.
But TSG Hoffenheim initially set the tone and deservedly took a 2-0 lead shortly after halftime. BVB responded after an hour, first leveling the score within five minutes through goals from Serhou Guirassy and Fabio Silva. Then, in the 86th minute, a deflected cross from Ethan Nwaneri led to an own goal and a 3-2 win for BVB.
Once again, late BVB goals in Sinsheim!
In September 2023, BVB went into halftime with a 2-1 lead, but after 70 minutes lost Ramy Bensebaini to a second yellow card. Down to ten men, the team defended its narrow advantage. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Julian Ryerson went on a solo run from deep inside his own half and capped it off with the goal for the final 3-1 scoreline.
A season later, in April 2025, the Black-and-Yellows were leading 2-1 after the 90 minutes had elapsed. But then Pavel Kaderabek made it 2-2. In the battle for Champions League qualification, two important points now seemed lost. Waldemar Anton refused to let them go. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, he fired his team to a 3-2 away win.
“Niko did a lot from the sidelines. He changed a lot, brought on a few players, adjusted a bit to the opponent,” Gregor Kobel said of Niko Kovac’s coaching. Kovac brought on Fabio Silva, who scored the 2-2 and played a key role in the 3-2, introduced new signing Ethan Nwaneri, who provided attacking impetus and helped create the winner, and implemented Joey Veerman as a playmaker. “You could see that in a hectic phase, with his footballing quality and experience, he brought a lot of calm into the team,” said sporting director Ole Book about the Dutchman, who joined from PSV Eindhoven in the summer.
3-2 after a roller-coaster ride.
10:17 shots from Dortmund’s perspective. 45 percent possession. A pass completion rate of just 79 percent. “As a whole team, we didn’t play that well,” Book summed up, despite the ultimately successful outcome.
“I wouldn’t put too much energy into the analysis,” said Gregor Kobel, “because it’s the start of the season. I think a lot came together, so I don’t want to talk about it too much. Put soberly, it certainly wasn’t a good game from us until the first goal. But in the end, we have the quality to win games like this.” For the first time in four years, the Black-and-Yellows have started a Bundesliga season with two wins. “The result should give us confidence for next week,” said Lars Ricken. “It’s important that we take this momentum with us now.”
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
