Beier double sends Hoffenheim past disappointing Dortmund

RB Leipzig's last-minute loss at Bayern Munich on Saturday opened the door for Dortmund to go four points clear in fourth-place with a win but they were defensively disorganised, making clear errors in the lead-up to all of Hoffenheim's goals. "With individual mistakes we gave the opponents their belief back and allowed them to turn the game around," said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic.

Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt lamented his side's "drastic ball losses", telling DAZN "we made mistakes and we were punished." Dortmund's first loss since early December was the visitors' first win since the same weekend, releasing pressure on their American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo.

Dortmund gifted Hoffenheim the lead after just two minutes, a mix-up between Nico Schlotterbeck and makeshift centre-back Emre Can allowing Ilhas Bebou to score. The home side pegged Hoffenheim back in their own penalty box after the blunder, scoring two goals in four minutes midway through the opening half.

Donyell Malen volleyed in a Marco Reus flick from close range for his 10th league goal this campaign. Schlotterbeck then made good on his defensive mistake, heading in a Reus free kick for Dortmund's second. With the hosts in control but unable to score a third, it was Hoffenheim's turn to score a quick-fire double and retake the lead, with both goals coming from Dortmund losing possession.

Beier's 61st-minute shot took a wicked deflection off Schlotterbeck and into the goal and the striker scored again three minutes later, tapping in an Anton Stach pass from close range. "It's really nice. We came out here in the second-half and we turned things around," said Beier.

Dortmund captain Can had a late chance to snare a point, but he headed over the crossbar, despite being unmarked in the box just metres from goal.

 

February 25, 2024

'Lot went wrong'

Earlier, Omar Marmoush scored in stoppage time to snatch Eintracht Frankfurt a point in a 2-2 home draw against his former club Wolfsburg. Frankfurt came from a goal down to equalise twice, with Egyptian striker Marmoush landing the crucial blow in the dying stages. The draw heaps pressure on Wolfsburg manager Niko Kovac whose side are without a win since mid-December.

They had the perfect start when defender Maxence Lacroix headed in after just two minutes. Paris Saint-Germain loanee Hugo Ekitike set up the equaliser after 14 minutes, laying on a pass to Philipp Max, his first assist since moving to Frankfurt on the final day of the winter transfer window.

Kevin Behrens restored the visitors' lead after 36 minutes, heading in an expert Joakim Maehle cross, his fifth of the season and first for Wolfsburg since joining from Union Berlin in January. Eliminated from the Europa Conference League by Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday, the home side pushed forward in the final stages.

With time running out, Marmoush pounced on a Timothy Chandler pass and blasted in Frankfurt's second. "A lot went wrong in the past few days," Frankfurt captain Kevin Trapp told DAZN. "It's not easy mentally. The atmosphere was sensational - it was what helped us to come back."

Marmoush now has 10 goals this season since moving from the Wolves in the summer, having scored in four of his past five league games. In Sunday's late game, Augsburg scored twice in the final 20 minutes for a 2-1 win over Freiburg, lifting the home side from 15th to 11th. Freiburg captain Vincenzo Grifo opened the scoring after 19 minutes with a penalty, his 13th straight spot kick.

Felix Uduokhai tapped in a rebound to equalise after 72 minutes with Arne Engels scoring nine minutes later, sliding the ball in at the near post.

 

February 25, 2024