Borussia Dortmund picked up a narrow 1-0 victory over Hoffenheim at Signal Iduna Park to move top of the Bundesliga on Friday night. Here, we look at the performances of each side’s players and give out our ratings.
Borussia Dortmund
Gregor Kobel – 6: The Dortmund shot-stopper had little to do, with Hoffenheim mustering only two shots on target. Fumbled one cross during an otherwise solid evening.
Thomas Meunier – 6: Improved as the night went on, but struggled early on with some wayward passing. Hoffenheim looked to attack as much as possible down the Belgian’s side, and he did enough to keep Angeliño quiet.
Mats Hummels – 5: Looked a yard off the pace. Despite his experience, his place in the starting line-up must surely be under pressure once Niklas Süle regains full fitness and is ready to play from the off.
Nico Schlotterbeck – 7: Calm and composed at the heart of the Dortmund defence, other than one lapse in concentration in the first half that almost allowed Hoffenheim in. Has already had a significant impact on the Schwarzgelben’s backline.
Marius Wolf – 8: More comfortable on the right flank, the 27-year-old was a threat going forward and solid at the back on the left. Appears to be flourishing as Edin Terzić looks to exploit the wings as much as possible.
Salih Özcan – 6: Solid yet unspectacular. Wasn’t put under much pressure in what was just his second Bundesliga start for the club, but Dortmund are yet to concede with him in the first XI.
Jude Bellingham – 9: Brilliant performance from the teenager who continues to belie his age. A driving force in the middle of the park, he controlled the game and was a major reason why Hoffenheim boss André Breitenreiter made two midfield changes at half-time.
Julian Brandt – 7: Impressed early on, and his beautifully-weighted first-time pass provided the assist for the winner. However, his end product was otherwise below what he is capable of.
Marco Reus – 9: Continues to be the heart and soul of this side, even at the age of 33. Took his goal well and linked up the play across the forward line.
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens – 7: Was lively during his 40 minutes on the pitch, playing a key role in the build-up to Reus’ strike. Unfortunately forced off the field with a shoulder injury shortly before half-time – it is unclear how serious the issue is.
Anthony Modeste – 6: Could have done better with the couple of half-chances that fell his way. However, he was a strong presence up top and caused the Hoffenheim back line plenty of problems with his work rate.
SUBS:
Thorgan Hazard – 6: Came on for the injured Bynoe-Gittens. Although he didn’t exert much influence, didn’t do anything wrong either.
Niklas Süle – 5: Came on in the last ten minutes and wasn’t called upon enough to deserve a higher rating.
Giovani Reyna – 5: Also introduced as the game reached its climax. Only recently returned from injury and didn’t have any impact as Dortmund looked to see the game out.
Hoffenheim
Oliver Baumann – 8: Hoffenheim’s best player. Wasn’t at fault for the goal and made vital saves from Bellingham and Reus to keep his side in the game.
Robert Skov – 5: Hard to believe he scored over 30 goals in his final season in Denmark before his Hoffenheim switch. Struggled to deal with Bynoe-Gittens’ pace, as well, and was hooked at the interval.
Ozan Kabak – 6: Probably the best of a bad Hoffenheim defensive bunch, although he was lucky to avoid giving away a penalty in the first half after handling in the area.
Kevin Vogt – 6: Was at times sloppy with his passing and was given a tough time by Modeste. Still, he hardly disgraced himself and remains an important player for Breitenreiter.
Kevin Akpoguma – 4: Constantly found himself out of position and lacked the strength you would expect from a centre-back standing at 192 cm.
Angeliño – 5: Hoffenheim looked to make use of his crossing ability, and one or two of his attempts threatened to find a teammate in a dangerous position, but he is capable of so much more. Also left Akpoguma exposed when he ventured forward.
Dennis Geiger – 4: Caught in possession on more than one occasion and was far too easily bypassed in the middle of the park. Taken off at half-time.
Christoph Baumgartner – 5: Perhaps a little unfortunate to also be replaced at the break, but the midfield was clearly causing Hoffenheim all sorts of problems. Looked neat and positive in possession without producing anything sensational.
Grischa Prömel – 5: Avoided being taken off after 45 minutes, but it was not a great night for the former Union Berlin man. Did not look comfortable and was effectively a passenger.
Andrej Kramarić – 5: The Croatian makes Hoffenheim tick, but he was too often on the periphery of proceedings. Forced Kobel into an albeit simple save, the closest he came to the scoresheet.
Georginio Rutter – 6: Was his side’s most dangerous threat. Pulled off some nice flicks and went close on a couple of occasions. One of the team’s brighter sparks who will only get better as he matures.
SUBS:
Sebastian Rudy – 6: Replaced Geiger and instantly tightened up the midfield. His experience helped settle his teammates.
Muhammed Damar – 5: Didn’t get into the game enough, but was one of the half-time substitutions that steadied the Hoffenheim ship.
Pavel Kadeřábek – 6: A clear improvement on Skov offensively and defensively. Displayed plenty of physicality and whipped in a couple of dangerous crosses.
Mu’nas Dabbur – 5: Barely noticed him after coming on in the 71st minute.
Jacob Bruun Larsen – N/A: Played less than ten minutes.
