Player Ratings from Dortmund's Survive Hoffenheim Scare | OneFootball

Entering the match, Dortmund were without some key performers from recent games — Beier and Groß. This may have caused some concern about how the team could create scoring chances, but we saw one player step up massively — Julian Brandt. This game was a must-win as Mainz and Borussia Mönchengladbach both lost their matches. The win resulted in BVB passing both of the aforementioned teams in the table and into a Conference League qualification spot.

Dortmund largely dominated the first half, and it should have resulted in a 2-0 lead; however, Guirassy took a poor penalty that was saved by Baumann. During specific periods of the game, BVB were unable to break the opposition's press, allowing Hoffenheim to take the momentum in the second half. In the end, a back-and-forth second half ended with Dortmund on top by a score of 3-2. Fans should be happy with the result, but also somewhat concerned, considering the poor play that led to the opposition's goals, including a free header in the second goal.

BVB were lucky to leave Hoffenheim with three points, after letting the home side equal twice before a last-minute winner scored by Anton. The game ended in controversy as a 50-50 challenge left goalkeeper Baumann on the floor and with a bruised forehead. With an apparent head injury to the Hoffenheim goalkeeper, play continued and resulted in the winning goal for Dortmund. VAR reviewed the goal and believed that it should stand, much to the dismay of the Hoffenheim coaches, players, and fans. Hoffenheim fans have the right to be frustrated, and BVB supporters should be counting their lucky stars tonight. Here are the player ratings from BVB's 3-2 win over Hoffenheim:

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Gregor Kobel (3/10): Kobel wasn’t really tested today, as the home side had only three shots on target. The goals were difficult for the Swiss player to stop, as the first one was likely savable had it not been for the slight deflection. The second goal was a free header and resulted from poor marking by the defense. In the build-up to the second goal, Kobel played a poor ball to Couto that led to a throw-in, followed by the resulting goal.

Niklas Süle (6/10): The former Bayern Münich player put in a good shift in the backline today. He was impressive with his passing, especially as he had a 91% passing accuracy and five passes into the final third. In addition, he had seven ball recoveries, but he lost only two ground duels.

Waldemar Anton (8/10): While Süle did well on the ball, Anton did even better. His 75/80 passes with a 94% accuracy and seven passes into the final third were a great showing. Obviously, the team misses the passing prowess of Schlotterbeck in the backline, but performances like this from Anton help to mitigate the loss. A high kick resulted in a yellow card for the player before halftime. He scored the game-winning goal for Dortmund and deserves some credit for his instinctive ability to get forward when the team needed the goal. Anton won ⅘ ground duels and was fouled three times.

Ramy Bensebaini (6/10): The Algerian is settling well into his role within the back three. He played the most passes in the match (77) at an accuracy rate of 93%. He led the team in defensive actions with 13, and he won five of his eight duels. On Hoffenheim’s first goal, he did well to recover, but his deflection may have caused the shot to beat Kobel. Also, he was lucky not to have given away a penalty in the first half. His foul was deemed to be on the very edge of the box.

Julian Ryerson (4/10): The Norwegian defender was subbed off for Cuoto after a match in which his impact was minimal. His crossing was disappointing after only one of five were accurate. He won three of six ground duels and finished with five defensive actions.

Daniel Svensson (8/10): A great performance from the Swedish loanee that will almost certainly still be wearing Black and Yellow next season. He had two assists and created the most chances in the match with four. Five ball recoveries and seven defensive actions to go along with a good performance in the final third. Hoffenheim’s second goal was a free header, and Svensson was the closest defender. You can put him at fault, but he was marking the man in front of him. Anyway, you see it, it's still an impressive game from the wing-back.

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Julian Brandt (9/10): The number 10 was the man of the match. Any concerns over who would give the team a creative spark without Groß were quelled today. Brandt improved massively compared to some of his recent performances. Julian created the first goal with a fantastic ball that put Svensson through to the edge of the penalty area. He also helped to create the penalty with his well-weighted pass to Gittens inside the box. Additionally, he had a fantastic finish to put BVB back into the lead when the game was tied 1-1. He did have two giveaways in the match that led to counterattacks by the opposition.

Felix Nmecha (7/10): Dortmund’s defending midfielder put in a good shift today and was unlucky to be subbed off. He was clearly better than Can and was likely only subbed instead of his German counterpart because of Can’s ability to play center-back. He almost had a goal with his attempted overhead kick just before the half, and he progressed the ball well with his carrying. As he continues to get more minutes, he is showing his importance to the club's midfield. He had four passes into the final third and won six of his seven ground duels.

Emre Can (2/10): The captain was moved into midfield for the first time in quite a while for Dortmund. He looked a bit out of place for most of the match. While he had a few decent ball carries, his final ball was lacking. In the buildup to the first goal, he was late to press his man, giving the player too much time on the ball. Unlike Nmecha, Can was poor in his ground duels, only winning one of eight. He likely would have been subbed off instead of Nmecha if not for his ability to play center back.

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Jamie Gittens (6/10): The Englishman impressed today in the place of Beier. It was good to see his ability to bring the ball into the box and create chances. He won the penalty that should have put Dortmund up by two goals. He used his speed and footwork well during the match to put off Hoffenheim defenders as he won the most fouls of any player (5). He showed a decline in the second half and ended the game being dispossessed five times. Overall, a good performance where hopefully Todd Boehly was watching the first half and looking into his wallet for the second.

Serhou Guirassy (6/10): Dortmund's top goalscorer had an interesting game for BVB today, as he finished with two goal involvements but missed a penalty. It was the first penalty he had missed in the Bundesliga during his career, but it was a poor penalty. He did make up for the error with an assist to Anton in the final minutes of the match. He was effective at progressing the ball forward as he had five passes into the final third. He was involved more than usual in the buildup as he had a higher number of touches in this match than usual, with 46, eight of which were in the opposition’s penalty area.

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Nico Kovać (4/10): Kovač again came in with substitutions that were a bit late in my opinion. Gittens had shown a decline and could have gone off earlier. Can was poor in midfield and should have come off. He was moved to center back, but maybe this was a move that could have come earlier. The coach was lucky his team came away with three points in the end.  He did well to set the team up without Beier and Groß, and the back three continues to get results, but there is still room for improvement.

Karim Adeyemi (6/10): In his limited minutes, he took a bit of time to look comfortable. When he was comfortable, he looked great as an outlet for the team.

Salih Ӧzcan (5/10): The Turkish midfielder came on for Nmecha, which I viewed as a disappointing substitution, but he did well in helping the team regain control of the midfield in the final twenty minutes. His highlight was a good ball to Adeyemi that led to a shot. He gave away a foul in the defensive third not long after coming on.

Yan Couto (4/10): Yan was good on the attack but poor defensively today. He did better going forward than Ryerson, but he was beaten a few times down the wing. His poor touch on a pass from Kobel ultimately led to the away team's second goal.