Borussia Dortmund fans showed up in Sinsheim in force on Saturday, and they witnessed an absolute thriller. Well over 10,000 Black-and-Yellows made the trip, so many that managing director Lars Ricken even joked, “It felt like there were more BVB fans in the stadium than Hoffenheim fans.” Good thing they brought that energy, because their team needed every bit of it, fighting back from a 2-0 deficit shortly after halftime to snatch an incredible 3-2 victory.
Another Sinsheim Rollercoaster Ride
TSG Hoffenheim initially set the tone, deservedly taking that two-goal lead early in the second half. But after an hour, something clicked for BVB. They responded with a vengeance, leveling the score within five minutes thanks to goals from Serhou Guirassy and Fabio Silva. Then, in the 86th minute, the drama cranked up: a deflected cross from new signing Ethan Nwaneri found its way into the net for an own goal, securing a wild 3-2 win for Dortmund. This wasn’t the first time Sinsheim has served up late-game heroics for BVB. Back in September 2023, they led 2-1 at halftime, lost Ramy Bensebaini to a second yellow, but still pulled off a 3-1 win after Julian Ryerson went on a solo run and scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time. A season later, in April 2025, they were leading 2-1 after 90 minutes when Pavel Kaderabek tied it up. It looked like two crucial points were gone, but Waldemar Anton fired his team to a 3-2 away win in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Talk about never giving up!
Kovac’s Genius on Display
Coach Niko Kovac deserves some serious credit here. Gregor Kobel noted, “Niko did a lot from the sidelines. He changed a lot, brought on a few players, adjusted a bit to the opponent.” Kovac brought on Fabio Silva, who scored the equalizer and was key in the winner. He introduced Ethan Nwaneri, who gave the attack a massive boost and helped create that decisive own goal. And he put Joey Veerman in as a playmaker, a summer signing from PSV Eindhoven. Sporting director Ole Book praised Veerman, saying, “You could see that in a hectic phase, with his footballing quality and experience, he brought a lot of calm into the team.” Dortmund didn’t dominate the stats, with 10:17 shots from their perspective, only 45 percent possession, and a pass completion rate of just 79 percent. Book admitted, “As a whole team, we didn’t play that well.” But Kobel kept it real, adding, “I wouldn’t put too much energy into the analysis… because it’s the start of the season… 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.”
The 3-2 comeback means the Black-and-Yellows have started a Bundesliga season with two wins for the first time in four years! That’s huge for building momentum early on. Lars Ricken summed it up perfectly, “The result should give us confidence for next week. It’s important that we take this momentum with us now.” You bet they should. Let’s see them carry this fire into the next match!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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