BERLIN — In an exciting match on Sunday in the Bundesliga, Jacob Bruun Larsen marked his return to Borussia Dortmund’s former club by scoring a late equalizer, resulting in a 1-1 draw for Hoffenheim.
Gio Reyna’s impressive first goal of the season had initially put Dortmund in the lead, looking set for a seventh consecutive league victory. However, Hoffenheim’s substitute Bruun Larsen found the net during the first minute of stoppage time, capitalizing on a lapse in Dortmund’s defense following Haris Tabakovi?’s cross.
The 26-year-old Bruun Larsen, who previously played for Dortmund from 2015 to 2020 with a brief loan spell at Stuttgart, expertly directed the ball into the left corner of the goal. Despite scoring, he chose not to celebrate, although his teammates did. “If I’d played from the start, maybe it would have been two goals,” Bruun Larsen remarked, reflecting on his position as a substitute.
Reyna’s goal came shortly after the halftime break when he skillfully controlled an attempted clearance with his chest before blasting the ball into the top right corner of the net. The 22-year-old American made his first start of the season just days prior, in Dortmund’s 3-2 Champions League loss against Barcelona, and coach Nuri Sahin clearly felt he earned another starting opportunity soon after.
In the first half, an incident involving Serhou Guirassy almost led to a penalty. After falling following a light touch from Brazilian defender Arthur Chaves, referee Harm Osmers reconsidered the decision upon reviewing video footage, arguably letting Guirassy escape a diving-related booking. Meanwhile, Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck played the entire match despite recently suffering what seemed to be a serious injury against Barcelona.
As a result of dropping points again, Dortmund fell to eighth place in the league, marking the eighth time this season they’ve dropped points in 14 matches.
In a contrasting result earlier on the same day, Stuttgart triumphed over Heidenheim with a score of 3-1, moving up to sixth place. After a shaky start to the season, Stuttgart has now had a resurgence, winning four consecutive matches across all competitions and scoring three or more goals in each game.
Heidenheim, meanwhile, seemed to be feeling the effects of its prior success as a promoted team last season, having qualified for the Conference League. They currently find themselves in the relegation zone of the Bundesliga after experiencing seven defeats in all competitions.
In another match, Loïs Openda led Leipzig to a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, bouncing back from a disappointing defeat in the Champions League. Openda managed to score a goal in the 51st minute, following a corner kick that was headed on by Christoph Baumgartner, allowing Leipzig to secure back-to-back wins against Frankfurt in both league and cup matches.
Following a 3-2 loss to Aston Villa, Leipzig’s earlier hopes of progressing in the Champions League were dashed, as they ended the group stage with no wins, marking a tough beginning to their European campaign.