Hoffenheim booked their place in the Europa League group stage in style on Saturday, as they beat Borussia Dortmund 4-0 at Signal Iduna Park.
Hoffenheim needed just eight minutes to break the deadlock, thanks to a superb performance from Andrej Kramaric. The visitors worked well with the ball across the box, as the Croatian first-time shot his shot perfectly into the top corner, leaving Roman Burke no chance.
Krama-Air flight has stopped. And how! ✈️
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⌚ 34′ | ? 0-2? | #BVBTSG pic.twitter.com/UKmbfSkzHY
— TSG Hoffenheim EN (@achtzehn99_en) June 27, 2020
Hoffenheim grabbed a second on the half-hour mark, with Dortmund winding down. It was Kramarić again, with acres of space to tap home Robert Skoff’s cross. Despite protests for offside he was certainly on, as Kramarić made it 10 league goals for the season before half-time.
Kramarić sealed his hat-trick in style after the restart, keeping his cool in front of goal to slot home in style. It went from bad to worse when Mats Hummels conceded a penalty moments later, as Kramaric once again stepped up to duly dispatch for his fourth goal of the afternoon.
It was a brutal end to an exciting Bundesliga season, as both sides finished in the European spots. Dortmund will be playing in the Champions League group stage for the fifth consecutive season, while Hoffenheim will be playing in the Europa League group stage for only the second time in their history.
Key talking point
Borussia Dortmund disappointed after scoring another goal. /INA FASSBENDER/GETTY IMAGES
With the title race over and a second-place finish, Borussia Dortmund were playing for pride, hoping to bow out in style after a difficult season.
But their afternoon couldn’t have gone any worse.
Dortmund were behind within eight minutes, quickly subdued. Yet there was no improvement – every time Hoffenheim went forward, they seemed to score against a weak, confidence-stricken BVB. Their defense was embarrassing, often looking like they weren’t even trying to keep the visitors out.
It got worse after the break, as their deficit doubled within just five minutes. The loss was a disaster for Dortmund, who had well and truly capitulated without a fight. They were spineless at the back and useless up top, recording just four shots on target all afternoon.
The humiliating defeat is the worst possible end to another underwhelming season, where Dortmund were knocked off the top of the table in August and never came back. Lucian Favre has a huge rebuild ahead of him, the result of which proves how much work needs to be done. A disastrous end to a bitter season for Dortmund, which says a lot about the state of the club.
Something just has to change in Dortmund.
Borussia Dortmund Player Ratings
Starting XI: Berkey (5); Piszczek (5), Hummels (4), Balerdi (4); Morey (5), Brandt (5), Witsel (5), Guerrero (5); Reina (5), Holland (5), Danger (5).
Subs: Hakimi (5), Sancho (5), Zagado (5), Russell (5), Scholes (5).
Dortmund’s (best?) player – Roman Burke
Roman Burke of Borussia Dortmund. / Martin Rose / Getty Images
Ironically, the best goalkeeper for Dortmund was Roman Burke. He managed to make some excellent saves to reduce the deficit, keeping out a number of Hoffenheim efforts with some brilliant stops. That being said, conceding four goals on home turf is concerning, and the Swiss should have done better in saving penalties, among others.
Key talking point
Hoffenheim celebrated the opening goal after just eight minutes. /INA FASSBENDER/GETTY IMAGES
Hoffenheim traveled to North Rhine-Westphalia aiming to seal a European berth, and they did so in some style. The visitors were merciless from the first whistle, a beautiful team move ended by Kramarić’s superb finish. After time, achtzehn99 looked dangerous going forward, taking a two-goal lead before the break.
They needed just five minutes after the break to make it four and by then the job was done. Hoffenheim blew Dortmund and blew them away.
Hoffenheim – and Kramarić in particular – deserve a lot of credit, for what was one of their best performances of the entire season. They have well booked their place in next year’s Europa League, and will certainly be one to watch next season after a perfect end to their Bundesliga campaign.
Hoffenheim Player Ratings
Starting XI: Baumann (7); Posch (7), Grillitsch (8), Hübner (7); Kadeřábek (7), Rudy (7), Samassékou (6), Kramaric (10*), Skov (8); Bebo (7), Dabur (6).
Substitutes: Baumgartner (6), Zubair (7), Braun Larsson (6), Becic (N/A).
Star Player – Andrzej Kramarek
8′ ⏱️
30′ ⏱️
48′ ⏱️
50′ ⏱️
Andrzej Krameric having a day by himself? #BVBTSG 0-4 pic.twitter.com/41ORcuJaaX
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) June 27, 2020
There is only one man who can claim Hoffenheim’s star man award, and indeed the man of the match award. The Andrej Kramarić signal was absolutely brilliant at Iduna Park, as everything he touched turned into goals. He had four shots on target all afternoon and scored with each one, showing the range of his skills with a cool penalty and a superb long-range finish between his goals.
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