- Julian Brandt (43')
Borussia Dortmund go top of Bundesliga thanks to Julian Brandt strike
Julian Brandt flicks the set piece off his back to put Dortmund on top
Borussia Dortmund takes the lead in unusual fashion after Julian Brandt manages to direct the ball into the net off his back.
A moment of improvisation from Julian Brandt earned Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 win at struggling TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday, sending Edin Terzic's side three points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
Brandt scored in the 43rd minute after he was fouled wide on the left. Marco Reus swung in the resulting free kick and Brandt ducked under the ball at the near post, letting it bounce off his back and in past Oliver Baumann in the Hoffenheim goal.
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Dortmund full-back Marius Wolf thought he had doubled the lead in the 56th minute when he powered an unstoppable shot past Baumann, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR check for a foul on Hoffenheim's Ihlas Bebou in the build-up.
Dortmund's eighth league win in a row moved them on to 46 points, three ahead of both second-placed Bayern Munich and third-placed Union Berlin, who play each other on Sunday.
Struggling Hoffenheim, who brought in Pellegrino Matarazzo as manager earlier this month after sacking Andre Breitenreiter, are 16th in the table on 19 points, in the relegation play-off place, after their fifth league defeat in a row.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Martin Petersen
German Bundesliga Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayer Leverkusen | 30 | 25 | 5 | 0 | +55 | 80 |
| Bayern Munich | 30 | 21 | 3 | 6 | +50 | 66 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 30 | 20 | 3 | 7 | +32 | 63 |
| RB Leipzig | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 | +35 | 59 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 30 | 16 | 9 | 5 | +23 | 57 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 30 | 11 | 12 | 7 | +6 | 45 |
| SC Freiburg | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | -11 | 40 |
| FC Augsburg | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | -1 | 39 |
| TSG Hoffenheim | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | -7 | 39 |
| 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | -9 | 34 |
| Werder Bremen | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | -12 | 34 |
| Borussia Monchengladbach | 30 | 7 | 10 | 13 | -7 | 31 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | -15 | 31 |
| 1. FC Union Berlin | 30 | 8 | 5 | 17 | -24 | 29 |
| Mainz | 30 | 5 | 12 | 13 | -17 | 27 |
| VfL Bochum | 30 | 5 | 12 | 13 | -26 | 27 |
| FC Cologne | 30 | 4 | 10 | 16 | -30 | 22 |
| SV Darmstadt 98 | 30 | 3 | 8 | 19 | -42 | 17 |
Bundesliga News