“Painful blow”: Hoffenheim squander lead again

Hoffenheim led Borussia Dortmund 2-0 for an hour, then collapsed and lost 3-2 in a painful Bundesliga defeat that left the team without a point after two matches.

Tim Lemperle scored what appeared to be a decisive second goal, but Hoffenheim missed several chances to settle the game. Dortmund turned the match around through goals from Serhou Guirassy and substitute Fabio Silva, before an own goal by Albian Hajdari completed the comeback.

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We have zero points, and the feeling is extremely awful.

Hoffenheim’s key grievance centered on Dortmund’s first goal. Coach Christian Ilzer said a foul had clearly been committed against new signing Patrick Wimmer before Guirassy scored. Referee Matthias Jöllenbeck consulted the video assistant, but the goal stood.

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A team cannot ease off even one millimeter with a 2-0 lead. We were punished mercilessly today.

“We have zero points, and the feeling is extremely awful,” Lemperle said. Ilzer praised his players’ first 60 minutes but said a team could not ease off even slightly with a 2-0 lead. Hoffenheim had also lost 3-2 against Cologne after twice taking the lead.

The defeat exposed both Hoffenheim’s attacking promise and its defensive vulnerability. Ilzer has limited options from the bench while Fisnik Asllani works back from a training deficit and Andrej Kramaric continues to appear mainly as a substitute. Hoffenheim now faces VfB Stuttgart, followed directly by its Europa League campaign.

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It was a very clear foul, there is no dispute.