Sloppy Dortmund let two-goal lead slip in dramatic fashion
With a 16-match unbeaten home league run under their belt prior to this encounter, it was no surprise to see Dortmund fly out of the traps against the newly-promoted outfit.
Not even ten minutes were on the clock when BVB took the lead, although it did come in rather fortuitous circumstances.
While Emre Can was alive to a loose ball on the edge of the area, an attempted clearance cannoned back off him and fell favourably to Julian Brandt, who made no mistake in rifling an effort into the roof of the net.
The same duo were involved in Dortmund’s second, but this time with the roles reversed. Brandt forced the issue in the area, and as Patrick Mainka handled, Can was on hand to convert the resulting penalty.
In truth, Heidenheim were probably fortunate to go into the break just two goals down, as both Marcel Sabitzer and Donyell Malen came close to putting the game beyond any reasonable doubt.
Frank Schmidt’s men, though, came out with renewed hope after the break and almost forged a way back into the game in the second half’s infancy.
They were perhaps unlucky not to half the deficit, in fact, as Mainka’s goalbound header inadvertently deflected in off the arm of a teammate and, after a lengthy VAR check, referee Tobias Reichel ruled out the goal.
Still, FCH didn’t have to wait too much longer to claim a lifeline, as some sloppy Dortmund play was punished by Eren Dinkci, who thundered home a volley from Norman Theuerkauf’s measured pass.
Dortmund certainly couldn’t rest easy on their lead, and they were certainly sweating when Sebastien Haller dragged down Jan-Niklas Beste in the area. Their worst fears were realised from the subsequent spot-kick, too, with Tim Kleindienst finishing from 12 yards.
While Die Schwarzgelben held on to leave with a share of the spoils, unlike against Werder Bremen in their third Bundesliga game of last season - they fell to a 3-2 loss after being two goals to the good - this result remains a disastrous one for Edin Terzic and Co.
Schmidt's charges, meanwhile, showed impressive resilience and would like to build on this result in the coming matches.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Eren Dinkci (Heidenheim)
