BVB held to 0-0 stalemate in hard-fought match in Heidenheim | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund have dropped points for the first time this calendar year. BVB had to settle for a 0-0 draw – overall a fair result – at 1. FC Heidenheim on Bundesliga Matchday 20.

Boris Rupert reporting

Heidenheim were initially significantly closer to an opening goal than BVB in front of 15,000 spectators at a sold-out Voith-Arena, but it was the visitors who struck first – through Malen in the 26th minute. But the goal for 1-0 was disallowed due to an agonisingly close offside call. BVB did push for the winning goal in the second period of a very hard-fought encounter, but did not create any clear scoring chances aside from Füllkrug's shot close to full-time.

The scenario:   Tenth versus fourth. 1. FC Heidenheim were unbeaten in six matches and had only failed to find the net in one of their previous 12 games. BVB were the only club to have won all three of their matches in 2024 and were on a five-game unbeaten streak.

Personnel matters:   Nine BVB players were unavailable: Kobel, Brandt, Reus, Adeyemi, Ryerson, Nmecha, Haller and Duranville, who had already missed the match against Bochum, were joined on the sidelines by Sancho. Bensebaini was back from the Africa Cup of Nations and on the bench. There was only one change to the starting line-up compared to the previous game: Bynoe-Gittens replaced Sancho.

Tactics:   Like in the home game against Bochum, Borussia lined up with two centre-forwards – once again in a 4-4-2 formation – and found themselves up against an opponent that defended passionately, played a high-pressing game, and dropped back and defended compactly when the press was bypassed. The Black & Yellows frequently transitioned into a 3-3-4 when building the play. Füllkrug and Moukoko were joined in the line of attack by Malen and Bynoe-Gittens, with Maatsen behind them pushing forward from the left-back position to play alongside Özcan in defensive midfield; Sabitzer then moved into the midfield playmaker role.

The match & analysis:A high level of intensity in midfield and battles to win the second balls characterised the opening 25 minutes of the match, during which Heidenheim resolutely thwarted Dortmund's link-up play and left no space to play into. Borussia almost gifted the opposition a goal in the 14th minute of the match. Under pressure from the opposition, Özcan tried to play a backpass towards goalkeeper Meyer but instead fed Kleindienst. Heidenheim's centre-forward fired the ball wide of the half-empty BVB net. Four minutes later, Kleindienst directed a header narrowly wide of the left upright. During this period, the game was heading in completely the wrong direction; Heidenheim were much more present, as demonstrated by the shot count of 5-1 after 24 minutes. Dinkci's effort from a centre-right position in the box struck the leg of a defender.

Similarly to the reverse fixture, the video referee played a big role. BVB launched their first really successful attack in the 26th minute: Meunier won the ball back and Moukoko played it into the path of Malen, who rounded goalkeeper Müller and slotted home from a tight angle. But the goal did not count. Malen was narrowly offside when the ball was played.

The Black & Yellows were now increasingly in the ascendancy in the match. Borussia were now enjoying the upper hand and had a good opportunity through Bynoe-Gittens, whose shot from distance posed Müller problems (40).

BVB upped the pressure at the start of the second period, increased their share of possession to 65% and had another chance via Bynoe-Gittens' bicycle kick (57). Borussia now led the shot count (8-7), but the first gilt-edged chance – Malen's disallowed goal excluded – continued to prove elusive against a tightly packed opponent that was now playing a wait-and-see game.

Can, Meunier and Bundesliga debutant Ole Pohlmann came on for Özcan, Meunier and Bynoe-Gittens almost an hour into a match in which Borussia were on top but could not manage to keep the tempo high enough and play precisely enough to unpick the opposition on a pitch that became increasingly unplayable. Bensebaini's introduction in place of Moukoko was designed to give the game a new dynamic in the final 15 minutes; Maatsen was now playing in central midfield.

Sessa's attack on Bensebaini certainly could – but not necessarily should – have led to a penalty kick (82). With five minutes remaining, Füllkrug forced Müller into a save with a shot from 18 metres out. It was BVB's first really good opportunity of the second period. At the other end, Heidenheim were only centimetres away from scoring at the beginning of stoppage time...

Outlook:BVB will be in Friday evening action next weekend too: Sport-Club Freiburg will be the visitors to SIGNAL IDUNA PARK on 9 February.

Teams & goals

Bundesliga Matchday 201. FC HEIDENHEIM 0-0 (0-0) BORUSSIA DORTMUND

1. FC Heidenheim: Müller – Traoré (Busch, 61), Mainka, Gimber, Föhrenbach – Maloney, Schöppner – Dinkci (Sessa, 61), Pieringer (Schimmer, 61), Beste (Pick, 70) – Kleindienst (Beck, 89) Bor. Dortmund: Meyer – Meunier (Wolf, 59), Süle, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen – Özcan (Can, 59), Sabitzer – Malen, Bynoe-Gittens (Pohlmann, 59) – Moukoko (Bensebaini, 75), Füllkrug Substitutes: Eicher, Siersleben, Theuerkauf, Dovedan – Lotka, Morey, Hummels, Wätjen, Bamba Goals: None Corners: 5-5 (1-3 at half-time), chance ratio: 4-3 (3-2) Referee: Dankert (Rostock), yellow cards: – Maatsen, MalenAttendance: 15,000 (sold-out), weather: dry, 2 degrees

Noch mehr News zum BVB findest Du in der BVB App.