Dortmund denied at the death as Kovac and Schlotterbeck rue late lapse in Hamburg draw

Borussia Dortmund’s hopes of closing the gap at the Bundesliga summit evaporated in dramatic fashion as Hamburg snatched a 1-1 draw with a 97th-minute equaliser, leaving head coach Niko Kovac and defender Nico Schlotterbeck deeply frustrated.

The result came on a night when Bayern Munich’s 2-2 stalemate at Union Berlin had handed Dortmund a golden chance to cut the deficit at the top to five points. 

A third consecutive league victory seemed within grasp after Carney Chukwuemeka’s second-half volley, Dortmund’s sole shot on target from 17 attempts, extended their remarkable streak of scoring in all 10 Bundesliga matches this season.

Yet, just as victory appeared secure, Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer pounced in the seventh minute of stoppage time to stun the Westfalenstadion. 

Kovac, visibly aggrieved, pinpointed a catalogue of elementary errors after his side took the lead.

The gaffer revealed there had been too many simple turnovers, stressing the need to push for a 2-0 cushion before relaxing. He also added Dortmund had controlled proceedings until the opener, but then became sloppy, allowing HSV to dictate play.

Schlotterbeck echoed his coach’s disappointment, revealing that the team had abandoned their core principles after doing the hard part of breaking the deadlock. 

“We thought everything was under control just before we scored the opening goal, “he said, noting they had barely conceded chances prior to the goal. 

Yet complacency crept in; crosses rained into the box, 15 in total, and, as Kovac warned, when a side turns passive, one is bound to find the net.

Dortmund’s profligacy was stark: despite 17 shots, only Chukwuemeka’s effort tested the goalkeeper.

The draw leaves BVB third heading into the international break, one point and one place above Bayer Leverkusen, their missed opportunity painfully clear.