Thrilling Dortmund comeback keeps slim hopes alive
Ramy Bensebaini came off the bench to inspire Borussia Dortmund to a remarkable 3-2 comeback victory over Hamburg on, cutting the gap to Bundesliga leader bayern Munich back to nine points.
Niko Kovac's side fell behind after 19 minutes at Signal Iduna Park when Philip Otele tapped in from close range following William Mikelbrencis's cross.
Nico Schlotterbeck then struck the bar 10 minutes before the break with a towering header as Dortmund pushed for a leveller.
But Hamburg doubled its lead shortly after as former Arsenal midfielders Fabio Vieira and Albert Sambi Lokonga combined, with the latter drilling a powerful effort into the roof of the net.
Dortmund looked to have been handed a lifeline on the stroke of half-time as Maximilian Beier was dragged down inside the box, but Felix Nmecha failed to make the most of it, sending his spot-kick wide of the target.
Kovac's substitutions at the break, namely Bensebaini, proved the difference in the second half, but Dortmund's comeback efforts did not begin until late on.
Beier was once again dragged down inside the box in the 70th minute, with the penalty confirmed after a video assistant referee (VAR) review, opening the door for Bensebaini to halve the deficit with a controlled penalty.
Serhou Guirassy then drew Dortmund level from close range during a frantic final 20 minutes, before Miro Muheim was penalised for handball inside the area eight minutes from time.
Bensebaini stepped up again, calmly dispatching his second penalty of the match into the bottom-right corner to complete Dortmund's remarkable turnaround.
Dortmund has now collected 61 points in the Bundesliga this season, having already surpassed last season's total of 57 with seven games still to play.
