Nigerian-born striker, Karim Adeyemi, scored a first-half brace and laid on a goal for Donyell Malen as Borussia Dortmund survived a late scare to beat Heidenheim 4-2 at home on Friday.
Dortmund ran out to a 2-0 lead after 17 minutes and Adeyemi was on the spot to score a third just two minutes after Heidenheim had struck back through Marvin Pieringer.
Heidenheim cut the deficit to a goal late in the second half through a Maximilian Breuning penalty, giving Dortmund bad memories of the same fixture last year when they let a 2-0 lead slide to draw 2-2.
Dortmund survived a wave of Heidenheim attacks and sealed the result in injury time thanks to a penalty from Emre Can.
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Dortmund captain Can told DAZN when Heidenheim scored late “It got a bit tight and you start thinking about what happened last year,” but said, “We kept in control and deserved to win.”
Heidenheim coach Frank Schmidt praised his side for “flipping the switch” and getting back into the match but said, “We gave it away in the first 25 minutes.”
“I took a lot of confidence with me from the U21s,” Adeyemi told DAZN.
“The coach trusted me and I wanted to show him I was there. I’m happy and we got the three points – let’s keep it going.”
Promoted for the first time last season, minnows Heidenheim travelled to Dortmund on top of the table, one of only three teams to have won both their opening fixtures.
Both sides came into the match as the only Bundesliga sides yet to concede a goal this season, but there were four on the board by halftime – three to the home side, with Adeyemi having a hand in each.
Fresh from scoring a hat-trick in Germany U21’s 10-1 win over Estonia on Wednesday, Adeyemi laid on Dortmund’s first after 12 minutes, finding Malen to hammer through a crowded penalty box.
The 22-year-old got on the scoreboard himself just five minutes later, curling in a Julian Brandt pass to double Dortmund’s lead.
Dortmund were cruising but Heidenheim struck back, Pieringer drilling in a low shot to cut the deficit. The visitors’ joy was short-lived however, with debutant Serhou Guirassy letting a ball roll through his legs into the path of Adeyemi to restore the two-goal lead.
The hosts looked to take the sting out of the game in the second half but Suele gave away a lazy penalty by tackling Mikkel Kaufmann on the edge of the box, with Breuning sending Gregor Kobel the wrong way to cut the deficit.
Heidenheim pushed upfield in hopes of keeping their unlikely unbeaten start to 2024-25 alive, but Heidenheim gave away a handball penalty from a corner, which Can cooly converted to ensure a win for the home side.
Dortmund finish Friday night atop the Bundesliga table, a point above Heidenheim.
On Saturday, champions Bayer Leverkusen play away at Hoffenheim while Bayern Munich travel to promoted Holstein Kiel.
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