Serhou Guirassy double helps Borussia Dortmund come from behind against Heidenheim
Serhou Guirassy scored twice in three second-half minutes - and later missed a penalty - as Borussia Dortmund moved to within six points of leaders Bayern Munich.
Dortmund 3-2 Heidenheim
Goals: 1-0 Anton 44’, 1-1 Niehues 45’+5 (assist: Honsak), 1-2 Niehues 48’ (assist: Dinkçi), 2-2 Guirassy pen. 68’, 3-2 Guirassy 70’ (assist: Beier)
Missed penalty: Guirassy 85’
Unbeaten in their last 12 Bundesliga encounters prior to Matchday 20, Dortmund came into Sunday's clash determined to capitalise on Bayern's failure to beat Hamburg at the Volksparkstadion on Saturday.
Bottom-placed Heidenheim, by contrast, arrived at Signal Iduna Park without a win in six top-flight games, leaving them six points adrift of outright safety with 15 games left to play.
Dortmund dominated the opening exchanges, although clear-cut chances initially proved elusive.
Serhou Guirassy had the hosts' first significant opportunity on 14 minutes, outmuscling his marker before testing Diant Ramaj with a powerful shot which the Heidenheim keeper did well to smother. Ramaj was beaten by Guirassy not long afterwards, but the striker's rising shot from Julian Brandt's clever through-ball rebounded off the crossbar.
The home side finally broke through in the 44th minute when Waldemar Anton reacted quickest in a crowded penalty area to slam home from close range after Ramaj had spilled Yan Couto's corner. However, Frank Schmidt's side stunned the home crowd in the fifth minute of added time when Julian Niehues scrambled the ball past Gregor Kobel to haul Heidenheim level.
Incredibly, the visitors completed the turnaround just three minutes after the restart when Niehues' magnificent effort from outside the box found the bottom corner via a slight deflection off Daniel Svensson.
Heidenheim nearly doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Marvin Pieringer rose unmarked to meet Hennes Behrens' cross, but the striker headed over from close range. It proved a costly miss as the pendulum swung back Dortmund's way midway through the second half.
In the 68th minute, Brandt's cross struck Niklas Dorsch's hand in the penalty area and, after a brief VAR check, the hosts were awarded a spot-kick. Guirassy stepped up confidently to send his penalty into the top corner, despite Ramaj getting a hand to the ball.
The equaliser appeard to energise Dortmund and just two minutes later, Niko Kovač's team completed their comeback. A swift counter-attack saw Maximilian Beier deliver a perfect cross from the right, which Guirassy bundled home via a deflection to send Signal Iduna Park into raptures.
The Guinean forward could have completed his hat-trick in the 85th minute after being fouled by Tim Siersleben inside the box, but the Borussia number nine sent the resulting penalty over the crossbar.
This miss almost proved costly too as Heidenheim mounted a late surge, with Arijon Ibrahimović and Mikkel Kaufmann both missing golden opportunities to equalise in stoppage time. However, the hosts held firm to secure a vital 3-2 victory and close the cap on Bayern.
Man of the Match: Serhou Guirassy
The Guinean striker was the driving force behind Dortmund's comeback, demonstrating why he is so crucial to Kovač's side.
Despite hitting the woodwork in the first half, Guirassy kept his composure to convert a pressure penalty that brought his team level before bundling home the winner just two minutes later.
His seven shots were the most of any player on the pitch, while his hold-up play and physical presence caused constant problems for the Heidenheim defence. Even his missed penalty couldn't overshadow what was a superb all-round display from the 29-year-old.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Dortmund 4.17 - Heidenheim 2.54
Fastest player: Arijon Ibrahimović (Heidenheim), 34.45 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-2 by Julian Niehues (Heidenheim), 7.34 percent
Most pressed player: Serhou Guirassy (Dortmund), 32 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Julian Brandt (Dortmund), +3.61
Fantasy Heroes: Serhou Guirassy (Dortmund, 359 Points), Julian Niehues (Heidenheim 1846, 320 Points), Waldemar Anton (Dortmund, 269 Points)
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