Deniz Undav scores hat-trick to salvage point for Stuttgart in Dortmund thriller
Deniz Undav completed his hat-trick deep into second-half stoppage time as VfB Stuttgart recovered from 2-0 and 3-2 down to salvage a share of the spoils in a thriller at Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund 3-3 Stuttgart
Goals: 1-0 Can 34’ (penalty), 2-0 Beier 41’ (assist: Guirassy), 2-1 Undav 47’ (assist: El Khannouss), 2-2 Undav 71’ (assist: Mittelstädt), 3-2 Adeyemi 89’ (assist: Beier), 3-3 Undav 90’+1 (assist: Führich)
The stage was set for an enthralling contest between two sides separated only by goal difference in the Bundesliga standings, and Saturday's encounter certainly did not disappoint.
It was fourth-placed Stuttgart who made the brighter start, Tiago Tomás firing narrowly wide after good work from Jamie Leweling, but Serhou Guirassy sent a header narrowly over the bar not long after that as Dortmund gradually started to gain a foothold.
Dortmund take charge
Maximilian Beier sent a rasping drive just over the crossbar, but the hosts finally broke the deadlock in the 34th minute when Undav fouled Nico Schlotterbeck inside the box following a corner. Emre Can stepped up and confidently sent Alexander Nübel the wrong way, stretching his perfect Bundesliga record from the spot to 10.
Niko Kovač's side doubled their advantage just seven minutes later, Beier poking home on the follow-up after Nübel had saved Guirassy's initial effort.
Stuttgart, however, made a bright start to the second half and reduced the deficit just two minutes after the restart. Bilal El Khannouss's looping ball found Undav, who produced a sublime, hooked finish with the outside of his boot to beat Gregor Kobel in the Dortmund goal.
Stuttgart fight back
The visitors continued to push for an equaliser and deservedly restored parity in the 71st minute, Undav tapping in from close range after Mittelstädt had flicked on Angelo Stiller's corner.
Both teams went for broke in a breathless conclusion to the encounter. Dortmund thought they had snatched all three points when Karim Adeyemi broke clear of the Stuttgart defence, played a one-two with Beier and calmly slotted home Borussia's third of the afternoon with a minute of normal time remaining.
Stuttgart were not to be denied, however, as Undav fired past Kobel after excellent work from substitute Chris Führich to complete his hat-trick and earn the visitors a share of the spoils.
Man of the Match: Deniz Undav
Undav netted the second hat-trick of his Bundesliga career on a sensational afternoon for the striker at Signal Iduna Park.
He conceded the penalty which led to Dortmund's opener but could do no wrong after that, finding the net with all three of his attempts on target to rescue a draw for Stuttgart. Unsurprisingly, Undav was named Man of the Match with 72 percent of the overall vote.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Dortmund 3.77 - Stuttgart 1.45
Fastest player: Chris Führich (Stuttgart), 34.25 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 3-3 by Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), 9.57 percent
Most pressed player: Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), 30 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), 3.55
Fantasy Heroes: Deniz Undav (Stuttgart, 513 Points), Maximilian Beier (Dortmund, 290 Points), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart, 251 Points)
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