Hoffenheim (Germany) (AFP)

Borussia Dortmund cracked again in the second period on Friday and lost 2-1 at Hoffenheim after leading the last leg of the Bundesliga matchday 17.

The future opponents of Paris SG in the Champions League remain provisionally fourth four points behind leaders Leipzig and Mönchengladbach, who play on Saturday and can widen the gap.

As often this season, Dortmund had a superb first period, and opened the scoring by Mario Götze (17th). But for lack of widening the gap when they had the opportunity, the men of Lucien Favre let Hoffenheim come back and pass in front of the end of the match, by Sargis Adamjan (1-1, 79th) and Andrej Kramaric ( 2-1, 87e).

"It's very frustrating," admitted midfielder Julian Weigl, who summed up the evening's scenario in a nutshell: "It's a game we shouldn't have lost, we're very disappointed "We didn't have a bad match, we have 8 corners against 0, but we don't convert our chances. They don't have much more chances than their two goals, but they used them coldly" .

- Worrisome inconstancy -

After Tuesday night's draw against Leipzig (3-3) which had left a lot of regrets (and especially four points apart), Dortmund had to win at Hoffenheim, on pain of losing contact with the top of the table .

Mission missed! Without its emblematic captain Marco Reus (muscle tear), the Borussia fell back into its wanderings of October and November, showing a disturbing inconstancy, which some attribute to a lack of character of this young team.

Lucien Favre, who passed ready for dismissal in early November, will now have a month of truce, until January 18, to find a way to succeed in the second half of the season. The patience of its leaders, who had invested in the summer transfer window with the stated intention of playing the title, will not be infinite.

In Hoffenheim, Borussia Dortmund entered the match very well, and quickly paid for their efforts.

Achraf Hakimi, the young Moroccan international side loaned by Real Madrid, whose speed on the right wing constantly endangered the defense of Hoffenheim, served Mario Götze well, who logically opened the score with a subtle flicking cross (1-0, 17th).

- Hummels in the hospital -

Until the break, Jadon Sancho on the left, Hakimi and Thorgan Hazard in the right lane, continued to push towards the opponent's goal. The BVB were solid behind and sovereign in the interplay: but Sancho and Hazard both missed the opportunity to double the bet. And we still felt Dortmund physically dull, after an intensive month of December on all fronts.

Opposite, Hoffenheim could even have come back if a superb free kick from Robert Skov had not crashed on the bar of Roman Bürki (26th).

Believing he was in control of the match, Dortmund gradually slowed down the pace, and in the 79th minute, a little against the flow of the game, Adamyan came close to confusing action in the box. Kramaric from the head then punished Borussia three minutes before the end of regular time.

In his discharge, Dortmund had recorded at the break the exit of his central rear Mats Hummels, injured in the wrist during a fall and transported to the hospital for examinations.

© 2019 AFP