Hoffenheim sneak win against Leverkusen

If ever there was a good time to play Bayer 04 Leverkusen, then it was now. Since the winter break, Sami Hyypiä's side had lost five of their nine Bundesliga games ahead of their home clash against Hoffenheim. Markus Gisdol's men were looking to make it six, and the opening ten minutes had all the aggression and intensity behind a home side desperate for a win and a Hoffenheim team keen on upsetting the odds. With Leverkusen struggling to overcome their early nerves, Hoffenheim pounced. After a needless handball from Roberto Hilbert, Salihovic returned to penalty form with an outrageous chip down the middle to open the scoring.

Despite increasing their amount of possession, Leverkusen failed to pose much of a threat. Hoffenheim on the other hand, looked for a second on the break with Roberto Firmino, Jannik Vestergaard and Kevin Volland all coming close. The game then burst into life with two goals in two minutes. First, Leverkusen found their equaliser when Stefan Kießling ghosted into the box to turn Emir Spahic's cross past Jens Grahl. Hoffenheim didn't let the equaliser disrupt their play though, and Kevin Volland, put through by Firmino, cut back inside on the edge of the box before curling a sensational effort into the far corner. In no time at all, TSG were leading once again. There's no doubt goals are expected in Hoffenheim games, so by half time it was no surprise to have seen the net ripple three times.

Pegged back again

Needing a goal, Leverkusen started the second half on the front foot. After Kießling sent one header off target, the hosts found their equaliser. Jens Grahl made a brilliant diving save to keep Guardado's free kick out, but after a back heel by Lars Bender, Simon Rolfes was able to score from close range. With Hoffenheim feeling the pressure, Grahl was back in action minutes later, tipping a Toprak header over the bar. After the hour mark, Leverkusen did have the ball in the net again but Toprak's rebound was rightly ruled out for offside.

Entering the final stages, the game was on a knife edge. Half chances for both sides made for a nervous final ten minutes. Substitute Eren Derdiyok, who is on loan at Leverkusen from Hoffenheim, fizzed a first-time shot from the edge of the area just wide, but then it was Gisdol's men who were bearing down on goal. Fabian Johnson crossed from the right and Anthony Modeste crept in front of Toprak to clip the ball home and send the visiting fans into raptures. Although Gisdol's men host Hannover 96 on Wednesday night (20:00 CET), Sunday night will be for celebrating the club's first ever win against Leverkusen.

Jonathan Harding

Bayer Leverkusen:Leno – Hilbert, Toprak, Spahic, Guardado – L. Bender, Rolfes, Castro – Sam (70' Can), Kießling, Son (70' Derdiyok)

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim: Grahl – Beck, Vestergaard, Strobl, Johnson – Rudy, Polanski – Volland (84' Elyounoussi), Firmino, Salihovic (65' Herdling) – Modeste (90+1' Karaman)

Goals: 0-1 Salihovic (14' pen.), 1-1 Kießling (39'), 1-2 Volland (40'), 2-2 Rolfes (54'), 2-3 Modeste (89')

Yellow cards: Hilbert – Beck, Vestergaard

Referee:Dr. Jochen Drees

Attendance:28,794

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