BVB rescue 3-3 draw with second-half performance in Ingolstadt

The first half – watched by 15,200 spectators at the Audi Sportpark – belonged to the hosts, who raced into a two-goal lead when Almog Cohen and Dario Lezcano steered home Markus Suttner free-kicks in the sixth and 24th minutes respectively. The second half developed into a frenetic end-to-end encounter with Aubameyang pulling one back on 59 minutes, only for Lezcano to re-establish the two-goal cushion seconds later (60). Ramos then cut the lead in half (69) before substitute Pulisic struck in stoppage time (90+1) to rescue a point for BVB, who significantly improved on their first-half performance in the second period.

Felix Ulrich reporting

The scenario
FC Ingolstadt were down in 18th after taking one point from their first seven games, making fifth-placed Borussia clear favourites. But after overcoming a highly-demanding 97 minutes in Lisbon in midweek, BVB had it no easier at the Audi Sportpark. Tuchel had warned in the run-up: "Ingolstadt are an atypical bottom side. Without the ball they have had the highest intensity of any team in the league, winning it back in the opposition half more than anyone else and giving away barely any chances." In the 2015/16 season, BVB had emerged 4-0 victors away and 2-0 winners at home.

Personnel matters
The involvement of two players had been cast in doubt before kick-off: Götze, who was replaced by Kagawa, and Sokratis, who was suffering from muscular problems and replaced by Bartra at the heart of defence. Other absentees included Sahin (cervical vertebrae), Mor (suspended), Guerreiro (fibre tear), Bender (bone marrow oedema), Schmelzer (muscle fibre tear), Schürrle (medial collateral ligament), Reus, Subotic (both fitness training) and Durm (knee operation). Castro was making his comeback from a muscle fibre injury. Bürki was rested, with Weidenfeller stepping in between the sticks for his first league action since the 2-0 win in Darmstadt back in March. Coach Thomas Tuchel made five changes to the starting XI that won 2-1 in Lisbon, with Passlack and Pulisic dropping to the bench for Park and Ramos. Ingolstadt boss Markus Kauczinski made two changes to the side that lost 2-1 in Cologne, bringing in Hadergjonaj for Levels and Lezcano for Lex.

Tactics
FCI abandoned their usual 4-3-3 formation, sitting very deep in a 4-4-2 system in which both attackers Hinterseer and Lezcano dropped back deep into their own half whenever the Black and Yellows had possession. BVB took to the field in a 4-1-3-2 formation in which Aubameyang sat just behind centre-forward Ramos. The visitors employed a narrow three-man attacking midfield of Dembélé, Kagawa and Castro, which allowed space on the wings for full-backs Park and Piszczek to get forward.

The match & analysis
Back when he was the BVB boss, Ottmar Hitzfeld often used to say his team first needed time to run the tiredness out of their legs if things weren't initially going to plan in a Bundesliga match that came hot on the heels of a European clash. Back in those days, Borussia often produced a different and significantly improved second-half performance; today, 19 years after Hitzfeld's last game in charge, it was more of the same.

The Black and Yellows were clearly on the back foot for 45 minutes against the league's bottom club, looking jittery in defence, lacking focus at set-pieces and seeming vulnerable each time a high ball was played into their box. At the other end the players were frivolous going forward and showed a lack of conviction in one-on-ones, as well as any sort of creative spark. Of their 11 first-half shots, only Castro's 28th-minute effort resulted in a genuine chance. In short, it was a first 45 minutes to forget. For Borussia, who still managed to record 69 percent possession, it could have been worse.

Almog Cohen had opened the scoring in the sixth minute, latching onto a free-kick from Markus Suttner to fire the hosts into a 1-0 lead from close range and score Ingolstadt's first-ever goal against Borussia Dortmund. Hinterseer (13) then drifted away from Park but failed to beat Weidenfeller with a scissor-kick from five metres.

BVB lucky to be 2-0 down at the break

The Schanzer soon doubled their lead with a goal that was almost a carbon copy of Cohen's opener. Suttner again struck a dead ball from the right into the box, where Lezcano escaped from Bartra to head the hosts 2-0 ahead (24). Hinterseer (36), Lezcano (44), Hartmann (44) and Cohen (45+1) subsequently all spurned chances to score a third, giving Borussia a lifeline as they headed into the changing rooms at half-time.

After the break Thomas Tuchel introduced Pulisic in place of Park and switched to three (Piszczek, Ginter and Bartra) at the back. Castro and Weigl sat in front of them, while Pulisic was to provide more tempo and a greater goal threat down the right. BVB looked transformed, finally creating pressure as attack after attack bore down on the Ingolstadt goal - but initially without any penetration.

That changed seconds after Götze came on to replace Castro, as Aubameyang rose to head home a Dembélé cross and make it 2-1 (59). But 40 seconds later Lezcano re-established the two-goal lead (60), before Hartmann missed the chance to make it 4-1 with a shot from 16 metres that struck the post after the hosts had launched a counter. A crazy match! And there was plenty more to come...

Nyland thwarts Passlack and Götze

Pulisic soon set up Ramos to reduce the lead to 3-2 (69), giving BVB  21 minutes to rescue at least a point from their trip to Bavaria. Thomas Tuchel made another tactical change after bringing on Passlack for Kagawa in the 73rd minute, switching the formation to a 4-1-4-1 and calling on his players to keep going. Passlack almost equalised in the 79th minute, only for FCI 'keeper Nyland to make a dive low to his right to stop the long-range effort. The Norwegian then made another excellent save from Götze (86). But BVB eventually made the breakthrough, Pulisic following up against a powerless Nyland after the custodian had saved Piszczek's header (90+1). Aubameyang could have even made it 4-3 with a header seconds before the final whistle went (90+4).

Prospects
The congested schedule continues on Wednesday, when 1. FC Union Berlin travel to SIGNAL IDUNA PARK in the DFB Cup. The kick-off is at 20:45 CET. Three days later the club will play the Ruhr Derby against FC Schalke 04 (kick-off 18:30 CET).

Teams & goals