Bundesliga: Hamburg beat Dortmund

Hamburg 3-1 Borussia Dortmund
(Lasogga 19' pen., Holtby 41', Hummels o.g. 55' - Aubameyang 87')

Borussia Dortmund were second best on Friday night as a solid and efficient Hamburg side secured a deserved three points to win only their second home game of the season. Hamburg move up to 7th and have now only lost one of their last seven meetings with Dortmund.

After two traumatic weeks, Friday night's football was a much-needed return to normality in a world that has lost its way of late. Hamburg's home game against Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga was a perfect reminder of why we need sport to go on.

After a 15-minute delay, the Bundesliga delivered its typical dish of unpredictability. Following the sight of Pierre-Michel Lasogga being offside and Julian Weigl's remarkable ball retention, came Hamburg (not Dortmund).

Bruno Labbadia's men deservedly took the lead when stand-out performer Lewis Holtby put Ivo Ilicevic in behind Dortmund's defense. Ilicevic's hesitation cost him a goal, but won him a penalty after Roman Bürki was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lasogga converted to deliver further evidence that Hamburg really are Dortmund's bogey team.

Holtby & Adler lead Hamburg

Coming into the game, all the talk was about the number of goals Thomas Tuchel's men have scored this season (71 in 21 competitive games), but in truth it should have been about Hamburg's league best record against Dortmund - 13 points from their last six meetings.

The pace of the game increased after the opener, but not in the way Dortmund wanted. The neat passing around the edge of the area and ruthless transitional play was on display, but from the men in white and blue not black and yellow. Weigl had stopped the blood flowing from a cut on his face after an elbow from Holtby, but he couldn't stop the leak hindering Dortmund. Matthias Ginter sent a woefully misplaced pass into midfield and Hamburg broke forward. Mats Hummels backed off Nicolai Müller, Sokratis didn't track Holtby and the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder tucked away a second.

In short, Hamburg's second goal was a microcosm of the game. Dortmund's defense was passive and exposed, Hamburg's attack unfamiliarly ruthless. Hummels' nightmare continued in the second half when the unmarked Dortmund captain stooped unnecessarily to head past his own goalkeeper and end the contest. Rene Adler's flurry of late saves stopped the finale from being too frantic and confirm his best performance in months.

The only consolation for Dortmund on the night was that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got on the scoresheet, taking his Bundesliga tally to 15 and keep Dortmund without a goalless game under Tuchel. The greatest comfort of all though, was that Friday night football had returned, and with it a piece of normality.