Dortmund beat Hoffenheim

Right from the start, it was clear just how loud the Signal Iduna Park was. After a rousing version of "You'll Never Walk Alone", Marcel Schmelzer got a shot away after only 40 seconds, but Oliver Baumann saved comfortably. It was a fairly forgettable moment in the game, but it showed just how much the home crowd was involved in every move.

Mats Hummels returned from injury to captain the side, but most surprisingly Australian goalkeeper Mitch Langerak started instead of World Cup winner Roman Weidenfeller. Also notable was Dortmund's back four (Schmelzer, Hummels, Subotic, Piszczek) playing together for the first time since the 2013 Champions League final.

The first ten minutes remained just as intense as the opening one, but no major chances appeared despite both sides showing an eagerness to attack. Hoffenheim's Pirmin Schwegler fired a free kick into the wall, but then Dortmund scored to send floods of relief around the stadium, and perhaps even the Bundesliga. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sent a wonderful cross over Baumann and Ilkay Gündogan connected with a diving header to give the home side the lead inside the opening 20 minutes.

Misplaced passes and strong tackling disrupted the flow of the rest of the first half. Dortmund played it safe by sitting deep and closing Hoffenheim down the moment they neared the area. That, combined with Sven Bender marshaling in holding midfield, Hoffenheim's playmakers Roberto Firmino and Kevin Volland were kept quiet.

No goal, no luck

Dortmund were slow to start the second half and nearly paid the price - Hummels heading clear what looked like a certain goal for the visitors from a free kick. Dortmund recovered and pressed for a second. Aubmeyang thought he had scored when he headed in Sebastian Kehl's flick on, but the linesman had his flag up. Sadly for the home side, it was a poor decision as the Gabon attacker looked a good five yards onside.

Gündogan, finally pulling the strings again in Dortmund's attack, sent through both Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang, with the latter firing straight at Baumann in a one-on-one situation. Hummels, outstanding on the night, sent a thundering header goalwards only to be denied by a superb save by Baumann.

Dortmund's second-worst chance-conversion rate in the Bundesliga (10.1 percent) was all too evident, although Hoffenheim had their goalkeeper to thank for a close scoreline heading into the final quarter of an hour. Aubameyang dropped his shoulder and fired goalwards but again Baumann tipped his shot onto the post.

Hoffenheim wanted a penalty after Neven Subotic was late on Tarik Elyounoussi in the box, but Felix Zwayer didn't agree. Substitute Sejad Salihovic whipped a free kick over but it was too little too late for a Hoffenheim team that offered very little. Dortmund's win moves them up to 14th in the table, ahead of the weekend's fixtures, and was certainly the club's best performance of the season.