Own goals, three of them, and Dortmund take the Wolves' den
Wolfsburg led twice early and lost 3-2 at home to Borussia Dortmund, with all three visiting goals coming from the home side's mistakes or their own boots.
Three own goals in one afternoon is not a defensive collapse; it is a bookkeeping error with studs on. Wolfsburg and Dortmund gave the Bundesliga four goals inside twenty minutes on 11 November, and three of them were put through the wrong net. Andreas Altenhöfer's on 57 minutes settled it 3-2 for the visitors.
Our preview had asked whether Wolfsburg's home habit could survive Dortmund's shape. It could not, though not for the reasons we set out. Marvin Kiala turned the ball past his own keeper after three minutes; Raúl López scored on the sixth. Sadio Keita pulled one back on 14, and Faustino Funes, on loan from Dortmund in July and starting at right-back against the club that sent him, put through his own goal on 20. Altenhöfer, the left winger we flagged against Funes, then scored the goal that decided it.
Funes's afternoon soured further: he was withdrawn on 57 for Martín Mansilla, and Marc went off injured on 81. Dortmund lost Jules Luvovadio before kick-off, Fabrizio Lazo taking his place and providing an assist; Morad Hattab and Abdullahi Solomon came off the bench. Dortmund finished in a 4-2-2-2, Wolfsburg in a 4-2-1-2-1, and neither shape explains the scoreline.
Raúl López was the game's outstanding figure: a goal, three shots, four dribbles, 13.6 kilometres, and he still ended on the losing side. Dortmund travel to RB Leipzig in the Champions League on 27 November with this result behind them. Wolfsburg, who had the better of the ball and the chances, have only the memory of a two-goal start.