Borussia Dortmund came from two goals behind at half-time to defeat Hamburger SV 3-2, converting two of their three penalties in a dramatic comeback that preserved their record of only losing to Bayern Munich in Bundesliga action this season.

Early on, Dortmund looked dangerous when Daniel Heuer Fernandes got a toe to Maximilian Beier’s one-on-one effort inside the opening seven minutes, suggesting a difficult afternoon could be in store for Hamburger SV.

However, Hamburg soon recovered from that early scare and grew into the game, producing a strong first-half display. Their reward came when Philip Otele opened the scoring, reacting quickest after William Mikelbrencis dispossessed Daniel Svensson and squared the ball across goal for a simple finish.

Hamburg’s early lead set the tone for a lively contest, with Dortmund forced to respond after a surprising first-half setback.

Hamburg continued to threaten on the counter, with Gregor Kobel making a crucial save to deny Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer’s powerful near-post strike, before the forward was later ruled offside after heading in from the resulting corner.

Nico Schlotterbeck then came close for the hosts, sending a looping header against the crossbar, but Hamburg quickly punished the missed opportunity.

A long-range attempt from Fábio Vieira was pushed away by Kobel, yet the loose ball was recovered by the Arsenal loanee, who delivered a perfectly weighted pass through to the unmarked Albert Sambi Lokonga. He made no mistake, lifting a composed finish into the top corner from close range to extend Hamburg’s advantage.

Borussia Dortmund’s comeback began to take shape just before half-time when Warmed Omari brought down Maximilian Beier inside the box, but Felix Nmecha failed to convert the resulting penalty, firing wide of the left post.

The second half brought renewed energy from the hosts, with the introductions of Serhou Guirassy and Fábio Silva injecting fresh attacking momentum.

Dortmund’s pressure eventually paid off when referee Matthias Jöllenbeck awarded a second penalty after William Mikelbrencis stepped on Beier’s foot. Ramy Bensebaini stepped up and confidently rolled his effort down the middle to reduce the deficit.

Just five minutes later, the game was level after Guirassy saw two close-range attempts in quick succession, with the second crossing the line before Daniel Heuer Fernandes could claw it away.

A powerful strike from Silva underlined Dortmund’s dominance as they pushed for more, and the comeback was completed with six minutes remaining when another penalty was awarded after Miro Muheim handled the ball in the area.

Bensebaini again kept his composure, placing his second spot-kick into the bottom-right corner to seal a dramatic victory.

Heartbreak for Hamburger SV, whose four-match unbeaten away run came to an end, while Dortmund remain nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich with seven matches remaining.