After successive Bundesliga draws, there was undoubtedly some pressure on Dortmund to get back to winning ways here, but their start was indicative of a side struggling for form, and they were lucky to avoid conceding in the early stages, after Max Moerstedt whistled an effort narrowly over the bar inside the opening quarter.
But Dortmund never stay under the cosh for long on home turf, and had a chance of their own not too long after, when Nico Schlotterbeck endured a similar fate to Moerstedt, turning Pascal Groß’s free-kick narrowly wide of the target.
The hosts thought they’d been given a perfect opportunity to open the scoring shortly after the half-hour mark, when Serhou Guirassy was adjudged to have been dragged down by Arthur Chaves in the area, but a swift VAR check showed referee Harm Osmers that he’d gone to ground too easily, leading him to reverse his initial decision.
Dortmund channelled that disappointment to devastating effect just 32 seconds after the restart, doing so in emphatic style, as Gio Reyna pounced on a loose ball and rifled an effort high into the roof of the net.
Anyone would be forgiven for expecting Dortmund to try and go for the jugular at that point, but Hoffenheim came back at them, and nearly levelled at the hour mark, when Alexander Prass’ teasing delivery was headed over from close range by Adam Hlozek.
Despite their growing frustration, Hoffenheim continued to probe for late equaliser, but their lack of guile in the final third threatened to be their undoing.
Up until injury time, Reyna’s strike inside the opening minute had been one of few flashpoints in an otherwise drab second half.
Jacob Bruun Larsen would have the final say though, as he popped up at the far post to slam home an unlikely leveller.
The famous Yellow Wall fell deathly silent, and while Dortmund have extended their unbeaten home league run to 11 matches, but did so in the most frustrating way possible.
They have moved one place up to eighth, but could well have been level on points with fourth-placed RB Leipzig instead. As for Hoffenheim, they now have a four-point cushion from the bottom-three.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund)