The atmosphere inside Signal Iduna Park was unusually quiet for the first 12 minutes, as fans stayed silent in protest against proposed tougher security regulations in German stadiums.

This silence possibly contributed to a slow and uninspired start to the game until Maximilian Beier launched the game’s first serious shot by firing over the crossbar just before the 30-minute mark.

Shortly after, the home team earned a penalty when the referee judged that Deniz Undav had pushed Nico Schlotterbeck down inside the box. Reliable Emre Can stepped up and calmly placed a low penalty beyond Alexander Nubel’s reach, preserving his flawless penalty record in the Bundesliga.

Inspired by Can’s first goal since March, Dortmund quickly extended their lead despite Nubel’s best efforts. The Stuttgart goalkeeper saved Serhou Guirassy’s left-footed shot and reacted well to Beier’s follow-up, but the latter managed to tap into an open net after the ball fell kindly to him.

After conceding two rapid goals, Stuttgart must have welcomed the halftime break to regroup before surprising Dortmund by cutting the deficit within two minutes of the second half.

Undav showed excellent striker skills to hold off Can and connect with Bilal El Khannouss’s looping cross, executing a clever volley over his shoulder and past the helpless Kobel.

The home side briefly believed they had quickly restored their two-goal cushion through Serhou Guirassy, but the former Stuttgart player’s composed finish was disallowed for offside. Undav capitalized on this second chance, slotting home his second goal after Maximilian Mittelstadt headed a deep corner into the danger area.

Stuttgart’s efforts seemed wasted when Karim Adeyemi scored late after sprinting from his own half and linking neatly with Beier.

Nevertheless, Dortmund’s tendency to lose leads resurfaced in stoppage time when Undav outmaneuvered his defender inside the box to flick the ball in at the near post, completing his hat-trick and securing a valuable point to keep his fifth-placed team level on points with Dortmund, who are third.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Deniz Undav (VfB Stuttgart)

See the match statistics on Flashscore.