Winless in the Bundesliga this year, Dortmund’s visit to relegation candidates Heidenheim was billed as a must-win.
The visitors huffed and puffed for the majority of the first half, but eventually found a breakthrough 10 minutes before the break, as Serhou Guirassy converted from inside the six-yard box.
There was a touch of fortune about the opener, given the hosts had several opportunities to clear their lines, but when presented with the chance, the Guinean made no mistake to add to his midweek double against Shakhtar Donetsk.
After a sterile first half, the contest sparked into life following the restart, with Dortmund initially doubling their advantage.
It came via Maximilian Beier, who ghosted into the penalty area before steering home Ramy Bensebaini’s first-time cross.
Unwilling to go down without a fight, Heidenheim fired back immediately, with Mathias Honsak delicately flicking beyond Gregor Kobel with a tidy left-footed finish.
In truth, after reducing the deficit to one, Heidenheim’s response was pretty poor. Their only chance of note fell to skipper Patrick Mainka, who mis-hit his strike and could only watch on as it bobbled into Kobel’s hands.
It is a welcome three points to managerless Dortmund, whose outside hopes of making it into the UEFA Champions League positions are still alive.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Dortmund)