BERLIN: Maximilian Beier scored in the 80th minute to send Borussia Dortmund top of the Bundesliga after a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
In a game lacking clear chances, Jobe Bellingham came off the bench and had an instant impact, threading a clever pass for fellow substitute Beier to score.
The narrow victory was Dortmund’s first in the league since mid-September and took Niko Kovac’s side three points clear atop the table.
Bayern Munich can return to the top of the standings with a win at Freiburg on Sunday but will be without coach Vincent Kompany, who is being treated in hospital for a mystery virus after collapsing at training on Friday.
“We’ve got a great team. Those who aren’t playing from the start, they’re the finishers. They’re the ones who close out the match, who decide things,” Kovac said.
“Maxi struck that shot really well. I’m happy for the lad because he’s had a tough time lately.”
Dortmund had started the season with a run of six straight wins but came into Saturday’s game in a mini slump, having won just one of their past four in all competitions.
The best opportunity of the first half fell to Serhou Guirassy with 15 minutes gone. The Guinean was one on one with Noah Atubolu but tried a soft chip, which the goalkeeper palmed away.
Just after the break, Guirassy headed a Joey Veerman corner against the bar.
Beier came on for the ineffective Fabio Silva with 22 minutes remaining. With 10 minutes left, he collected a Bellingham pass and curled in the winner from just inside the box.
- Fuellkrug ‘shines bright’ -
Niclas Fuellkrug scored for the sixth straight Bundesliga match as his Werder Bremen side won 3-2 at Mainz.
Fuellkrug, who returned to Bremen on loan from English Championship side West Ham in the summer, converted two penalties inside the opening 25 minutes to notch up a second straight Bundesliga brace.
Ludovit Reis grabbed Bremen’s other goal, while Anthony Caci and Lee Jae-sung scored for the hosts.
Fuellkrug now has eight goals this season, half of his total in his final campaign in Bremen in 2022/23, when he won the Bundesliga top-goalscorer award.
The Germany striker scored just three goals during an injury-hit 18-month spell at West Ham and just one in a six-month loan at AC Milan.
Bremen coach praised his in-form striker, telling reporters: “You can tell that he feels comfortable.
“He is our guiding star — and he’s shining brightly right now. He’s carrying this team along with him.”
RB Leipzig rebounded from their 4-1 thumping away at Real Madrid midweek with a comfortable 4-0 home win over promoted Elversberg.
Romulo scored a double while Tidiam Gomis, who scored Leipzig’s only goal at the Bernabeu, and Christoph Baumgartner also got on the scoresheet as the Saxons climbed to fifth.
Without a point away from home, Leipzig have now won their four home games by a collective score of 18-0.
Paderborn’s Rayan Philippe scored in the 88th minute against his parent club Hamburg to grab the promoted side a 1-0 victory in what was just their second win of the season.
Augsburg drew 1-1 with Union Berlin as both sides finished with 10 men.
Cologne and Schalke played out a scoreless draw in a match marred by an ugly clash of heads between visiting players Robin Gosens and Soufiane El-Faouzi, who both left the field.