Berlin, Oct 25 (IANS) Substitute Maximilian Beier scored a late winner as Borussia Dortmund edged Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 to move provisionally top of the Bundesliga ahead of next week’s showdown with defending champion Bayern Munich
Dortmund made a commanding start at Signal Iduna Park, with Serhou Guirassy twice threatening to break the deadlock. Frankfurt goalkeeper Noah Atubolu denied the striker with a sharp save in the 15th minute before thwarting his attempted lob moments later.
The visitors gradually settled into the contest and began creating opportunities of their own. Jonathan Burkardt threatened before Younes Ebnoutalib found himself through on goal following a mistake by Felix Nmecha, only for Gregor Kobel to deny him, reports Xinhua.
Dortmund came closest before halftime when Daniel Svensson’s effort struck the crossbar following a deflection off Frankfurt defender Nnamdi Collins in the 31st minute.
Frankfurt maintained its attacking threat after the restart, with Kobel producing another important save to deny Fares Chaibi.
Guirassy then headed against the crossbar from close range in the 53rd minute as Dortmund continued searching for an opener. Despite increasing pressure, the hosts struggled to convert their superiority into goals, with Guirassy and substitute Ethan Nwaneri unable to find a breakthrough.
Niko Kovac’s substitutions eventually proved decisive. In the 80th minute, Jobe Bellingham picked out fellow substitute Beier near the edge of the penalty area, and the forward curled a powerful effort into the top-right corner. Frankfurt failed to respond as Dortmund protected its narrow advantage.
“We had to invest a lot today against a really good Frankfurt side. In the second half, we were able to increase the pressure, gave nothing away and ultimately deserved to win,” Kovac said.
Frankfurt coach Adi Hutter said: “Congratulations to Dortmund. The first half was evenly matched, and we had very good chances to take the lead. But based on the second half, Dortmund deserved the three points.”
The victory lifted Kovac’s side to 17 points from seven matches, three ahead of Bayern, who face Freiburg on Sunday.
Elsewhere, RB Leipzig thrashed Elversberg 4-0, Werder Bremen edged Mainz 3-2 and Paderborn beat Hamburg 1-0. Augsburg drew 1-1 with Union Berlin, while Cologne and Schalke shared a goalless draw.
–IANS
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