Bundesliga: Dortmund go top with hard-fought win over Eintracht Frankfurt

Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Eintracht Frankfurt

Dortmund climbed to the top of the Bundesliga table with a hard-fought but deserved 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt at Signal Iduna Park, ending a run of draws.

Substitute Maximilian Beier scored the only goal late, after the hosts dominated large stretches without converting their chances.

Dortmund started brightly and created the clearer openings and Serhou Guirassy was the main threat throughout

He hit a low drive in the 15th minute, forcing a good save from Noah Atubolu, who then denied him again shortly after when the striker was through one-on-one, parrying a soft chip with his right arm.

Daniel Svensson saw a deflected effort hit the top of the crossbar around the half-hour mark.

Frankfurt offered little going forward but nearly took a surprise lead in the 34th minute when Felix Nmecha's miscontrol gifted Younes Ebnoutalib a clear chance. Still, Gregor Kobel made an important save to keep the score level.

The half ended 0-0 despite Dortmund's tactical and territorial advantage.

The pattern continued after the break, with Kobel tipping a Fares Chaibi effort over the bar early in the second period before Dortmund responded when Guirassy headed a Joey Veerman corner off the crossbar in the 53rd minute.

Niko Kovac turned to his bench in the 68th minute, introducing Beier, Ethan Nwaneri and Carney Chukwuemeka.

Nwaneri almost made an immediate impact with a tight-angle shot that Atubolu saved.

The decisive moment arrived in the 80th minute when Beier played the ball left to fellow substitute Jobe Bellingham, who cut it back to Beier on the edge of the area and curled a superb right-footed shot into the far corner beyond Atubolu's reach.

Frankfurt pushed forward in search of an equaliser but created little of note, with Dortmund defending compactly and seeing out the game comfortably.

RB Leipzig 4-0 SV Elversberg

Leipzig responded impressively after heavy recent defeats with an emphatic win over Elversberg at Red Bull Arena.

Tidiam Gomis opened the scoring early in the second half, and Romulo added a brace on either side of Christoph Baumgartner's 84th-minute strike.

Mainz 2-3 Werder Bremen

A lively, high-scoring encounter at MEWA Arena began with Niclas Fullkrug giving Bremen a perfect start with two early penalties (7' and 25').

Mainz fought back through Anthony Caci in the 33rd minute before Ludovit Reis restored the visitors' advantage around the hour mark.

Lee Jae-sung pulled one back for Mainz in the 63rd minute, but Bremen clung on for a dramatic win.

SC Paderborn 1-0 Hamburger SV

A tight, low-scoring affair at Home Deluxe Arena was decided by late substitute Rayan Philippe, who is on loan at Paderborn from Hamburg.

He came off the bench and scored the winner against his parent club just two minutes from time, but didn't celebrate the goal despite its importance for Paderborn.

FC Augsburg 1-1 Union Berlin

A heated, closely contested draw at WWK ARENA saw both sides finish with 10 players after red cards to Felix Uduokhai for a professional foul and Abdulai Juma Bah for a rough challenge.

The game opened up after both sides had lost a player, and Han-Noah Massengo put Augsburg ahead in the 71st minute, only for Janik Haberer to equalise three minutes later.

FC Koln 0-0 Schalke

A goalless stalemate with few clear-cut chances in a drab affair at RheinEnergieStadion.

Koln extended their unbeaten home run in the Bundesliga, while Schalke earned a useful point on the road.

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