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Julian Brandt turned a late call-up into a match-winning performance as Borussia Dortmund claimed a 2-0 victory over Mainz on Saturday.
The midfielder had not been named in Niko Kovac's starting line-up but was drafted in shortly before kick-off after Serhou Guirassy was withdrawn. Dortmund had lost on their previous two visits to the MEWA Arena, but Brandt made sure history did not repeat itself.
It took him just 19 minutes to make an impact, sliding a precise ball across goal for Daniel Svensson to open the scoring. It was Brandt's first assist of the season, and he was soon involved again, launching a swift counter-attack that ended with Karim Adeyemi doubling Dortmund's advantage. Adeyemi's strike was his second goal of the Bundesliga campaign, while Brandt collected his second assist of the afternoon.
"It is not often that you prepare to be on the bench and then end up starting," Brandt has said. "I found out shortly before the game, and luckily Serhou told us early enough that he could not play so I was able to get ready.
"I am glad he did not go into the game injured."
Brandt came close to capping his display with a goal in stoppage time, only for substitute goalkeeper Lasse Riess to deny him. He registered three shots in total, more than any other Dortmund player, and was directly involved in five of his side's nine attempts.
Off the ball, he impressed as well, covering 11.4 kilometres and recording 23 sprints.
The win stretched Dortmund's unbeaten Bundesliga run to 13 matches, including the end of last season, and gave them a fourth straight league victory under Kovac.
Dortmund now turn their attention to Wednesday's Champions League clash against Athletic Bilbao before facing RB Leipzig at the weekend. Both Dortmund and Leipzig have won four Bundesliga matches in a row, setting up a clash that could prove pivotal in the early title race.
