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A second-half goal from Alex Grimaldo sent Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-0 home win over Mainz, closing the gap with league leaders Bayern Munich to one point.
Borussia Dortmund’s struggles in the league continued with a 4-2 loss at Holstein Kiel earlier on Tuesday, raising the heat on under-fire coach Nuri Sahin.
In Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso’s defending champions were dominant against an in-form Mainz but were held at bay until Grimaldo produced a stunning free-kick after 48 minutes.
The Spain defender lifted the shot over the Mainz wall and beyond the outstretched palm of Robin Zentner, his 12th goal on his 50th Bundesliga appearance.
“He does that always, also in training — it wasn’t a surprise,” Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick said of Grimaldo’s strike.
Florian Wirtz, who won the free-kick, along with Nathan Tella and Jeremie Frimpong all had late chances saved.
Leverkusen’s 10th straight win in all competitions moved them to 38 points and handed down the gauntlet to Bayern, who face Hoffenheim at home on Wednesday.
Mainz, who lost coach Bo Henriksen to two successive yellow cards for backchat in stoppage time, stay in fifth despite the loss.
Eintracht Frankfurt put on a second-half display to beat Freiburg 4-1 at home, with Omar Marmoush again getting on the scoresheet.
Marmoush, heavily linked with a winter move to Manchester City, scored Frankfurt’s second, while Robin Koch, Hugo Ekitike, and Nnamdi Collins all got on the scoresheet for the third-placed home side.
Elsewhere, Wolfsburg thumped Borussia Moenchengladbach 5-1 at home, with Lukas Nmecha scoring two goals in four second-half minutes.
The Wolves, cruising under former Southampton and RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhuettl, have now won six of their last eight to sit in sixth.
AFP
