Dortmund go top after Bayern ‘knockout’

MUNICH – Borussia Dortmund went top of the Bundesliga table after a 4-0 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt, making the most of Bayern Munich’s earlier 3-1 loss at Mainz yesterday.

A double from Dutch forward Donyell Malen and goals from English teenager Jude Bellingham and veteran Mats Hummels snared the three points for Dortmund, setting up a knife-edged title race with five games remaining.

With Bayern’s game finishing an hour before kick-off in Dortmund, the home side knew a win would take them outright first on the table.

Bellingham settled Dortmund’s nerves early, collecting a pass from Julian Brandt pass before pirouetting and firing a shot home.

Unlike last week, where Dortmund gave away 2-0 and 3-2 leads against a ten-man Stuttgart to draw 3-3, there would be no late collapse as the home side leapfrogged Bayern into first by one point.

Dortmund have five more matches, three of which are at home, as they pursue their first league title in a decade.

Bayern lost their lead atop the table after slumping to a 3-1 loss at Mainz, thanks to three goals in 14 minutes from the home side.

Mainz trailed 1-0 at half-time thanks to a first goal since October from Bayern’s Sadio Mane, but hit back through Ludovic Ajorque, Leandro Barreiro and Aaron Martin. Bayern have now won just two from seven since sacking manager Julian Nagelsmann for former Dortmund and Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel in late March.

Speaking to German TV after the match, Tuchel said; “They gave us a knockout”, saying the side ‘had too much going on right now to fight back’.

Tuchel said he would give his players three days off ahead of next week’s clash against rock-bottom Hertha Berlin.

Mainz are now unbeaten in 10 league games and Sporting Director Martin Schmidt said he was ‘at a loss for words’ to explain his side’s form.