KARIM Adeyemi’s first-half strike secured Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 victory over Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
The win moves Dortmund to within two points of league leaders Bayern Munich as they bounced back from their midweek Champions League disappointment.
Dortmund dominated proceedings throughout, rarely allowing the visitors any meaningful opportunities in their penalty area.
Adeyemi broke the deadlock after 20 minutes with a superb curled effort from 25 yards that found the near post after Marcel Sabitzer forced a Wolfsburg error.
The hosts maintained their impressive home record against Wolfsburg, having now scored 17 goals and conceded just one in their last four meetings at Signal Iduna Park.
Wolfsburg thought they had equalised five minutes into the second half when Mohamed Amoura found Konstantinos Koulierakis in the box.
The Greek defender’s shot bounced off the crossbar and appeared to cross the line, sparking protests from the visitors.
Goal-line technology cameras confirmed the ball remained millimetres short, preserving Dortmund’s slender advantage.
The home side grew increasingly nervous as the match progressed but held firm defensively, with Nico Schlotterbeck providing stability on his return to central defence after a six-month injury absence.
Schlotterbeck described his lengthy absence as a real challenge and expressed his delight at returning to action when called upon by the coach.
Wolfsburg introduced former Manchester United and Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen for his debut after his summer move from Old Trafford.
In other Bundesliga action, Oliver Burke scored a hat-trick as Union Berlin shocked Eintracht Frankfurt with a 4-3 away victory.
Ilyas Ansah opened the scoring with a long-range effort before Burke doubled the advantage, though Frankfurt pulled one back before halftime through a deflected Nathaniel Brown effort.
Burke then scored two quick second-half goals to complete his treble before Frankfurt mounted a late comeback attempt through Can Uzun and a Jonathan Burkardt penalty.
Union coach Steffen Baumgart was sent off for gesturing in protest at the penalty decision but remained unapologetic about showing his emotions.
Bayer Leverkusen dropped points for the third time in four matches as Haris Tabakovic’s injury-time header earned Borussia Moenchengladbach a 1-1 draw.
Malik Tillman’s 70th-minute volley had put Leverkusen ahead before Tabakovic’s late intervention secured Gladbach’s first goal of the campaign. – AFP