Dortmund Top Bundesliga After Late Beier Winner Against Frankfurt

A late goal from substitute Maximilian Beier handed Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt and sent them to the summit of the Bundesliga. The result came ahead of a major meeting with defending champions Bayern Munich next week.

Dortmund were lively from the outset at Signal Iduna Park. Serhou Guirassy twice tried to give the hosts an early lead. Frankfurt goalkeeper Noah Atubolu made a quick reflex save in the 15th minute to stop the striker, and soon after he repelled a lobbed attempt.

Frankfurt gradually found their rhythm and started to carve out opportunities. Jonathan Burkardt came close to scoring, and after an error by Felix Nmecha, Younes Ebnoutalib had a go at goal, only to be denied by Gregor Kobel.

Dortmund's nearest chance before the interval came in the 31st minute. A shot by Daniel Svensson deflected off Frankfurt defender Nnamdi Collins and hit the crossbar.

In the 53rd minute, Guirassy headed against the crossbar from a pass. Despite growing pressure, the home side could not turn their control into goals, as neither Guirassy nor substitute Ethan Nwaneri found the net.

Coach Niko Kovac's substitutes proved decisive. In the 80th minute, Jobe Bellingham selected fellow substitute Beier near the edge of the penalty area, and the forward fired a powerful strike into the top-right corner. Frankfurt were unable to respond, and Dortmund held on to their narrow lead.

“Today we had to work very hard against a very strong Frankfurt team,” Kovac said. “In the second half we managed to raise the pressure, we allowed nothing and in the end we deserved to win.”

Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmoller congratulated the hosts. “Well done to Dortmund. The first half was balanced and we had very good opportunities to take the lead. But based on the second half, Dortmund deserved the three points.”

The win lifts Dortmund to 17 points from seven matches, three more than Bayern Munich.

Other results saw RB Leipzig beat Elversberg 4-0, Werder Bremen overcome Mainz 3-2, and Paderborn defeat Hamburg 1-0. Augsburg and Union Berlin drew 1-1, while Cologne and Schalke finished goalless.