Bundesliga – Mainz vs Dortmund: Borussia Dortmund took three crucial points last night against Mainz. The MEWA Arena witnessed the clash of these teams in a league fixture. The hosts, despite going toe to toe for much of the fixture, crumbled in the dying moments.
It was Axel Witsel who was the unlikely star of the night who scored his first Bundesliga goal since February 2020 in the 87th minute. The Belgian was not able to find the sweetest of connections but it was enough to keep his team in the title picture.
Following the contest, the hosts are 10th in the league, while their opponents have managed to stay within four points of Bayern. The club has eight fixtures remaining in the season, to reclaim the title for the first time since 2012.
Bundesliga – Mainz vs Dortmund: Post-match reaction
Mainz’ Bo Svensson: “That wasn’t a 1-0, that was more like a goalless draw that Dortmund luckily managed to win. They barely had any chances in the entire game and yet somehow still won.”
Dortmund’s Emre Can: “It was a difficult game and not the prettiest game, but we stood our ground and got the three points. And a late goal makes it even better. The victory tastes good.”
Dortmund’s Marco Rose: “It was the difficult game we expected,” Rose noted afterwards, “A lot of fight. A lot of passion. We had to defend against a lot of will, but we managed that well again and got another clean sheet.
“I think it’s fabulous that we kept a clean sheet for the second time with this [defensive] chain,” Rose said, “The guys really dug in. That was great.
“The last two games in this constellation and how the guys fight and perform lets you talk about a [team] identity,” Rose noted, “The results obviously help a lot too. There’s thus great praise for the lads.
“We’ve stabilized in terms of goals conceded.”
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