Maximilian Beier scored twice while Borussia Dortmund won 3-1 at home against Mayenz in the Bundesliga on Sunday, keeping their thin European qualification hopes. The finalists of the Champions League last season, Dortmund had lost four of their last six games to flow to 12th before the match. Dortmund was without injured striker Serhou Guirassy, but Beier filled the void while he gave the advance to the hosts after 32 minutes, finishing a goal he initiated. The 22-year-old Germany striker gathered the ball in the midfield, lost a defender and found Julian Brandt who whipped a cross and Beier put on the ball to Karim Adeyemi, who made him favor, giving him a simple tap-in.
Emre can double Dortmund’s advance four minutes later, heading in a corner Nico Schlotterbeck.
Schlotterbeck also provided the third of Dortmund in the 72nd minute, floating in a superb ball which allowed Beier to go home, before Mainz pulled one through Paul Nebel.
Dortmund manager Niko Kovac said that there was “nothing more beautiful than winning in football”, but added that his team was just beginning.
“We have won today, but with seven games to do, we have much more to do,” Kovac told Dazn.
The victory was Dortmund’s first victory against MAPIN in four attempts, including the infamous draw 2-2 against the same opponents on the last day of the 2022-23 season which cost them the title.
Dortmund is now located 10th, four points behind European places and seven Massez points, which are fourth.
Despite the defeat, Massez is two points away from Borussia Moenchengladbach, in fifth row, and presents an excellent chance of the very first appearance in the Champions League.
Union Berlin won 2-1 in Freiburg, branching the hopes of the Champions League of his opponents while making a major step towards maintaining their own status as a high-level team next season.
Freiburg took the lead with 29 minutes played when Lucas Hoeler hammered in a Cross of Vincenzo Grifo.
Visitors pushed back a minute later, Captain Rani Khedira pulling after an aid Andrej Ilic.
He then went on the match sheet for three minutes in the second half, running a Tim Skarke crossing in the upper corner.
The defeat, just the third defeat of Freiburg at home of the season, leaves them in seventh, three points of the top four. Freiburg has also never played in the Champions League.
The victory won Union, which needed a victory for the last day last season against Freiburg to avoid going to the second division, 30 points, away from the place of the playoffs.
The recent form of the Union seems to have withdrawn the club from the relegation target.
In the past three weeks, the Union has beat the first four hopes Eintracht Francfurt and Freiburg, while holding the leaders of the Bayern Munich League in a home match.
(This story has not been published by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a unionized flow.)
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