Leverkusen pull off superb triumph, Wolfsburg with much-needed win

Berlin (dpa) – Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday pulled off an outstanding 5-2 win at Bundesliga title contenders Borussia Dortmund, who now trail leaders Bayern Munich by nine points.

Wolfsburg also enjoyed a good day with a much-needed triumph after nine winless league games, thanks a 4-1 victory over league bottom club Greuther Fürth.

Bayern extended their advantage at the top of the table after a hard-fought 3-2 win against RB Leipzig on Saturday.

Things didn’t start well for Dortmund after Dan-Azel Zagadou had a sloppy pass cut by Patrik Schick. His shot was palmed by keeper Gregor Kobel, but the ball hit Dortmund defender Manuel Akanji, who scored an own-goal.

The visitors soon returned the favour when Julian Brandt’s corner flicked off two Leverkusen players on the way and the goal was given to Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong.

But the Werkself was on fire and took back the lead before the break thanks to a fast and brilliant counter-attack finished off by Florian Wirtz, and a stunning free-kick by Robert Andrich.

Jonathan Tah smashed high into the net and Moussa Diaby put the ball past Kobel for the icing on the cake.

Dortmund netted a late second goal in the 89th minute to end what captain Marco Reus described as a “catastrophic day.”

“We didn’t get into the game at all. Everything we tried was not enough. We didn’t implement what was discussed and always say the same things,” a disappointed Reus told broadcasters DAZN.

He pointed to a “mentality problem” within the team, and when asked about the title race, Reus said the team had “other topics to discuss instead of talking about Bayern.”

On Leverkusen’s side, the mood was completely different, with captain Tah very satisfied with the result.

“The focus was clearly the three points and we are very happy about that,” he said, and team-mate Andrich added: “The team worked very well the whole time and scored beautiful goals.”

Leverkusen remain third in the standings, five points behind second-placed Dortmund.

Aster Vranckx didn’t waste Wolfsburg’s first chance of the home game against Fürth and scored his first Bundesliga goal to break the deadlock.

Branimir Hrgota equalized from the spot shortly before the break, but Vranckx secured a brace, lashing the ball into an open goal early in the second half to give Wolfsburg the advantage.

Despite Fürth’s efforts to leave the Volkswagen Arena with at least one point, the home side prevailed at the end, thanks to goals by Maximiliam Arnold and Maximilian Philipp.

That was a important win for Wolfsburg, who are now 12th, but just two points above the relegation zone. Fürth, meanwhile, remain bottom of the table.