Dortmund downs Leipzig 0-1, stays on top of Bundesliga
Berlin: Germany’s Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund won 1-0 at RB Leipzig with a solitary goal from Belgium’s Axel Witsel to maintain a six-point lead over Bayern Munich and a nine-point lead over third-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Dortmund on Saturday came into the game with several heavy casualties. The most significant was that of their captain Marco Reus, and with their striker Paco Alcacer not in full physical shape so he was only on the field in the final minutes, reports Efe news.
However, Dortmund managed to impose their dominance on the game in the first half and when Leipzig reacted they were able to defend their win.
The duel had a first phase with clear domination of Dortmund who were in command of the ball and spent most time in the half of their rival.
That dominance was translated into a goal in the 19th minute when Axel Witsel broke the balance with a right leg shot from inside the area after a corner kick by Raphael Guerreiro that Lukasz Piszczek prolonged with a header.
Leipzig, around the 30th minute, showed some reaction and began to shake off the domination of Dortmund and increased the intensity in the individual duels for the ball.
At the start of the second half, Leipzig had a good chance at the feet of Marcel Sabitzer in the 48th minute, but Dortmund’s goalkeeper Roman Buerki reacted in time.
Leipzig’s best chance in the second half came in the 74th minute when, again, Sabitzer shot from close range but hit straight against Buerki’s body.