Borussia Dortmund 1 – 0 Eintracht Frankfurt
Borussia Dortmund beat Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 in the Bundesliga, with Maximilian Beier scoring the only goal in the 80th minute to send them top of the table.
Dortmund started the better side. Frankfurt goalkeeper Noah Atubolu saved from Serhou Guirassy around the 15th minute, then kept out his dinked effort three minutes later. Daniel Svensson also struck the woodwork for the home side in the first half. Frankfurt grew into the game as the half went on, and Gregor Kobel made a fine save to stop a dangerous attempt from the visitors. It was goalless at the break.
In the second half Dortmund coach Niko Kovač made several attacking changes as his side kept pushing. The breakthrough came in the 80th minute, when Jobe Bellingham set up Beier, who drove a powerful shot into the top right corner. Dortmund then held on to the final whistle.
The win lifts Dortmund to the top of the Bundesliga with 17 points, three ahead of second-placed Bayern Munich, who play Freiburg the next day. It also ends a run of two successive league draws for Kovač's side.
Before kick-off
Dortmund, level with Bayern, host a Frankfurt side still recovering from a 6-0 at Leipzig
Borussia Dortmund should come out on top in an open game of three goals or more, with both sides scoring.
Borussia Dortmund go into Saturday evening level on points with Bayern Munich, behind them only on goal difference and still unbeaten in the Bundesliga after six matches. The record hides a stall: their last two league results are a 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen and a goalless one at Union Berlin, either side of a 1-0 defeat at Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League.
Frankfurt arrive eleventh, with eight points from six matches. Their last away league game ended 6-0 at Leipzig. A week later Ebnoutalib's fifth league goal of the season beat Köln 1-0 and ended their wait for a home win.
Signal Iduna Park has been kind to Dortmund in this fixture. They have won their last four league meetings there, 4-0, 3-1, 2-0 and 3-2, and they have won 56 of the 114 matches between the clubs. Frankfurt have not won a league match in Dortmund since before that run began.
Niko Kovač has to think about the week as well as the evening. Werder Bremen visit in the German Cup on Tuesday and Dortmund go to Bayern next Saturday, so Waldemar Anton may be rested, with Ramy Bensebaini a candidate to come in. Frankfurt, for their part, have Onyedika one booking from a ban.
