Borussia Dortmund surged into the upper echelon of the Bundesliga standings, putting an end to their consecutive league defeats with a 3-1 victory over UEFA Champions League hopefuls FSV Mainz at Signal Iduna Park.
After suffering four losses in his initial six matches—Dortmund’s worst start since Jurgen Roberin in 2007—new manager Niko Kovac was eager for a turnaround against the impressive Mainz side.
With a mere 35 points from 26 matches, Dortmund’s tally is their poorest in ten years, leaving the Champions League quarter-finalists with dwindling prospects of qualifying for Europe through the league. However, an optimistic beginning from the home side rallied the supporters, who were vocally backing their team as Mainz endured early challenges.
A tense first half-hour passed without incident, but as the clock neared half-time, Dortmund found the breakthrough.
Seemingly caught in a moment of transition, Mainz struggled to cope with a sweeping ball into the penalty area, allowing Karim Adeyemi to square it to Maximilian Beier for a straightforward finish.
Only league frontrunners Bayern Munich had conceded fewer goals than Die Nullfunfer, yet just three minutes later, BVB extended their lead from a corner, with Emre Can heading in at the back post.
Marking a renewed spirit, the visitors charged into the second half, unleashing a flurry of shots at Dortmund’s goal shortly after the restart.
Gregor Kobel remained sharp, fending off the much-improved Mainz attack, and after maintaining their defensive stability, BVB struck again midway through the half.
A delightful corner from Nico Schlotterbeck found Beier’s head, allowing him to secure his second goal of the match.
It wasn’t long before Mainz responded through Paul Nebel, who found the net following a scrappy build-up.
However, that hard-fought goal came too late to spark a comeback, with Pascal Gross striking the post from close range as Dortmund expertly navigated the closing stages of the match.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s victory on Saturday has resulted in Bo Henriksen’s side slipping to fourth place, sitting two points ahead of fifth-placed Borussia Monchengladbach in their quest for a maiden Champions League spot.
Meanwhile, Dortmund’s win trims the gap to just four points from sixth place, though with four teams in the way of guaranteed European qualification, time is of the essence for Kovač to orchestrate a late-season resurgence.

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