Dortmund keep heat on Bayern with Mainz win

BERLIN:

Borussia Dortmund striker Karim Adeyemi inspired his side to a comfortable 2-0 win at Mainz in the German Bundesliga on Saturday, as Eintracht Frankfurt beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 6-4.

Adeyemi was involved in both goals, scoring the second, as Dortmund cruised to their fourth win of the season to keep the heat on league leaders Bayern Munich.

Niko Kovac's side remain just two points behind Bayern, who beat Werder Bremen 4-0 on Friday.

"Karim did really well on the break," Kovac said of the Germany forward.

"We have two of the fastest players in the league with him and Maxi Beier, so we should be using that option."

Dortmund remain unbeaten this season ahead of their Champions League clash with Spanish side Athletic Bilbao this Wednesday.

Guinea striker Serhou Guirassy is a doubt to face the Basque outfit after he was a late withdrawal from the Mainz game with a thigh issue.

"We hope Serhou will be available for Bilbao and we will try everything to make it happen," Kovac said.

"But we won't take any risks because we know we are going to need him later on in the season."

Adeyemi's pace was devastating on the counter-attack as Dortmund established a comfortable lead before half-time.

The striker launched the move which led to the first goal, racing away on the right seconds after Mainz hit the post.

The move ended with Daniel Svensson tapping in at the far post.

It wasn't long before Adeyemi was tormenting the home side once again.

Just 15 minutes later, he launched another brutal break, this time slotting the ball home himself after a neat one-two with Julian Brandt.

The striker's pace proved the difference again in the second half, when he sprinted 30 yards to beat goalkeeper Robin Zentner to a loose ball on the edge of the area.

Zentner arrived a split second too late, clipping Adeyemi's legs and earning himself a red card.

Ten-goal thriller 

Eintracht won a 10-goal thriller at Gladbach in a rollercoaster rehearsal for their Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

Robin Koch headed Frankfurt in front after just 11 minutes and Ansgar Knauff swept home a second shortly afterwards.

Jonny Burkardt, Fares Chaibi and Can Uzun added three more before half-time and Gladbach's nightmare continued immediately after the break, as Koch scored from a corner once again to make it 6-0.

"I am extremely upset and angry because none of us did our job today," said Gladbach midfielder Rocco Reitz.

The home side improved markedly in the second half and came close to launching a famous comeback with three late goals.

Jens Castrop and Haris Tabakovic both scored with their heads and Yannik Engelhardt added a third on 85 minutes.

Yet Grant-Leon Ranos' stoppage-time header was only enough to salvage some pride.

"We probably did start thinking about the Atletico game subconsciously," Frankfurt's Knauff said.

"We wanted to just focus on this game today, but once we went 6-0 up we started slipping a bit," he added.

Gladbach remain rooted to the bottom of the table with two points from five games, while Frankfurt climb to fourth.

Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen won 2-1 at St Pauli while Wolfsburg's miserable home form continued with a 1-0 defeat to RB Leipzig.

Edmond Tapsoba bundled in Leverkusen's opener on 25 minutes after St Pauli failed to clear a free-kick from Alejandro Grimaldo. The lead lasted only seven minutes before Hauke Wahl hooked in an equaliser from a corner.

Dutch talent Ernest Poku restored the lead with his first Bundesliga goal after half-time, slotting home from close range after a sharp one-two between Grimaldo and Patrik Schick had unlocked the St Pauli back line.