Dortmund beat Frankfurt to go top after Bayern ‘knockout’

BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund went top of the Bundesliga table after a 4-0 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt, making the most of Bayern Munich’s earlier 3-1 loss at Mainz on Saturday.

A double from Dutch forward Donyell Malen and goals from English teenager Jude Bellingham and veteran Mats Hummels snared the three points for Dortmund, setting up a knife-edged title race with five games remaining.

With Bayern’s game finishing an hour before kickoff in Dortmund, the home side knew a win would take them outright first on the table.

Bellingham settled Dortmund’s nerves early, collecting a pass from Julian Brandt pass before pirouetting and firing a shot home.

Malen doubled up five minutes later, scoring for the fifth consecutive league match, before Hummels headed in a third just before halftime.

Malen scored his second midway through the second half, again assisted by Karim Adeyemi.

Unlike last week, where Dortmund gave away 2-0 and 3-2 leads against a 10-man Stuttgart to draw 3-3, there would be no late collapse as the home side leapfrogged Bayern into first by one point.

Dortmund have five more matches, three of which are at home, as they pursue their first league title in a decade.

Dortmund manager Edin Terzic said “we showed how well we can play today,” but would not bite when asked if his side were on the way to a title.

“It was a really good step in the right direction.”

Frankfurt manager Oliver Glasner lamented the home side’s “brutal efficiency” and has now lost eight from eight against Dortmund.

Bayern lost their lead atop the table after slumping to a 3-1 loss at Mainz, thanks to three goals in 14 minutes from the home side.

Mainz trailed 1-0 at halftime thanks to a first goal since October from Bayern’s