Borussia Dortmund closed the gap on league-leaders Bayern Munich with a nervy 1-0 victory over relegation-threatened Arminia Bielefeld, thanks to a clinical first-half strike from Marius Wolf.Having thrashed Borussia Mönchengladbach 6-0 in their previous Bundesliga match at home, a fast start was always likely for Dortmund. They came within inches of taking an early lead, when Donyell Malen had a first-time strike deflected against the base of the post.Despite this narrow escape, Bielefeld soon found themselves behind as Jude Bellingham picked out Thorgan Hazard with an exquisite pass, and the Belgian’s cutback was cooly finished by Marius Wolf in the centre of the six-yard box.Buoyed by the opener, Die Borussen looked to press home their momentum and were given what appeared to be a golden opportunity to double their lead, when Robin Hack was harshly adjudged to have handled the ball in the box. However, after a quick VAR review, the decision was promptly overturned, leaving Dortmund to settle for a narrow one-goal advantage at the break.The opening exchanges of the second half were largely played in the Dortmund half as Bielefeld looked to put the hosts under pressure, but Hack could only direct their best chance straight at Gregor Kobel. Dortmund nearly made Die Arminen immediately pay for this missed opportunity, as Malen shifted the ball onto his right foot and thundered a strike against the crossbar.Having last recorded an away head-to-head win 22 years ago this month, the last thing Bielefeld wanted to see on the hour-mark was the introduction of Erling Haaland. Despite the Norwegian’s return, Dortmund looked disjointed in attack as they chased a decisive second. Giovanni Reyna wasted the best opening, as he prodded wide following a clever flick from Haaland.Finishing issues torment Bayern in an exciting 1-1 draw at HoffenheimFortunately for the home side, one goal proved to be enough as their defence held firm to secure a vital three points. That said, there will be an undercurrent of disappointment, with Der BVB seeing their run of scoring twice or more in successive home matches end at eight against an opposition many expected to sink by a landslide.Elsewhere, Florian Wirtz will be sidelined for “several months” after the teenage Germany midfielder suffered a serious knee injury Sunday as Bayer Leverkusen lost 1-0 at home to Cologne in the Rhine derby.Wirtz, 18, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a first-half challenge and was stretchered off in clear distress. The attacking midfielder “will therefore be out for several months”, Leverkusen said in a statement after giving the diagnosis.He will miss Germany’s friendlies against Israel and the Netherlands later this month and faces a race against time to be fit for the World Cup in Qatar which kicks off in November.Wirtz’s injury capped a bad day for Leverkusen as Cologne’s Kingsley Schindler came off the bench to volley in a superb second-half winner for his first Bundesliga goal.The loss of Wirtz is a serious blow to Leverkusen with their top-scoring Czech striker Patrik Schick already sidelined by a torn calf.Leverkusen are third in Germany’s top flight, 15 points behind league leaders Bayern Munich who were held to a 1-1 draw at Hoffenheim on Saturday.This is Leverkusen’s second straight defeat after losing to Atalanta in their Europa League last 16, first-leg tie on Thursday.Cologne are seventh in the table as Steffen Baumgart’s visitors out-thought and out-muscled Leverkusen.##EDITORS_CHOICE##The hosts lost three players in the first half of a bruising derby. Leverkusen’s Dutch defender Jeremie Frimpong had to be helped off with a leg injury after a crunching tackle before Wirtz left on a stretcher. Leverkusen centre-back Odilon Kossounou also went off injured just before half-time.BUNDESLIGA – ROUND 26SaturdayHoffenheim – Bayern Munich 1-1 (1-1)/Baumgartner 32 – Lewandowski 45+1/Union Berlin – Stutgart 1-1 (1-0)/Awoniyi 41 pen – Kalajdzic 90/Freiburg – Wolfsburg 3-2 (2-0)/Grifo 7,44, Schlotterbeck 87 – Kruse 52, Arnold 84/M’ gladbach – Hertha 2-0 (1-0)/Plea 24 pen, Ginter 59/SundayLeverkusen – Koln 0-1 (0-0)/Schindler 67/Dortmund – Bielefeld 1-0 (1-0)/Wolf 21/Eintr.Frankfurt – Bochum 2-1 (0-1)/Masovic 46 og, Kamada 52 – Polter 19/Greuther Furth – RB Leipzig 1-3 IN PROGRESS*** odds are subject to change***
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