Berlin, Jan 26 (IANS): Giovanni Reyna's late back-to-back winner helped Borussia Dortmund to snatch a last-gasp 2-1 victory over resilient Mainz at the closing of the 17th round.
Dortmund and Mainz traded attacks immediately after kick-off and broke the deadlock with only two minutes played as Edimilson Fernandes' corner to the near post allowed Lee Jae-sung to nod home the opener for Mainz, reports Xinhua news agency.
The visitors responded well and restored parity moments later as Dortmund's new arrival Julian Ryerson scored with a deflected shot from inside the box.
The 'BVB' gained momentum but couldn't extend the lead as Mainz's goalkeeper Finn Dahmen was equal to the attempts from Youssoufa Moukoko and Karim Adeyemi.
Mainz eventually focussed on its defense and kept Dortmund at bay for the remainder of the first half.
After the restart, Mainz took over and created presentable opportunities as Marcus Ingvartsen unleashed a dangerous header at the hour mark before Anton Stach pulled narrowly wide from a promising position in the 87th minute.
The visitors sealed the deal out of the blue though, in the dying seconds of the match when Gio Reyna poked home a flicked-on corner kick to the back post to clinch all three points for the "BVB" for the second straight time.
With the result, Dortmund reduces the distance to front runners Bayern Munich to five points.
"A crucial win for us but honestly, it could have gone either way. We are the lucky winners today, but Mainz had its chances, especially in the last 30 minutes," said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic.
"That's an unfortunate loss and undeserved as well. It is a tough one for our team," commented Mainz sporting director Martin Schmidt.
Elsewhere, Frankfurt missed the chance to jump on second after sharing the spoils with Freiburg following a 1-1 draw.
Werder Bremen suffered its second straight defeat in 2023 as Union Berlin came from behind to reap a 2-1 win on the road.
Bayer Leverkusen extended its winning streak to five Bundesliga games thanks to a 2-0 over Bochum and Augsburg edged Borussia Monchengladbach 1-0.