Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Record-chasing Marco Reus helps fire Borussia Dortmund three points clear

sportsmole.co.uk, 3 March 2023, 21:26
Marco Reus moved into joint-second in the all-time Borussia Dortmund scoring charts as Edin Terzic's side edged three points clear at the top of the Bundesliga with a 2-1 victory over title rivals RB Leipzig this evening.

Reus brought up his landmark 159th goal for the club to move level with Michael Zorc, with only 177-goal Alfred Preissler now ahead of him in the all-time list.

The Dortmund skipper won and converted a penalty midway through the first half, after Julian Brandt had already seen a goal chalked off for handball.

Emre Can then doubled Dortmund's advantage before half time, and the title hopefuls held on for all three points after Emil Forsberg pulled one back for Leipzig 15 minutes from time.

The win takes Dortmund three points clear of Bayern Munich, who face Stuttgart on Saturday, while they now sit six points above Union Berlin and seven ahead of Leipzig.

The hosts looked to have made a dream start to the match when Brandt turned home Jude Bellingham's cross after only 13 minutes, but a VAR check ruled that there had been a handball in the buildup.

Dortmund would not have to wait too much longer for the breakthrough, though, as Reus tucked away a penalty after being felled by Leipzig keeper Janis Blaswich in the area.

Blaswich was again at fault for Dortmund's second, as he allowed Can's bobbling but relatively tame half-volley from the edge of the box in, only succeeding in palming the ball into the net when trying to push it away.

Dortmund struggled to fully capitalise on their two-goal advantage and put the game to bed, though, allowing Leipzig to get back into the contest and threaten a late comeback.

Forsberg halved the deficit when he slid home at the back post to convert David Raum's low cross/shot.

However, Terzic's men held on for another crucial three points in their title charge, putting the pressure back on Bayern.

The victory continues Dortmund's faultless form so far this calendar year, making it 10 consecutive victories across all competitions since returning from the winter break.

Leipzig, meanwhile, have lost their first away game since September and could now end the weekend outside of the Champions League places depending on Freiburg's result against Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.

Top News

10 January 2025 talksport.com Graham Potter made history in Friday night's FA Cup clash at Aston Villa. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams aiming to recover from disappointing league defeats in their opening games of 2025 face off on Sunday, as Trabzonspor host Antalyaspor in a Turkish Super Lig encounter. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea youngster Sam Rak-Sakyi has reportedly attracted the interest of Championship outfit Coventry City. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Undefeated Galatasaray travel to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium on Sunday to take on Istanbul Basaksehir, aiming to maintain their unbeaten run and extend their lead at the top of the Turkish Super Lig. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Brazilian giants Palmeiras have supposedly been offered the opportunity to sign Arsenal midfielder Jorginho, who is weighing up an early exit from North London. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk After clinching the Trophee des Champions last Sunday, Paris Saint-Germain return to Ligue 1 action this weekend as they welcome Saint-Etienne to the Parc des Princes. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have apparently turned down a proposal from Wolverhampton Wanderers to sign Renato Veiga during the January transfer window. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arguably the pick of the matches in the Eredivisie this weekend will come from Stadion Feijenoord, where Feyenoord will be playing host to FC Utrecht on Sunday afternoon. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk An out-of-form Reims side will once again go in search of their first win of 2025 when they welcome European hopefuls Nice to the Stade Auguste-Delaune in Ligue 1 on Saturday. 10 January 2025 talksport.com West Brom are close to appointing Raphael Wicky as their new boss, talkSPORT understands. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City welcome League Two side Salford City to the Etihad Stadium for a third-round tie in the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Palmeiras have supposedly turned down Manchester City's opening approach for highly-rated centre-back Vitor Reis, but the Premier League champions remain confident of striking an agreement. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Premier League strugglers Southampton host Swansea City this weekend, as the two sides square off in the third round of the FA Cup. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk League One outfit Stockport County travel to Selhurst Park this weekend, hoping to upset the odds against Crystal Palace in the third round of the FA Cup. 10 January 2025 talksport.com A phone call from Cesc Fabregas was enough for Maxence Caqueret to turn down Premier League interest in favour of a move to Como. 10 January 2025 talksport.com Mikel Arteta wants to put an end to ball-gate right now. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is yet to hold talks with the Gunners over a new contract, but a January exit is off the cards, Charles Watts has told Sports Mole. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk FC Twente will be hoping to get 2025 off to a winning start when they face fellow top-half opponents Willem II at De Grolsch Veste in Sunday's early kickoff in the Eredivisie. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Belatedly playing their first game of the new year, Bologna will welcome Roma to Stadio Dall'Ara on Sunday evening. 10 January 2025 talksport.com A controversial injunction allowing Barcelona to register Dani Olmo and Pau Victor has sparked worried statements from their rivals. 10 January 2025 talksport.com The Premier League has been treated to the talents of some of the best African footballers of all time over the years. 10 January 2025 talksport.com Arsenal will be in a very different kit this weekend when they line up against Manchester United in the FA Cup. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is hopeful that the future of goalkeeper Martin Dubravka will be resolved as soon as possible and that an "agreement" between all parties can be reached. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk AC Milan are reportedly "serious" about Marcus Rashford, with the Italian giants seemingly the best-placed club when it comes to the race to sign the Manchester United attacker during the January transfer window. 10 January 2025 talksport.com The FA Cup third round is usually a highlight of the English football calendar but bad weather is wreaking havoc with the schedule this weekend. 10 January 2025 talksport.com Ipswich Town are reportedly eyeing up a stunning deal for former Premier League star Nemanja Matic. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has confirmed that Marcus Rashford is available for Sunday's FA Cup third-round clash with Arsenal, while Altay Bayindir will start between the sticks against the Gunners. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams at opposite ends of the table are set to come together on Sunday afternoon when title-hopefuls Rangers host relegation-threatened St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership. 10 January 2025 talksport.com AC Milan have intensified their pursuit of Marcus Rashford, talkSPORT understands. 10 January 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has said that he wants to keep Kobbie Mainoo at the club amid the recent uncertainty surrounding the midfielder.