Julian Brandt’s second-half goal earned Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 win over a disciplined Werder Bremen at home on Friday that sent them top of the Bundesliga overnight.
Brandt dashed into the penalty area and gathered a precise pass from Emre Can, before gracefully chipping the ball over Werder’s goalkeeper, Michael Zetterer, to score in the 67th minute.
Dortmund’s Donyell Malen had a shot saved by Zetterer in the opening minutes, which set the tone for the match. Around the half-hour mark, Marco Reus went close to giving the hosts a well-deserved lead, but his attempt from an acute angle narrowly missed.
After Dortmund went ahead, the match opened up but there were no clear-cut chances, allowing the home side to maintain their unbeaten start to the season. “I have to say, it went pretty well today,” the 27-year-old Brandt, who became the third youngest player in history to reach 300 Bundesliga appearances, told DAZN. Dortmund visit Newcastle United in a vital Champions League group stage match on Wednesday.
Dortmund have 20 points after eight matches, one point ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, who face VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday. Werder are 14th with six points.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Borussia Dortmund | 8 | 9 | 20 |
| 2 | Bayer Leverkusen | 7 | 17 | 19 |
| 3 | Stuttgart | 7 | 14 | 18 |
| 4 | Bayern Munich | 7 | 17 | 17 |
| 5 | Hoffenheim | 7 | 5 | 15 |
Elsewhere, an injury-time goal from Florian Sotoca helped Lens secure a late victory at Le Havre in Ligue 1 and move into the top half of the table. Two goals from Ante Budimir helped Osasuna defeat Granada 2-0 in La Liga.