Jordan Pefok recorded an assist for Union Berlin as they maintained their grip on first place in the Bundesliga standings with a shutout win over Giovanni Reyna and Borussia Dortmund.
Union Berlin 2-0 Borussia Dortmund
Union Berlin’s two first-half goals were more than enough as they claimed all three points in their win over Borussia Dortmund at Stadion An der Alten Forsterei.
Jordan Pefok played 67 minutes for the capital team, completing 53 percent of his passes, winning five duels and making one tackle along with taking one shot. Giovanni Reyna came off the bench for BVB to play the final eight minutes and change.
The hosts were on the attack from start, putting Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel under pressure. It would pay off for them in the eighth minute when the Swiss international slipped while trying to bring a backpass under control, allowing Union midfielder Janik Haberer to pounce and tap the ball into the open goal.
Dortmund tried their best to grab the equalizer, but it would be the league leaders who doubled their lead in the 21st minute. Union went on the counter-attack after their opponents turned over the ball in midfield. Andras Schafer would pass the ball to Sheraldo Becker on he right side before crossing towards the top of the area for a waiting Pefok. The towering forward was then able to hold the ball and keep his marker at bay before laying it off to Haberer to put a long-distance strike into the back of the net.
The second half would be scoreless as the visitors could not find a way to score despite have a few good chances to get back in the game.
The win leaves Union at the top with 23 points, while Dortmund in eighth with 16 points.
Wolfsburg 2-2 Borussia Monchengladbach
Wolfsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach traded goals in both halves as they ended up sharing the points at the Volkswagen Arena.
Joe Scally started and played the full 90 minutes, completing 57 percent of his passes, winning five duels, and making one tackle. On the other side, Kevin Paredes played 16 minutes, winning a duel and making one tackle.
The Foals opened the scoring 13 minutes in the contest through a counter-attack that Marcus Thuram finished as the Frenchman dribbled the ball into the area to fire it into the back of the net. Wolfsburg levelled the score two minutes before halftime through Yannick Gerhardt as he finished off a cross from teammate Paulo Otavio.
Monchengladbach retook the lead two minutes into the second half when Thuram once again found the goal. His head from a corner kick was blocked, but he was able to recover the ball send his volleyed effort into the net.
However, the Wolves were able to respond again in the 69th minute as Omar Mamoush was able to bring down a pass from Otavio to put away a volley of his own. They came very close to stealing it in the 88th minute when Mamoush’s header was on target, but hit the crossbar in the end.
Borussia Monchengladbach sits in sixth place in the standings with 16 points, while Wolfsburg is in 13th with 10 points.
Notes
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Timothy Chandler watched from the bench as Eintracht Frankfurt came out 5-1 winners over Bayer Leverkusen.
In the 2. Bundesliga, both Julian Green and Timothy Tillman started for Greuther Furth, while Ryan Malone came off the bench for Hansa Rostock as they shared the points following a 2-2 draw.
Terrence Boyd went the distance, but could not score as Kaiserslautern fell in a 3-0 loss to Jahn Regensburg.
Lennard Maloney played the first half for Heidenheim in their 3-1 loss to Holstein Kiel.
Down in the 3. Liga, Isaiah Young scored a goal as Rot-Weiss Essen settled for a 1-1 draw with Dynamo Dresden.
Mael Corboz played the entire game as Verl came away witha 3-1 win over Bayreuth.
Both Jalen Hawkins and Jerome Butler came off the bench for Ingolstadt, with the latter scoring a goal, in their 3-1 win over Meppen.
Johan Gomez played the second half for Zwickau in their 3-2 loss to Saarbrucken.
