Bayer Leverkusen triumphed 1-0 over Mainz 05 at home on Tuesday, extending their winning streak to seven matches in the Bundesliga.
The match was decided by a brilliant free kick from Alex Grimaldo, bringing Leverkusen to 38 points, just one point behind Bayern Munich, who will play Hoffenheim on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Eintracht Frankfurt maintained third place, five points behind, after defeating Freiburg 4-1 at home.
Mainz, who had a strong run leading up to the match, suffered an early blow when Jonathan Burkardt, returning from injury, was forced off just three minutes into the game.
Leverkusen gradually took control, creating chances through Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong, but Mainz held firm in the first half.
The deadlock was broken in the 48th minute when Grimaldo’s free kick sailed over the wall and past Mainz keeper Robin Zentner.
Leverkusen continued to press, with Wirtz and Frimpong having good opportunities to extend their lead. Frimpong’s shot was blocked by Zentner in the 81st minute, while Zentner also denied Nathan Tella with a stunning save just minutes later.
Mainz fought back towards the end, but Leverkusen remained resolute. Mainz’s coach, Bo Henriksen, was sent off in stoppage time after receiving two yellow cards.
Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, acknowledging the challenge posed by Mainz, “We are very satisfied as we were ready for a tough game against an opponent who has a lot of intensity and is in a good moment.”
On the team’s approach, Alonso added, “We were patient. We played intelligently. We wanted a stable game and not a crazy game. We did not have too many chances but we had control. We had the chances to score a second goal but we did not manage it.”
