Dortmund throw the ball of fire to Bayern Munich with a hard-fought victory over Frankfurt

Bayern Munich will face Freiburg amid a storm of absences.

Borussia Dortmund climbed to the top of the Bundesliga, at least temporarily, after grinding out a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday in the seventh round of the competition.

Victory took Dortmund to 17 points, three clear of reigning runners-up Bayern Munich. The Bavarians have a game in hand and face a tricky trip to third-placed Freiburg, who sit on 13 points, on Sunday.

Read also

In numbers: Ez Abde tops a distinguished list in the Champions League

Mbappé tops the Champions League team of the tournament: a complete absence of Barcelona players

Both sides carved out chances in the first half, and Frankfurt threatened more than once. Jonathan Burkardt wasted a clear opening in the 27th minute, and Gregor Kobel then denied Younes Ben Taleb, who was through on goal after an error in the middle of Dortmund's half.

At the other end, Frankfurt keeper Noah Atubolu stood firm against Guinean striker Serhou Guirassy, who went close again in the 53rd minute only to see his header crash off the crossbar. Kobel matched him by turning away a powerful effort from Algeria star Farès Chaïbi.

Maximilian Beier settled it. Introduced in the 68th minute, the substitute struck Dortmund's only goal in the 80th, latching onto a decisive pass from fellow replacement Jobe Bellingham after a spell of pressure at both ends.

Dortmund had arrived on the back of two straight Bundesliga draws, 2-2 against Werder Bremen and 0-0 against Union Berlin. This win puts them back on the winning trail at home and piles the pressure on Bayern Munich ahead of Sunday.