Champions League competitor Borussia Dortmund slumped to a 3-1 loss at Mainz 05 on Saturday, a fourth consecutive defeat on the road in the Bundesliga this season which left them seventh in the standings.
Dortmund, which had a midweek confidence boost with a 1-0 home win over Sturm Graz, struggled against the host and was left with 10 men in the 27th minute when captain Emre Can launched a reckless studs-up challenge for a straight red card.
Things got even worse when Lee Jae-sung stabbed in for a 36th-minute Mainz lead.
The South Korean then brought down Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy in the box for a penalty five minutes later which the Guinea international converted.
The Dortmund defence, however, was again caught out when Jonathan Burkardt turned in a cutback in first-half stoppage time.
After the break, Mainz picked up where they had left off, bagging a third goal from Paul Nebel in the 54th.
Dortmund, which has lost four of their five away games this season and drawn the other, are on 16 points in seventh spot. Mainz are three points behind in ninth.
Bochum snatches 1-1 draw against Leverkusen
Koji Miyoshi scored an 89th minute goal to give strugglers VfL Bochum a 1-1 draw against visiting champions Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Leverkusen looked to be labouring to a 1-0 win when Miyoshi struck from close range to level.
Patrik Schick had bagged Leverkusen’s lead after he was sent through by Florian Wirtz with a superb ball and then threaded it through the legs of the Bochum goalkeeper, saw it hit the post and roll in for an 18th minute lead.
Bochum, with new coach Dieter Hecking on the bench, were by no means overrun, working hard in defence to shut down spaces but lacked more clinical finish up front until the late equaliser.
The result left Leverkusen, which lost 4-0 at Liverpool in the Champions League, in fourth place on 17 points, nine off leader Bayern Munich.
