Can sent off as Dortmund loses again and Leverkusen drops more ...

3 days ago

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BERLIN (AP) — Borussia Dortmund captain Emre Can was sent off as his team slumped to its sixth straight away defeat by 3-1 at Mainz in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Dortmund had already made a lackluster start and Can did little to help when he lunged at Lee Jae-sung’s ankle with his studs up. The Dortmund midfielder was sent off with a red card in the 27th minute, followed by Nico Schlotterbeck earning a yellow for complaining.

Lee was able to continue, as he showed when he opened the scoring with a header in the 36th.

Lee remained the central figure, conceding a penalty for a foul on Serhou Guirassy three minutes later. Guirassy duly equalized from the spot.

But Jonathan Burkardt restored Mainz’s lead just before the break, and Paul Nebel made it 3-1 early in the second half.

Dortmund run of away defeats includes 5-1 at Stuttgart in the Bundesliga, at Real Madrid in the Champions League and at Wolfsburg in the German Cup.

More Leverkusen regret

Defending champion Bayer Leverkusen dropped more points as Koji Miyoshi scored late for last-placed Bochum to draw 1-1 in veteran coach Dieter Hecking’s first game in charge.

The visitors dominated from the start and took their first chance when Florian Wirtz sent Patrik Schick to score his first league goal of the season in the 18th.

But Bochum kept fighting and deservedly equalized in the 89th when Miyoshi scored from a narrow angle after eluding several defenders.

Leverkusen has drawn half of its 10 league games and is struggling to meet its standards from last season.

Goretzka back for Bayern

Jamal Musiala’s brilliant strike from distance was enough for Bayern Munich to win at St. Pauli, which has yet to score at home this season.

Leon Goretzka made a rare start for Bayern. The former Germany midfielder fell out of favor under Thomas Tuchel last season and many expected him to leave the club in the offseason. But Goretzka maintained his willingness to stay and fight for his place. Aleksandar Pavlović’s breakthrough and then the signing of João Palhinha complicated his prospects, but Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said the busy schedule meant he needs to make full use of his squad.

Musiala scored when he let fly from distance in off the underside of the crossbar in the 22nd.

Bayern has won its last five games across all competitions without conceding a goal.

Also, Scottish forward Oliver Burke scored his first goal in more than a year for Werder Bremen to beat Holstein Kiel 2-1 at home.

Another Bayern rival drops points

Borussia Mönchengladbach drew at Leipzig 0-0 in the late game, with Franck Honorat going closest for the visitors when he struck the crossbar.

Leipzig’s draw left Bayern with a five-point lead after 10 games. Leverkusen was nine points behind, while Dortmund was already 10 points off the pace.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer