A second-half goal from Alex Grimaldo sent Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-0 home win over Mainz, closing the gap with league leaders Bayern Munich to one point.In Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso's defending champions were dominant against an in-form Mainz but were held at bay until Grimaldo produced a stunning free kick after 48 minutes.

Bayer LeverkusenAfter a shaky start to the season, the German champions have steadied their ship with nine wins in a row across all competitions.Xabi Alonso's men began 2025 in the manner they had

BERLIN (AP) — Steffen Baumgart oversaw his first win as Union Berlin coach as his team ended its 11-game winless run with a 2-1 victory over Mainz in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

(AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File) Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany reacts during a Bundesliga soccer match against FSV Mainz 05, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Mainz, Germany. (Thomas Frey/dpa via AP) Munich’s Jamal Musiala, right, and Leipzig’s Willi ...

Steffen Baumgart has enjoyed his first win as boss of Union Berlin, who ended a 10-match winless run with a 2-1 win over Mainz in the Bundesliga.

Champions Bayer Leverkusen battled past Mainz 05 with a 1-0 win coming courtesy of a superb Alex Grimaldo free kick on Tuesday to stretch their winning run to seven straight matches in the Bundesliga and close in on leaders Bayern Munich.

It's Matchday 18 in the Bundesliga, and TV commentator Kevin Hatchard has another trio of betting tips for us.

The victory came thanks to a brilliant free kick from Alex Grimaldo at the beginning of the second half and keeps Leverkusen second in the table, one point behind leaders Bayern Munich. The visitors, meanwhile, are fifth in the table and trail Leverkusen by 10 points following the defeat.

Xabi Alonso's men began 2025 in the manner they had hoped, as Die Werkself handed Borussia Dortmund their first home league defeat of the season with a 3-2 win at Signal Iduna Park. Patrik Schick netted a brace in the opening 19 minutes to make it 11 goals in his last six Bundesliga appearances.

Benedict Hollerbach scored a first-minute goal and won a penalty as Union Berlin beat Mainz 2-1 at home on Sunday to pick up crucial points in their battle against Bundesliga relegation.

German Bundesliga leading scorers after the weekend's matches: 9: Ekitike (Eintracht Frankfurt), Musiala (Bayern Munich), Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) 7: Gittens (Borussia Dortmund), Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund), Harres (Holstein Kiel), Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Machino (Holstein Kiel), Stage (Werder Bremen), Undav (Stuttgart), Wind (Wolfsburg)