BERLIN, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Second-placed Borussia Dortmund cut the lead on Bundesliga frontrunners Bayern Munich to four points after beating stubborn Mainz 1-0 on Wednesday thanks to Axel Witsel's strike.
Both sides needed some time to gain a foothold into the clash as Dortmund lacked in penetration whereas Mainz staged a well-positioned defence.
With 27 minutes gone, Mainz came close after Dortmund's Emre Can had to block Jonathan Burkardt's dangerous shot from very close range.
The hosts created another opportunity just before the break when Kevin Stoger's free-kick went just wide.
After the restart, the Nullfunfer started where they left off as Anton Stach narrowly missed the target from 18 meters, before Silvan Widmer tested Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel from a tight angle at the hour mark.
The BVB eventually showed signs of life eight minutes later, when Mainz custodian Robin Zentner had to palm away Erling Haaland's volley from inside the box.
Seeking inspiration, Dortmund head coach Marco Rose introduced Julian Brandt and Giovanni Reyna to the pitch in the 70th minute.
The substitutions paid off as Dortmund gained momentum as Thorgan Hazard's 74th-minute free-kick went just wide.
The next set-piece allowed Dortmund to break the deadlock in the 87th minute, as Reyna's cross to the far post found Witsel, who tapped home from close range to beat Zentner.
Mainz pressed frenetically but couldn't avoid their second straight loss in Germany's top flight.
"I think we were the better team today and a draw would have been just fine, but Dortmund took all three points with a lot of luck. We played well, kept Dortmund at bay but we still lost and that is really aggravating," said Mainz head coach Bo Svensson.
"It was an expected tough game with a lucky victory for us. We kept a clean sheet and had to work hard for that win. We didn't have many opportunities, but Mainz is a strong opponent. At the end of the day, we are really delighted with the result," said Rose. ■
