Raphaël Guerreiro has scored a goal for Borussia Dortmund! Assist by C. Pulišić.
GOAL! It's six for Dortmund! The Leverkusen defence are caught all over the place inside their own penalty area, allowing Pulisic to poke the ball over to Guerreiro, who, completely unmarked, then fires a low shot past Leno and into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.
Pulisic did well to pick out Guerreiro under pressure, but, once again, Leverkusen's defending was atrocious. They've been all over the place since the fourth goal and have been torn apart by Dortmund's impressive front line.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
89'
Schurrle breaks through the disjointed Leverkusen back line and looks set to go one-on-one with Leno, but just as he's about to take on the goalkeeper, the linesman's flag is eventually raised for offside.
88'
Leverkusen, who have barely troubled Burki over the past 20 minutes, push forward from the restart before firing a looping cross into the heart of the penalty area, but it fails to find Hernandez in front of goal and is easily dealt with by the home side.
86'
A. Dragović enters the game and replaces Ö. Toprak.
Leverkusen have made a late substitution, with Aleksandar Dragovic coming on to replace Toprak.
85'
Penalty goal scored by A. Schürrle for Borussia Dortmund!
GOAL! Leno is able to get a hand to the ball but can't keep Schurrle's thumping strike from finding the back of the net. Yet more misery for Roger Schmidt's men!
84'
Wendell gets yellow.
PENALTY! Schurrle makes an immediate impact as he bursts into the penalty area on a great run before being sandwiched between both Toprak and Wendell, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot.
83'
It's all Dortmund at the moment as they continue putting pressure on the Leverkusen back line. The visitors seem to be lacking any sort of belief since conceding for the fourth time, and they're sleepwalking to yet another defeat.
81'
A. Schürrle enters the game and replaces P. Aubameyang.
Andre Schurrle comes on to the pitch to replace Aubameyang in a late change for the home side.
79'
Durm slips into the Leverkusen box once again and heads along the byline before trying to poke a pass into the path of Kagawa, but Jedvaj sticks out a foot and is just about able to stop the ball from finding the Japan international inside the six-yard box.
Minute
Description
77'
C. Pulišić has scored a goal for Borussia Dortmund! Assist by E. Durm.
Durm did well to skip past his marker and into the box before setting up Pulisic, but the latter played a hand in every part of that goal, as it was he who muscled his way through a group of red shirts before working the ball over to the wing-back.
GOAL! Another for Dortmund! Durm breaks down the right wing and into the Leverkusen penalty area before cutting the ball back to Pulisic, who after starting it in the middle of the pitch, ends up finishing the attack with a lovely strike that easily beats Leno.
76'
Bartra powers forward and gets himself into a good position 30 yards away from the Leverkusen goal. He's left in a pocket of space by the visitors and decides to try and test Leno from long range, but his effort ends up flying a few yards wide of its intended target.
74'
Wendell has scored a goal for Bayer Leverkusen!
GOAL! What a strike by Wendell! Bartra commits a poor challenge just outside of the Dortmund box, presenting Leverkusen with a free-kick in a very dangerous position. Wendell steps up and unleashes a wonderful shot that curls past the outstretched fingertips of Burki and into the top right-hand corner of the net. That was unstoppable!
73'
S. Kagawa enters the game and replaces O. Dembélé.
Dembele receives a rousing round of applause from the home fans as he's replaced by Shinji Kagawa.
71'
Dortmund quickly win the ball back from the restart as they try to hit Leverkusen on another determined attacking move. The visitors have looked far more dangerous since the break than they did before it, but Dortmund have done well to come back over the past 10 minutes and have continuously put their opponents under plenty of pressure.
69'
L. Bender gets yellow.
P. Aubameyang has scored a goal for Borussia Dortmund! Assist by O. Dembélé.
Dembele sprints through the middle of the pitch on a wonderful run as he easily skips past Bender, but the Leverkusen midfielder cynically drags the Frenchman to the ground from behind and concedes a free-kick in a dangerous position before receiving a yellow card.
That was a lovely first-time cross by Dembele to pick out Aubameyang in front of goal, but Bender really should have done better. He seemed unaware that Aubameyang was standing behind him and wasn't quick enough to sort his feet out when the cross was fired towards him.
GOAL! Dortmund have reclaimed their two-goal cushion! The cross from the free-kick is a dangerous one, despite Havertz managing to get a head to it. The ball bounces out to Dembele and sets up the youngster to swing a half-volleyed cross over to the back post, where Aubameyang beats Bender in the air before nodding the ball into the back of the net from a few yards out.
67'
Chance for Pulisic! The American is really enjoying himself at the moment, and he seems to be Dortmund's biggest threat. Once again, he causes problems for the Leverkusen back line with a clever run forward, and this time he's able to test Leno with a low shot that the goalkeeper does well to tip round the near post.
66'
J. Hernández enters the game and replaces A. Mehmedi.
Pulisic twists and turns on another good run as he weaves his way down the right flank and along the edge of the Leverkusen penalty area, but he's unable to guide a chipped pass past Toprak and the centre-back comes out on top.
Substitution Admir Mehmedi Javier Hernández Balcázar
65'
Pulisic muscles his way down the right wing before being closed down by Jedvaj, resulting in a corner for Dortmund. It's whipped in by Dembele and towards Piszczek, but the full-back is easily beaten to the ball at the near post.
63'
K. Volland gets yellow.
Another heavy challenge flies in, this time from Volland. The goalscorer catches Bartra on the ankle and sends the Spaniard crashing to the ground, leaving the referee with no choice but to reach for his pocket.
62'
Nice build-up play by Leverkusen over on the right wing sets up Lars Bender to fire a low cross into the penalty area and towards the near post, but Burki is there to jump on the ball before it can find a red shirt in front of goal.
61'
Big call by the referee! Bellarabi flies into the back of Dembele and brings the Frenchman crashing to the ground with a clumsy challenge. All of the Dortmund players immediately scream for a second yellow card for the midfielder, but the referee doesn't agree and instead gives him a warning. Thomas Tuchel looks absolutely furious!
59'
Inches away by Dembele! A Leverkusen attack breaks down, and Dortmund quickly hit the visitors on an excellent counter. Pulisic flies through the middle of the pitch and then sets up Dembele to round Jedvaj with ease, but he's unable to guide his side-footed strike into the top right-hand corner of the net and sends it just wide of the far post.
57'
Vital interception by Guerreiro! Henrichs flies down the right flank on a wonderful run before trying to thread a through-ball into the path of Bellarabi, but Guerreiro sticks out a foot at the vital moment to stop it from finding the substitute midfielder.
56'
Dortmund look nervous as Leverkusen hit them on another impressive attacking move, but Wendell is unable to pick out Havertz just inside the box before a follow-up pass finds Bellarabi in an offside position over on the right-hand side of the penalty area.
54'
Once again, Aubameyang causes problems as he charges into the left-hand side of the Leverkusen penalty area. He then does well to tee up Pulisic in a pocket of space, but the American's attempted low cross is just about cleared by the visitors' defence.
52'
Gonzalo Castro clumsily loses the ball in the middle of the pitch and gifts Leverkusen with a chance to counter quickly, but Kampl's quick lofted pass is unable to pick out Bellarabi on the edge of the penalty area and is instead nodded back to Burki by Weigl.
50'
Aubameyang is left in a pocket of space midway inside the Leverkusen half of the pitch and is able to break towards the box before trying to tee up Dembele, but Henrichs sticks out a foot to stop the ball from finding the Frenchman in a dangerous position in front of goal.
48'
K. Volland has scored a goal for Bayer Leverkusen! Assist by Wendell.
Wendell did really well to pick out Volland with his smart pass down the left wing, but it should have been dealt with by Sokratis and the Greek defender will be really frustrated that he wasn't able to do so.
GOAL! Leverkusen have pulled one back! Wendell breaks into the Dortmund half of the pitch before threading a lovely pass through to Volland. The forward is put under pressure by Sokratis but does wonderfully well to push him to one side as he muscles his way into the box, and he then fires a great strike past Leno and into the back of the net.
47'
A lofted pass forward from Jedvaj is nodded up to the Dortmund penalty area and into the path of Volland, but he's unable to find a way past Sokratis and the defender does well to knock the ball back to Burki.
46'
We're underway once again!
45' +3
K. Bellarabi gets yellow.
Bellarabi flies into Sokratis with a crunching high challenge, resulting in an angry reaction from the Dortmund players and a yellow card for the Leverkusen midfielder.
45' +2
Mehmedi does well to bring down a lofted pass forward before cutting inside from the left wing and lifting a chipped cross over to Volland in front of goal. The forward is unable to control the ball, however, and it ends up bouncing out for a goal-kick.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.
44'
C. Pulišić enters the game and replaces M. Reus.
Reus gingerly makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Christian Pulisic.
43'
There are a few nervous looks over on the Dortmund bench at the moment, as Reus doesn't seem to be moving too well after tangling with Jedvaj and Leno. His game may already be over.
42'
Great chance for Reus! The forward flies through the disjointed Leverkusen back line and charges into the penalty area, but he's put off by Jedvaj at the vital moment and loses his balance, resulting in him poked shot being easily smothered by Leno. The ball then rolls out to Dembele, but he too loses his footing and falls over before he can unleash a strike.
40'
Leverkusen patiently hold on to the ball deep inside the Dortmund half of the pitch as they desperately try to find a way through the sea of yellow and black shirts camped in front of them, but they're unable to do so and Henrichs eventually fires a misplaced pass out of play for a throw-in.
38'
K. Bellarabi enters the game and replaces C. Aránguiz.
Roger Schmidt clearly isn't happy with what he's seen so far, and he's decided to bring on Karim Bellarabi to replace Aranguiz with seven minutes of the first half still to play.
37'
K. Havertz gets yellow.
Leverkusen pile bodies towards the right-hand side of the Dortmund penalty area, but Guerreiro gets in the way of Volland and denies him a way towards goal. The hosts then quickly break forward on a swift counter-attack through Reus, but Havertz is there to stop the forward's run with a hefty challenge that results in a yellow card.
36'
Mehmedi is fouled over on the left wing and wins a free-kick for Leverkusen, which is curled into the heart of the penalty area by Havertz. It's just about dealt with by the hosts before another cross is whipped into the box, but Mehmedi ends up fouling Erik Durm as they battle for the ball in the air.
35'
Aranguiz picks up the ball in the middle of the pitch and quickly tees up Volland, who is in a good position on the edge of the penalty area. He spins immediately and then tries to find Havertz to his left, but his pass is poor and rolls harmlessly out of play for a goal-kick.
33'
Raphael Guerreiro steps up and curls a dangerous cross into a good position inside the penalty area, but Leverkusen have plenty of bodies back and are easily able to deal with the danger.
32'
Dembele keep dominating possession as they try to kill off the game with little over half an hour on the clock. Reus juggles the ball as he charges through the middle of the pitch and towards the Leverkusen box, and Dembele then takes over before firing a long-range strike off a red shirt and out for a corner.
30'
What a miss by Aubameyang! Another Leverkusen attack breaks down, allowing Leverkusen to hit them quickly. Piszczek fires a great pass down the right channel and into the path of Dembele, who then sets up Aubameyang, but, somehow, the Gabon striker completely misses the ball and is unable to tap an easy strike into the back of the net from close range. How did he miss that?
28'
Leverkusen immediately break forward from the restart and win themselves a corner. It's curled into the middle of the box and bounces around dangerously before finding Kampl, but the Slovenian's quick shot from the edge of the penalty area is deflected away from goal before it can test Burki.
26'
P. Aubameyang has scored a goal for Borussia Dortmund!
GOAL! Aubameyang doubles Dortmund's lead! The first corner is sent short and quickly results in a second, and this time the ball is whipped into the heart of the penalty area. Bartra rises high and nods the ball over to Aubameyang via the shoulder of Jedvaj, and the Gabon striker is easily able to beat Leno from six yards out.
25'
Dembele almost makes it 2-0! The Frenchman easily beats Toprak as he weaves his way into the right-hand side of the Leverkusen box and towards the near post, but he's unable to poke a low shot under the body of Leno and has to settle for a corner.
24'
Volland and Henrichs link up well deep down the right flank before the latter tries to cut the ball back to Kampl on the edge of the Dortmund penalty area, but Weigl is there to cut out the danger before blasting the ball up towards the halfway line.
22'
Aranguiz and Weigl both make a full recovery and the game gets underway once again. Reus breaks down the left flank as he tries to carve out a chance on goal for the home side, but he's unable to get the better of Benjamin Henrichs and loses out to the young full-back.
21'
There's a brief break in play as Aranguiz and Weigl receive medical treatment in the middle of the pitch. The two clashed nastily in the air as they battled for the ball, leaving the duo in a heap on the ground and in serious discomfort.
19'
Mehmedi gets himself into a good position deep down the right wing before trying to slip a low cross past Bartra, but he's unable to and has to settle for a corner. Kampl steps up and curls a cross towards the near post, but it fails to find a red shirt and is easily headed away by Dembele.
17'
Reus' cross from the resulting free-kick is a dangerous one and almost finds Bartra unmarked in front of goal, but just as it looks as if the Spaniard is going to reach the ball, Tin Jedvaj blasts it away from him with an important clearance.
16'
C. Aránguiz gets yellow.
Aranguiz charges into Weigl as he tries to beat the Dortmund midfielder to a loose ball in the middle of the pitch. The Chilean's attempted tackle is a late one and catches the number 33, resulting in him receiving the first yellow card of the afternoon.
15'
Volland shows good determination in and around the Dortmund penalty area once again, and this time he's able to win his side a corner after his thumping shot is deflected off the outstretched foot of Julian Weigl. The set-piece is whipped towards the near post and finds Volland once again, but he's unable to guide his flicked shot on target.
13'
Leverkusen string together a good series of passes as they continue to put pressure on the Dortmund back line, but Volland is unable to guide his 20-yard strike through a sea of yellow and black shirts before Admir Mehmedi is out-muscled before he can reach the loose ball.
12'
Kevin Kampl skips past two Dortmund players as he cuts inside from the left flank. He then chips an impressive pass up towards the edge of the penalty area and into the chest of Aranguiz, but the Chilean is unable to tee up Volland as the latter has the ball stolen away from him at the vital moment.
10'
Aubameyang goes close! Once again, the Leverkusen back line are torn apart by the hosts. This time it's Sokratis Papastathopoulos who fires a long pass down the right channel and into the path of Marco Reus, who then breaks into the penalty area. He looks up and quickly picks out Aubameyang with a volleyed cross over to the far post, but the striker's first-time shot is well saved by Leno.
8'
Kai Havertz charges towards the Dortmund penalty area over on the left wing as he tries to muscle his way past Piszczek, but the full-back does well to stay close to the teenager and is eventually dragged back, resulting in a free-kick for the home side.
6'
O. Dembélé has scored a goal for Borussia Dortmund!
GOAL! Dortmund have taken the lead! Piszczek breaks down the right wing before firing a bouncing cross towards the middle of the Leverkusen box. It should be easily dealt with by Charles Aranguiz but is chested into the path of Ousmane Dembele by the midfielder, and the young Frenchman then beats Leno with a thumping low shot to put the home side in front.
4'
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang bursts into the left-hand side of the Leverkusen penalty area and takes on Omer Toprak before winning his side the first corner of the game. It's sent short before being whipped into the middle of the box, but Marc Bartra is unable to guide his headed effort towards goal and sends it looping over to Bernd Leno.
2'
Lukasz Piszczek is caught in possession over on the right flank and allows Kevin Volland to pick up the ball and burst forward, but the winger is unable to take advantage of the defender's mistake and pokes a pass straight into the hands of Roman Burki.
1'
We're off! Leverkusen get us underway, attacking from right to left.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Bundesliga game between Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen at Signal Iduna Park.
Dortmund haven’t won three consecutive Bundesliga games since the end of September, but they have a good chance of doing so today as they take on an out-of-form Leverkusen side. The Black and Yellow’s season has lacked consistency, leaving them trailing league leaders Bayern Munich by 13 points, but they have looked far more dangerous in recent weeks, resulting in them picking up four wins from their last six clashes.
Wolfsburg and Freiburg were both comfortably beaten 3-0 in Dortmund’s previous two outings, and they’ll be looking to do the same today as they try to close the gap between themselves and RB Leipzig to six points. The second-place side were held to a 2-2 draw by Augsburg last night, handing Dortmund an opportunity to continue their push towards the top two.
As for Leverkusen, their poor recent form has left many questioning how long Roger Schmidt has left at the club. Just three wins from their last eight Bundesliga games has seen them slip down the table and into eighth place, 10 points behind Dortmund and in danger of dropping into the bottom half if they don’t quickly improve their disappointing form.
Mainz were the most recent side to get the better of Leverkusen in last weekend’s 2-0 victory, whilst last season’s third-place finishers also look to be out of the Champions League after losing 4-2 at home to Atletico Madrid in their last-16 first-leg tie. With rumours circulating that Schmidt may soon be given the boot, he will be desperate for a strong showing from his men today.
Leverkusen were victorious in October’s meeting at the BayArena, but Dortmund’s impressive showing in 2017 means that they start the afternoon the favourites to leave with all three points. Only Bayern, with one more, have picked up a greater number of points than Dortmund since the start of the year, whilst Leverkusen have already lost as many league games this campaign as they did in the entirety of last season.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this afternoon…
Thomas Tuchel has decided to name an unchanged Dortmund side to the one that started the victory against Freiburg, whilst Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt has made three changes to the team that featured in their last outing, with Wendell, Charles Aranguiz and Admir Mehmedi coming into the starting line-up to replace Aleksandar Dragovic, Karim Bellarabi and Javier Hernandez, respectively.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2-0 BAYER LEVERKUSEN
Bar the injury to Reus, it was a near-perfect opening 45 minutes for Dortmund, who comfortably looked the better of the two teams and deservedly head into the half-time break with a two-goal lead. Leverkusen have looked leaky at the back and have struggled to deal with the pace and trickery of Aubameyang and, in particular, Dembele, both of whom have impressed with the ball at their feet in and around the visitors' penalty area.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: BORUSSIA DORTMUND 6-2 BAYER LEVERKUSEN
What a win that was for Dortmund! The home side were brilliant from start to finish, but by the end of the game they were tearing Leverkusen apart every time they pushed forward. After starting the second half brightly the visitors seemed to fall apart as soon as they went 4-2 down, and from then onwards they never looked like getting back into the game.
Commentary
More…