Dortmund Secure Late Victory with Can's Penalty Against St Pauli

A dramatic penalty from Emre Can in the fifth minute of added time rescued Borussia Dortmund with a 3-2 victory at home over struggling St Pauli in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

The hosts seemed comfortable after strikes from Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi around the interval, yet St Pauli responded swiftly with efforts from James Sands and Ricky-Jade Jones within a 10-minute spell.

As the game wound down, VAR spotted an infringement on German striker Maximilian Beier, leading to Dortmund skipper Can stepping up from the penalty spot.

This result allowed Dortmund to narrow the deficit to Bayern Munich to eight points, although the frontrunners could extend their lead back to 11 by defeating RB Leipzig later that day.

With German chancellor and avid Dortmund supporter Friedrich Merz observing from the premium seats, the team endured a lacklustre opening period before Brandt slotted home from near range shortly before the whistle.

Adeyemi was involved in the initial goal and extended the advantage to two in the 54th minute by finishing a pass from Fabio Silva.

Languishing at the foot of the standings, St Pauli had managed only one triumph since September, but they mounted a comeback midway through the second half courtesy of goals from Sands and Jones, shocking the home side.

Right at the end of stoppage time, Jones tripped Beier just outside the box, enabling Can to dispatch the kick with composure.

In other action, Hoffenheim's Wouter Burger netted the lone goal via a superb free-kick after nine minutes, securing a 1-0 win against struggling Bayer Leverkusen and propelling them to third place.

Having battled relegation last term, Hoffenheim are poised to reach Europe's elite tournament for only the second occasion in their past, following their achievement under current Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann in the 2017/18 campaign.

Leverkusen have now dropped points in four of their last six outings, slipping three points adrift of the Champions League qualification positions.

Cologne edged Mainz 2-1 on home soil, Wolfsburg shared a 1-1 stalemate with Heidenheim, and Hamburg drew goalless with Borussia Moenchengladbach in front of their fans.