LEVERKUSEN: Bayer Leverkusen battled past Mainz 05 with a 1-0 home victory 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.

Last year`s domestic double winners are second on 38 points, onebehind Bayern.

Eintracht Frankfurt are a further five points behind in third place following their 4-1 home victory over Freiburg.

Mainz suffered an early setback at Leverkusen when Germany forward Jonathan Burkardt had to be taken off injured in the third minute after making his comeback last weekend.

Leverkusen, who visit Atletico Madrid in the Champions League next week, gradually gained more possession and carved out several chances through Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong but Mainz held on in a goalless first half.

That, however, did not last long after the restart with Grimaldo curling his free kick over the wall and past the reach of Mainz keeperRobin Zentner in the 48th minute.

Zentner pulled off two great saves from Frimpong and Nathan Tella late in the game to keep the visitors in the game.

Mainz then tried to put some late pressure on but had coach Bo Henriksen sent off after two bookings in stoppage time.

`We are very satisfied as we were ready for a tough game against an opponent who has a lot of intensity and is in a good moment, Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso told a press conference.

Mainz, who are fifth with 28 points, had won six of their previous seven league games going into the game.

Earlier on Tuesday, Borussia Dortmund`s struggles in the league continued with a 4-2 loss at Holstein Kiel earlier on Tuesday, raising the heat on under-fire coach Nuri Sahin.

With want-away forward Donyell Malen joining Aston Villa just an hour before kick-off, Sahin handed teenage forward Julien Duranville a starting XI debut.

Dortmund were heavily favoured against their promoted opponents, who sit second-last in the table, but were overrun as Kiel scored three goals in 22 first-half minutes.

Shuto Machino, Phil Harres and AlexanderBernhardsson found the net to have Kiel up by three at half-time.

Dortmund`s Gio Reyna and Jamie Gittens scored in the second half but the visitors could not pull off an unlikely comeback, with JannFiete Arp scoring Kiel`s fourth in stoppage time.

Captain Emre Can said Dortmund`s woes were `nothing to do with the coach we as players are responsible`.

`With all due respect to Kiel, we can`t play like that. It`s a matter of honour,` the 31-yearold added.

Kiel have now won two of their last three to boost their chances of avoiding a direct relegation.

With half the season played, Dortmund sit ninth, 14 points behind Bayern.Elsewhere, VfL Wolfsburg thumped Borussia Moenchengladbach 5-1 at home, with Lukas Nmecha scoring two goals in four second-half minutes.

The Wolves, cruising under former Southampton and RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhuettl, have now won six of their last eight to sit in sixth.-Agencies