Borussia Dortmund earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in a game which saw the referee suspend proceedings following Roger Schmidt’s refusal to accept his sending off.
Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang’s 31st goal of the season settled a feisty clash at the BayArena as Dortmund moved back to within eight points of Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.
But the main talking point was referee Felix Zwayer’s decision to suspend play midway through the second half, shortly after Aubameyang’s goal, in response to Leverkusen coach Schmidt’s refusal to leave the dugout.
Schmidt was ordered to the stands for dissent in the wake of what proved to be Dortmund’s winner in the 64th minute and when he showed no inclination to leave the technical area, the referee took the decision to take the teams off.
Play eventually resumed after 10 minutes, but despite applying some concerted late pressure, the home side were unable to find an equaliser.
With both sides perhaps jaded by their midweek Europa League exertions, the game was a largely turgid affair that was ultimately decided by a typical Dortmund breakaway as Marco Reus squared for Aubameyang to seal the points.
~Goal