Dortmund failed to take advantage of Bayern Munich’s slip-up earlier in the day and slumped to their second Bundesliga defeat of the season, going down 2-0 at Bayer Leverkusen.
Admir Mehmedi headed the home side in front early from a poorly defended corner and while Dortmund showed greater urgency after the break, fighting for the win that would have taken them to within a point of Bayern at the top of the table, it wasn’t until the 73rd minute that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang really tested Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
The Mexican striker Javier Hernández scored his fifth goal in a week when he slotted in a Hakan Calhanoglou pass in the 79th minute to dash any hopes of a Dortmund comeback and lift his team to seventh place.
Dortmund have dropped to third in the Bundesliga after Hertha Berlin’s 2-0 win against Hamburg.
