Brandt’s goal moves Dortmund to top after 1-0 win over Werder

DORTMUND: Julian Brandt’s second-half goal earned Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 home win over a disciplined Werder Bremen on Friday that sent them provisionally top of the Bundesliga.

Brandt dashed into the penalty area and gathered a precise pass from Emre Can, before gracefully chipping the ball over Werder’s goalkeeper Michael Zetterer to score in the 67th minute. Dortmund has 20 points after eight matches, one point ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, who face VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday. Werder is 14th with six points.

The hosts were on top for most of the match but were frustrated by a resolute Werder defence, with Zetterer making several crucial saves.

Dortmund’s Donyell Malen had a shot saved by Zetterer in the opening minutes, which set the tone for the match.

Around the half-hour mark, Marco Reus went close to giving the hosts a well-deserved lead, but his attempt from an acute angle narrowly missed.

After Dortmund went ahead, the match opened up but there was no clear-cut chances, allowing the home side to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

“I have to say, it went pretty well today,” the 27-year-old Brandt, who celebrated his 300th Bundesliga match, told local media outlets. Dortmund visits Newcastle United in a vital Champions League group stage match on Wednesday.

De Bruyne picks up a Hamstring injury

Manchester City’s players returned fit from the international break and now face one of their “toughest tests” in the Premier League this season with the visit of Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend, manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.

The treble winners had 17 players away with their countries but Guardiola said on Friday that “everyone is fit except Kevin” De Bruyne, who is recovering from a hamstring surgery. City will look to right the ship after back-to-back league losses before the break left third in the standings. A defeat on Saturday would be only the second time Guardiola will have lost three games in a row in his managerial career.

The Spaniard had high praise for Brighton’s Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi, who is tipped by many as Guardiola’s eventual replacement at City. De Zerbi’s side are two points shy of City in sixth and can leapfrog them with a victory.

“I admire (De Zerbi) for the fact that it doesn’t matter for the team he plays,” Guardiola said. “He’s proving you don’t need to be at top clubs where you can get the team to play the way you want.

“He is converting Brighton into a top club. I enjoy watching Roberto De Zerbi’s teams play. Brighton will be one of the toughest test we will have this season.” Guardiola’s only three consecutive league losses were in 2015 with Bayern Munich.

The Spaniard also told reporters City’s striker Erling Haaland should win the 2023 Ballon d’Or. The Norwegian, one of 30 candidates for the award, scored 52 goals in 53 games to help City capture the treble last season.