Borussia Dortmund overcame the absence of top-scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to defeat Augsburg 3-1 away on Sunday to keep pace with Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.
Aubameyang was excused from duty due to the death of his grandfather last week and Colombian striker Adrian Ramos deputized with a goal and an assist as Dortmund came from behind for their 20th win of the campaign.
The home side had the first chance when Caiuby called Roman Buerki into action, but Dortmund paid no heed to the warning as Caiuby crossed for Alfred Finnbogason to open the scoring in the 16th minute.
Photo: EPA
“We know what we can do. That’s why we stayed calm,” Buerki said.
Dortmund failed to threaten until five minutes before the interval, when a Marco Reus effort was deflected wide after a brilliant ball forward by Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Mkhitaryan equalized before the break, playing the ball through a defender’s legs and then to Reus. Reus passed to Nuri Sahin, who laid it back for Mkhitaryan to scoop inside the right post.
Dortmund were more proactive after the break and should have gone ahead before the hour mark when Ramos missed after a good cross from Mkhitaryan, but Ramos then a controlled Mats Hummels pass with his chest and laid the ball back for halftime substitute Gonzalo Castro to score in the 69th minute. Castro had come on for the ineffective Reus.
Ramos sealed the win six minutes later, converting the rebound after Alexander Manninger produced a strong save to stop his initial header.
With seven matches remaining, Dortmund stayed five points behind Bayern, who are seeking an unprecedented fourth successive title.
Only goal-difference kept Augsburg out of the relegation zone above TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt. All three sides have 27 points.
Earlier on Sunday, Julian Brandt led Bayer 04 Leverkusen to a 2-0 win at VfB Stuttgart, lifting them to sixth, two points off the final UEFA Champions League qualifying place.
Brandt opened the scoring in the 11th minute after Stefan Kiessling and Karim Bellarabi combined to carve apart the Stuttgart defense and the 19-year-old led a counterattack, returning the favor for Bellarabi to seal the win four minutes after the break.
Brandt almost made it 3-0 in the 57th minute when he hit the post.
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