Bundesliga
Jude Bellingham says his goal is to lift the title, after Borussia Dortmund extended their perfect start to 2023 to eight Bundesliga matches with a 2-1 win over top-four rivals RB Leipzig.
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 RB Leipzig
Goals: 1-0 Reus (pen. 21'), 2-0 Can (39'), 2-1 Forsberg (assist: Raum) 74'
Dortmund went into the game as Europe's form team, but had to survive a number of first-half scares at the Signal Iduna Park. Nico Schlotterbeck prevented Christopher Nkunku going through on goal, before Dominik Szoboszlai tested the reflexes of Alexander Meyer - parachuted in after Gregor Kobel sustained an injury in the warm-up - with a stinging shot from distance. Shortly after Nkunku sent another effort wide, Julian Brandt had a thunderous finish ruled out for handball and a goal-bound shot blocked by Josko Gvardiol. Reus won and converted a penalty after being upended by Janis Blaswich, but Leipzig continued to give as good as they got as Marcel Halstenberg volleyed over from close range. Emre Can made no such mistake with a deflected 20-yard strike that put BVB firmly in control at the break.
The high-octane action continued apace after the restart as Andre Silva sent an inventive outside-of-the-boot attempt narrowly wide of Meyer's far post. Dortmund responded in kind, with Salih Özcan toe-poking Brandt's free-kick off target from six yards. After an inevitable lull, the game sprung back into life as Blaswich made a fabulous flying save to prevent Reus finding the roof of the net from 18 yards. Meyer followed suit to thwart Silva in a one-on-one, before Szoboszlai lashed wide. Leipzig's patience was rewarded when Emil Forsberg turned in substitute David Raum's back-post cross, but Dortmund held on, with Schlotterbeck and Meyer pulling off some last-gasp heroics to deny Timo Werner and Forsberg. The result ensures the Black-Yellows stay level on points with Bayern Munich, who won at VfB Stuttgart on Saturday, and seven clear of Leipzig. It also prompted Bellingham to produce his two favourite German words: 'Deutscher Meister' (champions of Germany) and 'BVB', saying the goal now is to combine those by leading Borussia to the title this year.
Watch: Bellingham on Dortmund's title ambitions
Dortmund: Meyer - Wolf, Süle, Schlotterbeck, Ryerson - Can - Brandt (Hummels 83'), Bellingham, Özcan (Dahoud 83'), Reus (c) (Bynoe-Gittens 72') - Haller (Modeste 72')
Unused subs: Reyna, Guerreiro, Meunier, Passlack
Out: Adeyemi (thigh), Duranville (thigh), Kamara (knee), Kobel (muscular), Malen (ankle), Morey (match fitness), Moukoko (ankle)
Coach: Edin Terzic
Leipzig: Blaswich - Henrichs, Orban (c) (Simakan 71'), Gvardiol, Halstenberg (Raum 61') - Schlager, Haidara (Kampl 84') - Szoboszlai, Nkunku (Werner 83'), Forsberg - Silva (Poulsen 72')
Unused subs: Nyland, Klostermann, Clark
Out: Diallo (knee), Gulacsi (knee), Laimer (suspended), Olmo (thigh)
Coach: Marco Rose