Mainz hit the yellow wall, Dortmund don't give up on Europe

In one of the Bundesliga derbies of the 27th round and a duel between a team fighting for the Champions League and a crew from the middle of the table, Borussia Dortmund brushed Mainz aside - 3-1.

Only, in this case, the BVB are the tenth-placed side of the German top tier, while Bo Henriksen's men are currently fourth. Although they could've completely ruined Dortmund's European hopes for the next season, Mainz seriously let down their fans today, as they didn't even stand a chance.

Rangnick-to-Borussia story heats up again

Mainz kept pace with the home team until the final minutes of the first half and then suddenly found themselves in the middle of the "yellow hurricane," which put the ball in their net twice between the 39th and 42nd minute. Maximilian Beier broke the deadlock, while the skipper Emre Can netted after a corner, giving Dortmund a fantastic 2-0 lead at the break.

In the second half, the visitors played better but still conceded another 18 minutes before the end, and once again, following a corner kick, when Beier completed a brace and headed the ball in for 3-0. Paul Nebel managed only to soften the blow four minutes later, setting the final score.

Despite the defeat, Mainz are still fourth, though Borussia Monchengladbach, RB Leipzig, and Freiburg are breathing down their necks. If they want to make a historic success and qualify for the UCL for the first time, they'll have to perform better than they did today at Signal Iduna Park.

Dortmund closed the gap behind the "European spots" to only four points, but consistency will be the key for them in the final seven rounds. If they keep up their good form, they can hope for the best.

BUNDESLIGA - MATCHDAY 27

Friday

Leverkusen - Bochum 3-1 (1-1)

/Garcia 20, Boniface 60, Adli 87 - Paslack 26/

Saturday

Bayern - St. Pauli 3-2 (1-1)

/Kane 17, Sane 53, 71 - Saad 27, Ritzka 90+3/

Hoffenheim - Augsburg 1-1 (0-0)

/Kramaric 71 - Essende 46/

Holestein Kiel - Werder 0-3 (0-1)

/Ducksch 25, Agu 59, Grull 90+3/

M' gladbach - Leipzig 1-0 (0-0)

/Plea 56/

Wolfsburg - Heidenheim 0-1 (0-1)

/Pieringer 16 pen/

Eintr. Frankfurt - Stuttgart 1-0 (0-0)

/Gotze 70/

Sunday

Freiburg - Union Berlin 1-2 (1-1)

/Holer 29 - Khedira 30, Ilic 48/

Dortmund - Mainz 3-1 (2-0)

/Beier 39, 72, Can 42 - Nebel 76/