They tighten grip on second spot in Bundesliga

Dortmund outclass Bremen
LONDON
Serhou Guirassy scored his first league goal since October as Borussia Dortmund beat Werder Bremen 3-0 at home on Tuesday and restore their four-point buffer in second spot.
Nico Schlotterbeck and Marcel Sabitzer scored while Guirassy responded to being benched for the first time this season by tapping in late after Jobe Bellingham pressed Bremen into a mistake.
Stuttgart’s 3-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt earlier in the evening moved the German Cup holders within a point but 2024 Champions League finalists Dortmund responded with a controlled but unspectacular performance.
Schlotterbeck said Dortmund were “not perfect, but on the right path. We’ve still got a few steps to take, but we’ll do that in the next few weeks.”
Dortmund moved eight points behind leaders Bayern Munich, who play away at Cologne on Wednesday.
Schlotterbeck, Dortmund’s captain and standout player this season, put his side in front with a regulation header from a corner 11 minutes in.
The hosts were sloppy with the ball and disorganised without it in the opening half, leaving the field to isolated boos and whistles from the fans, even if Bremen lacked the quality to punish them.
Making his 250th Bundesliga appearance, Sabitzer put nervy Dortmund two ahead with a 76th-minute goal, guiding the ball into the bottom left corner.
“Obviously it wasn’t our best game — everyone has the right to react how they like,” Sabitzer told Sky. “There’s no point beating around the bush — obviously it’s not what we’re aiming for.”
Benched in favour of former Wolves striker Fabio Silva, Guirassy came on midway through the second half and was in the right place to score when Bellingham won the ball with seven minutes left.