BERLIN, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Karim Adeyemi's first-half strike gave Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 home win over VfL Wolfsburg, lifting them to second in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
Days after their 4-4 Champions League draw with Juventus, Dortmund coach Niko Kovac made one change, with defender Nico Schlotterbeck returning from a long knee injury layoff in place of Yan Couto. Wolfsburg boss Paul Simonis kept the same starting 11 that drew 3-3 with Cologne.
Dortmund began brightly, pressing high and creating early chances. Adeyemi went close in the second minute before delivering the winner in the 20th, rifling a left-foot shot from 24 meters into the top corner after Julian Ryerson won possession. The strike, clocked at 125.82 km/h, was the fastest goal of the Bundesliga season so far.
The hosts dominated the first half, with Maximilian Beier twice missing chances to extend the lead. Wolfsburg struggled to threaten, as Schlotterbeck marshaled the defense well, limiting Amine Amoura and Jonas Wind to half-chances.
Wolfsburg improved after the break and nearly leveled in the 58th minute when Konstantinos Koulierakis volleyed against the underside of the bar, but goal-line technology ruled the ball had not crossed the line.
Dortmund pushed for a second late on through Felix Nmecha and Julian Brandt, but Adeyemi's strike proved decisive. The result extended Dortmund's unbeaten league run to three games and moved them past Leverkusen into second, while Wolfsburg remain mid-table ahead of next weekend's clash with Leipzig.
"Overall, I am quite happy with the performance. In the second half we were more aggressive and competitive. Losing is never good, but I can live with it because I see the team developing," said Wolfsburg coach Simonis.
"I am pleased we won and kept a clean sheet. We allowed nothing and fully deserved the victory, even if we would have liked to score more," said Dortmund coach Kovac.
Elsewhere, Union Berlin edged Eintracht Frankfurt 4-3 with Oliver Burke scoring a hat-trick, while Borussia Monchengladbach drew 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen. ■
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