Mainz on top

Mainz reclaimed the top spot of the Bundesliga table Sunday, pushing Borussia Dortmund by two points down to number two, after they beat Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 with a goal from Austrian Andreas Ivanschitz.

Mainz, which now has 24 points, secured its victory when Ivanschitz scored the game's only goal on the 70th minute.

Dortmund draws, drops to second

Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, managed to pull off a last-gasp, 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim Sunday in Dortmund, but it was not enough to save them their top spot on the table.

The team scored their only point when Antonio Da Silva grabbed a goal in stoppage time after the team failed to convert a penalty earlier in the game.

Borussia, gunning for their eighth win in a row, looked to be heading for their first loss since August when Demba Ba fired the visitors ahead in the first half. Hoffenheim goalkeeper Tom Starke also saved Nuri Sahin's penalty six minutes later.

Finally, Da Silva delivered a curling free kick bringing the game to level three minutes into added time. Da Silva's score sent Hoffenheim midfielder Vedad Salihovic into a rage, and he was kicked off the pitch after the final whistle for protesting.

"The way we played in the second half was unbelievable. I am super proud," said Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp.

In Sunday's other Bundesliga match, Stuttgart shut out St. Pauli 2-0 to creep up from last place.

Cologne fires coach

Also Sunday, Cologne's soccer team fired Croatian coach Zvonimir Soldo after they lost 2-1 at Hanover 96 on Saturday, leaving them at the very bottom of the Bundesliga.

"Cologne and Zvonimir Soldo ended their collaboration on Sunday," the club said in a brief statement as they appointed under-23 boss Frank Schaefer as caretaker coach.

After just over a year at Cologne, Soldo became the second Bundesliga coach to lose his job since the season began, following the departure of Christian Gross from VfB Stuttgart earlier this month.

Author: David Levitz (AFP, dpa, Reuters)

Editor: Martin Kuebler