Lots going on at the bottom of the Bundesliga table: FC St. Pauli and FSV Mainz 05 celebrate important victories, while Werder coach Daniel Thioune’s debut fails.

Borussia Dortmund has added new excitement to the Bundesliga title race. Coach Niko Kovac’s team secured a lucky 2-1 (1-0) win at relegation-threatened VfL Wolfsburg.

This reduced BVB’s deficit to leaders FC Bayern Munich to three points. The German record champions host third-placed TSG 1899 Hoffenheim this Sunday (5:30 p.m./DAZN) and can increase their lead over Dortmund to six points again at the end of the 21st matchday.

VfB Stuttgart, who had been playing well recently, dropped important points in the battle for Champions League places. The cup winners lost 2-1 (0-1) to FC St. Pauli. Meanwhile, Daniel Thioune’s Bundesliga debut as coach of SV Werder Bremen went awry. Despite having a man advantage for most of the game, the Hanseatic team lost 0-1 (0-1) to SC Freiburg and have now gone eleven games without a win. In the battle to stay in the league, 1. FC Heidenheim suffered another setback. In the basement battle, the bottom-of-the-table team lost their home game against Hamburger SV 0-2 (0-1). Thanks to Nadiem Amiri’s sixth and seventh penalties of the season (8th and 80th minutes), FSV Mainz 05 beat FC Augsburg 2-0 (1-0).

On Thioune’s debut: Beste spoils the party

In Thioune’s Bundesliga debut, Freiburg’s Niklas Beste (13th minute) spoiled the party with a beautiful curling shot to make it 1-0. Werder played with a man advantage for a long time after Johan Manzambi was sent off with a red card in the 52nd minute for a nasty foul.

Meanwhile, the situation is becoming increasingly precarious for 1. FC Heidenheim. After HSV goals from Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer (45+3) and Rayan Philippe (78), the bottom-of-the-table team is already six points behind 16th place, which is the relegation spot.

They are also four points behind 17th-placed FC St. Pauli, as Hamburg won against Stuttgart thanks to goals from Manolis Saliakas (35th minute) and Danel Sinani (55th minute) from the penalty spot. Jamie Lewelling’s goal (90th minute) came too late for VfB.