Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s second-half goal sealed Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 win over Hanover 96 on Saturday to trim Bayern Munich’s lead at the top of the Bundesliga to five points.
Dortmund were without injured star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who missed his first league match of the season after netting 20 goals in as many Bundesliga games.
In his absence, Mkhitaryan displayed superb individual skill to score the winner at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park.
With Marcel Schmelzer screaming up in support on his left, Mkhitaryan cut back inside and curled his right-footed shot around Hanover’s Germany goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler on 57 minutes.
“That really looked like hard work out there today,” said Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel.
“We started well but didn’t create the high-carat chances, then it became tough and tenacious.
“In terms of performance, there is much room for improvement, but of course we’re happy to take the three points.”
“It was a nice goal. I got the ball from Marco Reus and actually wanted to play a one-two with him, but then I saw a defender was behind him so I ran past him. I was aiming for the far post with my shot, and luckily that’s where it went,” Henrikh Mkhitaryan said after the match.
