Alex Grillmando's second-half goal helped Bayer Leverkusen beat Mainz 1-0 in the German Bundesliga on Tuesday and close the gap on top-placed Bayern Munich to a point.

Bayern has 39 points from 16 games, while Leverkusen has 38 points after playing one more game. Xavi Alonso's defending champions completely controlled the match against Mainz but could not score any more goals.

This is Leverkusen's tenth consecutive win in all competitions. In another match on Tuesday, Borussia Dortmund lost 4-2 at the hands of Holstein Kiel. This defeat has created a lot of pressure on coach Nuri Sahin.

Similarly, Eintracht Frankfurt easily defeated Freiburg 4-1 at home.