Buendia's Last-Minute Heroics Keep Leverkusen's Bundesliga Hopes Alive

Emiliano Buendia scores a stoppage-time goal to secure Bayer Leverkusen a 1-0 victory over Heidenheim, keeping their Bundesliga title hopes alive. Leverkusen trails Bayern Munich by six points with six games left. In other matches, Dortmund and Leipzig both secure vital victories in the Bundesliga race.

Emiliano Buendia catapulted Bayer Leverkusen to a dramatic 1-0 victory over Heidenheim with a stoppage-time goal on Saturday, revitalizing their ambitions to defend their Bundesliga title.

Leverkusen's win, coming after a shock German Cup semifinal defeat to Arminia Bielefeld, saw few chances until substitute Buendia's decisive shot bent in off the post. This crucial victory maintains Leverkusen's six-point deficit behind leaders Bayern Munich, who overcame Augsburg 3-1 on Friday. Just six matches remain to close the gap.

Elsewhere, Carney Chukwuemeka scored his first goal for Borussia Dortmund in a 4-1 triumph against Freiburg. Meanwhile, Zsolt Low achieved his inaugural win as Leipzig's coach in a 3-1 finish over Hoffenheim. Stuttgart dominated Bochum 4-0 with Ermedin Demirovic achieving a hat trick, while Mainz was held to a 1-1 draw against Holstein Kiel.

(With inputs from agencies.)