Emre Can's late penalty gives Dortmund win before Bayern plays Leipzig in Bundesliga

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Dortmund's Emre Can celebrates after he scored his side's decisive third goal from the penalty spot during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and St. Pauli in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Leverkusen's goalkeeper Mark Flekken, centre, misses the opening goal by Hoffenheim's Wouter Burger during the German Bundesliga soccer match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen in Sinsheim, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP) — Dortmund's Emre Can celebrates after he scored his side's decisive third goal from the penalty spot during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and St. Pauli in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

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11:49 AM on Saturday, January 17

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH

Emre Can scored a penalty deep into stoppage time to give Borussia Dortmund a 3-2 win over St. Pauli in the Bundesliga on Saturday despite letting a two-goal lead slip earlier.

The Dortmund crowd cheered the referee's announcement that video review showed St. Pauli's Ricky-Jade Jones had indeed fouled Maximilian Beier inside the penalty area, and was jubilant when Can converted the spot kick.

Until then, Dortmund had been heading for a 2-2 draw which would have given Bayern Munich a chance to stretch its lead to 13 points with a win over Leipzig later Saturday.

Jones and American midfielder James Sands had earlier scored to give last-place St. Pauli hope of a valuable point in its fight against relegation, canceling out goals by Dortmund's Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi either side of halftime.

Hoffenheim on a roll

An audacious free kick from Wouter Burger gave Hoffenheim a 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen which boosts its unexpected charge for Champions League qualification.

With Leverkusen seemingly expecting a cross, Burger curled a free kick into the top corner from a wide angle to score the only goal in the ninth minute.

Back-to-back losses leave Leverkusen sixth and with doubts over goalkeeper Mark Flekken, who limped off after an hour when he seemed to jar his knee while dropping low to make a save. Hoffenheim has lost once in the Bundesliga since October.

Fischer's run ends

Urs Fischer's unbeaten start as Mainz coach ended in his seventh game after Cologne's Ragnar Ache scored twice in a comeback 2-1 win which leaves Mainz 17th.

Moritz Jenz's 80th-minute header rescued a 1-1 draw for Wolfsburg against Heidenheim, which had been seeking a win to leave the relegation zone.

Hamburger SV missed a string of chances as it drew 0-0 with Borussia Moenchengladbach. The game followed a week of hurried repairs at Hamburg's stadium to fix damage caused by melting snow which forced its last home game to be postponed.

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