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• Dortmund got 'fully deserved victory' over Freiburg, says Sahin

  Nuri Sahin praised Borussia Dortmund for getting "a fully deserved victory" over nine-man Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

  Dortmund remained perfect on home soil this season as they cruised to a 4-0 win at Signal Iduna Park after Patrick Osterhage and Junior Adamu were both sent off for the visitors.

  Maximilian Bieier and Felix Nmecha scored in the first half before Julian Brandt and Jamie Gittens secured the points in the second during a dominant display as they limited Freiburg to just three shots on target at the other end.

  Dortmund have now won 11 home games in a row in all competitions. Since the Bundesliga was founded, they have won more consecutive home matches in a row only once, winning 14 in a row at home in 1994.

  Sahin has come under pressure recently for the Black and Yellow's less impressive away form, but he was delighted with the showing he saw from his side.

  "We started very well. We controlled the spaces. We allowed very little," Sahin said.

  "Overall, it was a mature performance from my boys. We scored great goals, showed good energy.

  "We kept them away from our goal throughout. It was a fully deserved victory and I, as a coach, am very satisfied."

  Dortmund were, however, without Serhou Guirassy, who is their top scorer in the Bundesliga with six goals, as he pulled out of the game due to a virus.

  Next up for Sahin's side is a trip to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, and the head coach is hopeful he will be available for that tie.

  "[Saturday] morning again, we got the bad news. Serhou tried everything to play today, but it did not work," Sahin added.

  "I hope it will be enough for Zagreb. He is a very important player for us." 

• Leverkusen were 'bullied' early on in Heidenheim win, says Alonso

  Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso was critical of his team's poor start in their 5-2 comeback victory over Heidenheim on Saturday.

  The current Bundesliga champions went two goals down inside the opening 21 minutes at the BayArena, before battling back to hammer their visitors.

  The teams went in level at half-time, while Patrik Schick completed a hat-trick in the second half to secure their second victory in seven league games.

  "The first 20 minutes were hard, hard on the pitch and hard mentally," Alonso told a press conference.

  "They bullied us in midfield. We could not find any good situations.

  "We then managed to find better solutions after the break, and we were more stable. That was the key to the better second half."

  Leverkusen are fourth in the Bundesliga, nine points behind league leaders Bayern Munich. They improved significantly after Heidenheim forward Marvin Pieringer was taken off injured in the 28th minute, having suffered due to his pace prior to that.

  "We had a bit of a doubt at the start, it was too hectic, we were too nervous," he added.

  "We could relax a bit during the break, and then we saw a much better second half, with more control and more stability. Mentally, we were much better."

  Aside from their poor start, Alonso singled out Schick in particular for praise after the game, with his perfect hat-trick having helped win the match for the hosts.

  Schick has now scored 3+ goals in a Bundesliga game on three occasions for Leverkusen - only Ulf Kirsten (seven) has done so more times for the club.

  "It was a perfect hat-trick. It is so important for a striker to get into this rhythm, to have that feeling and with us having a lot of matches during this time," said Alonso.

• Borussia Dortmund 4-0 Freiburg: Sahin's side remain perfect on home soil

  Borussia Dortmund maintained their perfect home record this season as they eased to a 4-0 victory over nine-man Freiburg at Signal Iduna Park.

  Maximilian Beier, Felix Nmecha, Julian Brandt and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens were all on target for Nuri Sahin's side, who leapfrogged their opponent to fifth place in the Bundesliga table.

  The hosts broke through in the seventh minute as Beier latched onto Ramy Bensebaini's throughball before finishing, while Nmecha's superb long-time strike doubled the lead five minutes before the break.

  Freiburg were seeking their first away win over Dortmund since October 2001, and their task became even harder in the 63rd minute when Patrick Osterhage was dismissed for a second bookable offence.

  Sahin's side capitalised on their numerical advantage three minutes later, as Brandt floated a delicious free-kick into the top corner.

  Bynoe-Gittens then completed the rout in the 77th minute, with the visitors' misery compounded right at the death when Junior Adamu was given his marching orders for violent conduct.

  Data Debrief: Home comforts continue for Dortmund

  Dortmund have now won all six of their home league games in 2024-25, stretching their streak across all competitions to 11 matches - only topping that with a run of 14 straight wins in 1994.

  They are also now unbeaten in 17 home league meetings with Freiburg, who have failed to score in five Bundesliga outings this term - with only St. Pauli (six) unable to find the net on more occasions.