Munich (Germany), Dec 20 (IANS) FC Bayern Munich got a late goal by substitute Franck Ribery in a 1-0 victory over RB Leipzig, a win that leaves the Bavarian giants just six points behind Bundesliga leader Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern now have 33 points after their fourth straight win in the German football league.
Despite the loss, Leipzig (28 points) remain in fourth place in the Bundesliga standings because Eintracht Frankfurt (27 points) were held to a 2-2 draw on Wednesday by Mainz.
The teams only had one clear scoring chance apiece in the first half at the Allianz Arena here on Wednesday night, with visiting goal-keeper Peter Gulacsi saving a shot by Robert Lewandowski in the 24th minute and Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano heading a corner kick off the crossbar in the 36th minute, reports Efe.
Bayern stepped up their pressure and took more risks on attack in the second half but continued to have difficulty breaking down Leipzig's defence.
Niklas S?le had an excellent chance on a rebound off a free kick in the 78th minute before Gulacsi was forced to save a header by Joshua Kimmich a minute later.
Bayern's insistence paid off when Ribery, who had entered the game as a substitute in the 28th minute, got past one defender and scored from the middle of the penalty area in the 83rd minute after a failed clearance by Upamecano.
Both teams were left with 10 men in second-half injury time after Leipzig's Stefan Ilsanker was sent off for a reckless challenge on Thiago Alcantaro and Bayern's Renato Sanches was shown a second yellow card when he retaliated by pushing the Austrian midfielder to the ground.
Hannover 96, meanwhile, climbed out of last place thanks to their 1-1 draw Wednesday against Freiburg, with N?rnberg now at the bottom of the table.
In other Bundesliga action, Schalke continued to struggle in a 2-1 loss Wednesday to Bayer Leverkusen and currently are in 14th place in the table with 15 points.
