Another matchday of heavy emotions in Bundesliga as the title race gets more and more interesting. This weekend, both Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 had an important match against each other. The Revierderby, as it is known, was disappointing and Bayern took advantage.
The Bavarians stormed back into the second place, with a tight victory over Union Berlin. Meanwhile, Borussia Monchengladbach got back into winning routes and cemented their place in the Bundesliga lead.
Freiburg and Wolfsburg also kept into the chasing pack, as the latter remain undefeated.
Bayern Munich 2 x 1 Union Berlin
The evenly contested Champions League match in Athens, against Olympiakos (2-3), seemed to leave no fatigue marks in Bayern as they hosted Union Berlin this weekend. The current Bundesliga table champions needed a victory to not lose ground against leaders Monchengladbach.
The home side got themselves in front early on, as Pavard scored his first goal for the team with a volley in the edge of the box. Not as spectacular as his 2018 World Cup goal against Argentina, yet still a valuable effort.
Union Berlin was able to detain Bayern’s second until the early minutes of the second half when Lewandowski found the back of the net. The Polish striker continues his unbelievable form, with 19 goals in 13 games, in all competitions.
Union Berlin had a perfect chance to get some leverage on the game, but Andersson’s penalty was denied by Manuel Neuer. The German stopped was unable to hold the second try, though, as Polter scored from the penalty spot.
The consolation goal was not enough for the visitors and Bayern got all 3 points in the Allianz Arena. They are 1 point away from the leaders.
Schalke 04 0 x 0 Borussia Dortmund
One of the most awaited matches of this weekend was the Revierderby, which opposed Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund, two historical rivals. However, the match was disappointing and both teams held each other to a bore 0-0 draw.
Dortmund had just come from a defeat at the hands of Inter Milan. Still, it was expected their last league victory over leaders Gladbach would give them some morale and confidence.
Meanwhile, Schalke, who had a decent start to the campaign, are now in their 3rd straight game without a win. They might have diminished their chances for a title run.
To show how boring this game was, we have to say the protagonists were the goalkeepers. First Nubel denying Sancho with a fine save, then Hitz (who replaced Burki) denying Matondo. Schalke would have another opportunity, with defender Sane hitting the bar.
In the second half, Schalke took 9 attempts to Borussia’s goal but failed to convert. Dortmund was lucky in taking a point from this game and they will have to improve a lot.
Borussia Monchengladbach 4 x 2 Eintracht Frankfurt
Monchengladbach was surprised by Marco Reus’ single goal in Dortmund last weekend. However, they kept the lead, due to the joint results of their competition. Now, a single victory over Frankfurt could cement their position.
The goals for the home side began with Marcus Thuram as the young forward proved again to be an intelligent Summer signing. It was his 4th goal of the season.
Oscar Wendt doubled the advantage before halftime before Danny da Costa reduced it for Frankfurt. In the last quarter of the game 3 goals. First defender Nico Elvedi scored the third for Gladbach before Hinteregger made another effort for Eintracht.
Denis Zakaria in the 85 minutes nailed the final goal, consolidating a 4×2 win for Monchengladbach. The team has 19 points and holds tight to the first place of the Bundesliga table.
Freiburg 2 x 1 Leipzig
Both Freiburg and Leipzig were part of the chasing pack of Bundesliga, but the hosts made a statement as they buried Leipzig’s hopes. Freiburg won 2×1 and keeps the good season start, being now 3rd in the league.
In the Schwarzwald Stadium, Freiburg opened the score in the extra time of the first half. Hofler finished after a cross from Lucas Holer.
The Red Bull-sponsored team got into the second half with the best chances, but they saw their efforts going against Freiburg’s defense. In the 90 minutes, it was the hosts who doubled the lead, with Petersen finding the net.
Klostermann still scored a consolation goal for Leipzig, after a corner, but it would be Freiburg who would end up closer to a 3rd. An error from Upamecano obligated Gulacsi to make a great save.
After their midweek win over Zenit, Leipzig might have felt fatigued and were not able to keep another victory. They dropped to 6th.
Wolfsburg 0 x 0 Augsburg
At the 9th matchday of the Bundesliga schedule, Wolfsburg continues to be the only team that has yet to be beaten. Not only that, they have only 5 goals conceded in all matches so far, which makes it even more impressive.
However, their strikers might need to get more clinical on the goal. They received Augsburg this weekend but were unable to break the deadlock. The visitors, who held Bayern to a 2×2 draw last weekend, proved again to be a hard nut to crack.
The result was not completely awful for Wolfsburg, although a win would give them the lead. They are now 4th and they will face Dortmund next weekend.
Bayer Leverkusen 2 x 2 Werder Bremen
Bayer Leverkusen keeps their inconsistent season form as, once again, they dropped points. This time it was to Werder Bremen, who held the home side to a 2×2 draw.
The match started almost immediately with Leverkusen on the front, as the former Bayer player, now in Bremen, Toprak, scored an own goal. Werder Bremen would operate a comeback and with goals from Milot Rashica and Davy Klaasen, they claimed the lead.
Luckily, Lucas Alario stepped in to score the equalizer in the 58 minutes and Bayer Leverkusen took 1 point from this game. They are now 8th though and things do not look promising as they will face leaders Gladbach next weekend.
Werder Bremen, meanwhile, records their 4th consecutive draw and is 12 in the league.
Hertha Berlin 2 x 3 Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim made it 3 wins in a row, continuing a streak that started against Bayern Munich. The team who had a start slow to the Bundesliga is now in 10th place and they might challenge the table contenders soon if they keep this form.
They visited Hertha Berlin this weekend, in what was by far, the most entertaining match of this weekend. Hoffenheim was actually 2 goals up, with Locadia and Kramaric giving them the lead in the first half.
Hertha came back and equalized in the second half. Lukebakio and former Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou were the authors of the goals.
However, with 10 minutes for the final whistle, defender Benjamin Hubner sealed the deal for Hoffenheim and made it 2-3. They climb to 10th place.
Meanwhile, Hertha is 11th and next week they will face for the first time in the Bundesliga their city rivals Union Berlin.
Mainz 05 3 x 1 Koln
In a duel that opposed two strugglers, Mainz 05 came on top. Koln, who had finally won a game last weekend, went back to their regular form.
It was actually Koln who opened the hostilities, with a goal from Terodde. But, almost immediately Jean-Paul Boetius equalized.
In the second half, Quaison and Oztunali gave Mainz a most needed win, as the team leaves the relegation places. Koln is in the 19th and now closer to Paderborn.
Paderborn 2 x 0 Fortuna Dusseldorf
It took them until matchday 9, but finally, Paderborn won a game. In the reception to Fortuna Dusseldorf, the hosts finally caught a break and will now have some hope of battling against relegation.
Moroccan born player Abdelhamid Sabiri scored the first goal of the season as he put his team ahead. In the second half, Sebastian Schonlau closed the case and handed the 3 points to his team.
Fortuna Dusseldorf drops to 14th place and Paderborn is still last, despite their victory.
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