Bayern München continues to roll, with another win, this time in Aspirin country. The leaders came out strong enough and Mario Gomez grabbed the lead. However then they dicked around (of course, Robben is playing) and pretty much dared Leverksuen to do something. It took a while, but eventually the hosts did and equalized. However as seems wont with all Bundesliga matches this year, Bayern seized the win even when they were ho-humming, as Leverkusen committed suicide when Wollschied knocked a Schweinsteiger free kick into his own net.
Impressive performance by Dortmund, as their relentless pressure smashed through Freiburg. The guests started off well and didn’t try to hide, coming out and attacking against the Neons…veen grabbing the lead. But Dortmund didn’t seem bothered at all and continued their assault and deciding the match with a flurry just before halftime. They continued their pressure after the restart and eventually Freiburg cracked. Nuri Sahin is now back in the starting lineup, and it’s like he never left, so the Neons look pretty strong, perhaps ready to challenge next season if they can sign him.
Schalke and Nürnberg have one of the more famous “fan-friendships”, but you have to wonder what the Knappen are thinking after they got bitch-slapped in the Frankenland. Schalke looked the better side, created oodles of chances. But they largely waved at them like a fairy, so der Ckub decided to take matters into their own hands and ruthlessly kicked Schalke in the balls.
Ho-hum match in Wolfsburg, as Düsseldorf earned a point.
Southwestern derby in Hoffenheim, but neither the hosts or Mainz looked like they were too interested. The Hoppers needed a win and didn’t get it. Mainz looked like they didn’t want to be there and just wanted the point.
Greuther Fürth put in a spirited performance at Bremen, but the Werder fans weren’t having any of it. Instead they mercilessly booed their home side, as the Greuther outhustled them.
Augsburg has not given up and they scored early in Hamburg and hung on grimly for the win. HSV dominated the match but evidently couldn’t hit the side of a barn, and end up with egg on their faces.
Frankfurt has been sinking, suffering from goal constipation. Stuttgart has been up and down (largely down), so you figure something would have to give. Eintracht finally did score, but their ship continues to take on water. Stuttgart actually showed some effort in the 2nd half and get a critical win, which should put to rest any worries about relegation. Frankfurt’s great season start is now a long memory and it seems questionable whether they will be able to hold onto the final Champions League spot, and indeed even the EuropaLiga could be questionable.
Gladbach upended Hannover to move closer to Europe or even Champions League potential. The home side was more aggressive in the 1st period, and the 96ers too defensive. Gladbach grabbed a lead and were solid in the 2nd half, and despite opening up and playing better, Hannover couldn’t get back in. The battle for the European spots remains tight, likely to change every round.
Total attendance this weekend, 395,538 (avg 43,949), sellouts in Dortmund and Leverkusen
VfL Wolfsburg - Fortuna Düsseldorf 1:1 (0:1) 24,540
0:1 Bolly (37., Kruse)
1:1 Olic (51., Orozco)
Borussia Dortmund - SC Freiburg 5:1 (3:1) 80,645 *
0:1 Schmid (28., M. Kruse)
1:1 Lewandowski (41., Sahin)
2:1 Sahin (44., Blaszczykowski)
3:1 Lewandowski (45. + 1)
4:1 Sahin (73.)
5:1 Bittencourt (78., Lewandowski)
Werder Bremen - SpVgg Greuther Fürth 2:2 (0:0) 39,786
1:0 Hunt (47., penalty, Hunt)
1:1 Fürstner (55., Schmidtgal)
1:2 Petsos (62., direct freekick)
2:2 Hunt (70., penalty, Pavlovic)
1. FC Nürnberg - FC Schalke 04 3:0 (1:0) 46,055
1:0 Feulner (31., Pekhart)
2:0 Esswein (69., Kiyotake)
3:0 Frantz (87., Kiyotake)
1899 Hoffenheim - 1. FSV Mainz 05 0:0 (0:0) 24,500
Hamburger SV - FC Augsburg 0:1 (0:1) 52,529
0:1 Callsen-Bracker (8., Werner)
Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Bayern München 1:2 (0:1) 30,210 *
0:1 Gomez (37., Shaqiri)
1:1 Rolfes (75., Boenisch)
1:2 Wollscheid (87., own goal, Schweinsteiger)
Sunday:
Eintracht Frankfurt - VfB Stuttgart 1:2 (1:0) 50,600
1:0 Aigner (17., Schwegler)
1:1 Ibisevic (49., penalty, Boka)
1:2 Niedermeier (71., Maxim)
Borussia M'gladbach - Hannover 96 1:0 (1:0) 46,673
1:0 L. de Jong (36., Herrmann)
1 Bayern München 26 22 3 1 69:11 +58 69
2 Borussia Dortmund (M, P) 26 14 7 5 60:31 +29 49
3 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 26 13 6 7 46:34 +12 45
4 Eintracht Frankfurt (N) 26 11 6 9 39:37 +2 39
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5 FC Schalke 04 26 11 6 9 43:43 0 39
6 1. FSV Mainz 05 26 10 8 8 33:29 +4 38
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7 Borussia M'gladbach 26 9 11 6 35:35 0 38
8 Hamburger SV 26 11 5 10 30:34 -4 38
9 SC Freiburg 26 9 9 8 33:33 0 36
10 Hannover 96 26 10 4 12 47:46 +1 34
11 1. FC Nürnberg 26 8 10 8 29:32 -3 34
12 VfL Wolfsburg 26 8 7 11 30:40 -10 31
13 VfB Stuttgart 26 9 5 12 28:44 -16 31
14 Werder Bremen 26 8 6 12 42:51 -9 30
15 Fortuna Düsseldorf (N) 26 7 8 11 32:36 -4 29
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16 FC Augsburg 26 5 9 12 23:38 -15 24
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17 1899 Hoffenheim 26 5 5 16 30:49 -19 20
18 SpVgg Greuther Fürth (N) 26 2 9 15 16:42 -26 15
M = Meister, defending Champion
P = Pokal, defending Cup winner
N = Neuling, newly promoted
1st line: Champions League
2nd line: Europaliga (+ Cup winner)
3rd line: Playoff with 2.Liga 3rd place
4th line: Relegation to 2.Liga