Record champions FC Bayern München returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga on matchday 12, as they recorded a comfortable 4-0 victory against Stuttgart, having dropped their first points of the campaign in a 0-0 draw with Frankfurt a week earlier. Holger Badstuber also made his comeback for the Bavarians. The Rhine derby between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and 1. FC Köln ended in a 2-1 victory for the visitors, as a Dominic Maroh brace sealed local bragging rights for Köln.
Cup winners VfL Wolfsburg dropped crucial points in a 2-0 defeat at 1. FSV Mainz 05, whilst Borussia Mönchengladbach's winning run ended as they were held to a 0-0 draw by FC Ingolstadt. The game between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt also produced no goals.
Bayern four goals up by half-time
The opening goal for FC Bayern was an unusual one at the Allianz Arena, as the home side broke forward on a counter through Douglas Costa, before Arjen Robben chested it over the line in the eleventh minute. The hosts continued to dominate the game and created chances at will in the first half. Costa, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller wrapped up Bayern's victory before the first half had even ended. Stuttgart keeper Przemyslaw Tyton made a number of quality saves to prevent his side from falling further behind.
Bayern continued to apply pressure after the break but did not create as many clear chances, as Stuttgart avoided conceding any further goals. The highlight in the second 45 minutes was the return of Holger Badstuber, who replaced Müller on the hour mark after a six-month absence.
Maroh's double ensures derby win
The Rhine derby was played at a high intensity as home-side Leverkusen, who started the match without Germany international Christoph Kramer (illness) but with Karim Bellarabi, faced early pressure from 1. FC Köln. The visitors took the lead through Dominic Maroh's header in the 17th minute. Leverkusen were determined to get back into the game but produced too many mistakes in their build-up game, which meant they were rarely able to put Köln under real pressure. Nonetheless, they got the equaliser as striker Javier Hernandez levelled the score shortly after the half-hour mark.
Bayer 04 were reduced to ten men early in the second half, after Kyriakos Papadopoulos brought down Anthony Modeste with a professional foul. Köln continued as the more active team and looked to exploit their man advantage. Another set piece and another Dominic Maroh header in the73rd minute rewarded them with the 2-1 winner.
Draxler sent off in Wolfsburg defeat
Wolfsburg's Germany international Julian Draxler only lasted until the 14th minute of their encounter at 1. FSV Mainz, as he was shown a straight red card for unintentionally kicking Gonzalo Jara in the head following a miss-timed clearance attempt. The one-man advantage gave Mainz the freedom to play attacking football against the third-worst away side in the league, and they eventually took a lead after Pablo de Blasis fired a rebounded effort into the bottom corner. Wolfsburg struggled to find their rhythm and produced very little going forward.
Mainz remained in control in the second half but had to wait until the 75th minute before deciding the game, when Yunus Malli completed a well-executed counter-attack to make it 2-0 to the hosts.
Schubert's winning run ends against Ingolstadt
Record champions FC Bayern München returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga on matchday 12, as they recorded a comfortable 4-0 victory against Stuttgart, having dropped their first points of the campaign in a 0-0 draw with Frankfurt a week earlier. Holger Badstuber also made his comeback for the Bavarians. The Rhine derby between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and 1. FC Köln ended in a 2-1 victory for the visitors, as a Dominic Maroh brace sealed local bragging rights for Köln.
Cup winners VfL Wolfsburg dropped crucial points in a 2-0 defeat at 1. FSV Mainz 05, whilst Borussia Mönchengladbach's winning run ended as they were held to a 0-0 draw by FC Ingolstadt. The game between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt also produced no goals.
Bayern four goals up by half-time
The opening goal for FC Bayern was an unusual one at the Allianz Arena, as the home side broke forward on a counter through Douglas Costa, before Arjen Robben chested it over the line in the eleventh minute. The hosts continued to dominate the game and created chances at will in the first half. Costa, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller wrapped up Bayern's victory before the first half had even ended. Stuttgart keeper Przemyslaw Tyton made a number of quality saves to prevent his side from falling further behind.
Bayern continued to apply pressure after the break but did not create as many clear chances, as Stuttgart avoided conceding any further goals. The highlight in the second 45 minutes was the return of Holger Badstuber, who replaced Müller on the hour mark after a six-month absence.
Maroh's double ensures derby win
The Rhine derby was played at a high intensity as home-side Leverkusen, who started the match without Germany international Christoph Kramer (illness) but with Karim Bellarabi, faced early pressure from 1. FC Köln. The visitors took the lead through Dominic Maroh's header in the 17th minute. Leverkusen were determined to get back into the game but produced too many mistakes in their build-up game, which meant they were rarely able to put Köln under real pressure. Nonetheless, they got the equaliser as striker Javier Hernandez levelled the score shortly after the half-hour mark.
Bayer 04 were reduced to ten men early in the second half, after Kyriakos Papadopoulos brought down Anthony Modeste with a professional foul. Köln continued as the more active team and looked to exploit their man advantage. Another set piece and another Dominic Maroh header in the73rd minute rewarded them with the 2-1 winner.
Draxler sent off in Wolfsburg defeat
Wolfsburg's Germany international Julian Draxler only lasted until the 14th minute of their encounter at 1. FSV Mainz, as he was shown a straight red card for unintentionally kicking Gonzalo Jara in the head following a miss-timed clearance attempt. The one-man advantage gave Mainz the freedom to play attacking football against the third-worst away side in the league, and they eventually took a lead after Pablo de Blasis fired a rebounded effort into the bottom corner. Wolfsburg struggled to find their rhythm and produced very little going forward.
Mainz remained in control in the second half but had to wait until the 75th minute before deciding the game, when Yunus Malli completed a well-executed counter-attack to make it 2-0 to the hosts.
Schubert's winning run ends against Ingolstadt
Ingolstadt had only lost one of their six away games going into this match and Gladbach were clearly struggling against the newly promoted side. Both teams created chances in the opening 45 minutes but Ingolstadt had more to the game against André Schubert’s team, who were looking to make it seven straight wins under their new manager.
The Foals created more in the second half and had chances to win the game through Fabian Johnson and Thorgan Hazard. With four minutes left on the clock Gladbach were reduced to ten men as Granit Xhaka received his second booking of the game.
Another stalemate for Stevens' Hoffenheim
In his home debut as Hoffenheim coach, Huub Stevens saw his side struggle in the opening stages against Eintracht Frankfurt. But since the visitors were also unable to produce clear chances in the opening 45 minutes, the game entered half-time with no goals scored. Aleksandar Ignjovski had a good chance immediately after the restart, but the game then continued in the same boring fashion as the first half, as Hoffenheim recorded their second 0-0 draw since Stevens was appointed as their coach.
