There looks to be no stopping FC Bayern München in their search for a third straight Bundesliga title. They saw off Leverkusen in Saturday’s late kick-off, after Wolfsburg had temporarily reduced the gap between the top two to four points with their derby win over Hannover. Augsburg moved up to a stunning third place with victory against Köln, while there were also wins for Schalke and Gladbach against Stuttgart and Hertha respectively. Saturday’s only draw came in Paderborn, as the hosts struck late to snatch a point against Freiburg.
Bayern out in front
Pep Guardiola’s side moved ever closer to breaking VfB Stuttgart’s defensive record in the Bundesliga, keeping yet another clean sheet in their 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen. Franck Ribery scored his 100th competitive goal for the club to secure the three points, but the win could have been much higher. Robert Lewandowski missed an open goal and Bernd Leno deflected a cross onto his own post. The Bayer 04 keeper also made a fine save from FCB substitute Sebastian Rode. The defeat leaves Roger Schmidt’s side in fourth place, while Bayern go marching on at the top of the table with 36 of a possible 42 points so far.
Wolves still on the prowl
The Lower Saxony derby in Hannover ended in victory for the visiting Wolves as VfL ended a five-game losing streak against their local rivals in the top flight. Kevin De Bruyne netted early on, but Wolfsburg were pegged back at half time by Joselu’s equaliser. However, VfL manager Dieter Hecking, who was facing his former club, played a golden hand from the bench, with substitutes Bas Dost and Maximilian Arnold netting to secure a 3-1 win. Wolfsburg have tightened their grip on second even more thanks to the victory, but remain seven points adrift of FC Bayern.
On the European hunt
Borussia Mönchengladbach finally brought their losing streak in the Bundesliga to an end, beating Hertha BSC 3-2 in Borussia-Park. Julian Schieber cancelled out Tony Jantschke’s opener, but second-half goals from Raffael and Thorgan Hazard meant Salomon Kalou’s late penalty was of little significance for Berlin. Victory ensured that Gladbach remain sixth and on course for Europe, with Hertha now just one point clear of the relegation play-off spot.
Schalke 04 finally seem to be finding some form under new coach Roberto Di Matteo, securing their third successive league win on Saturday. VfB Stuttgart were on the wrong end of a 4-0 scoreline, as manager Huub Stevens’ second honeymoon period at the club came to an abrupt end. The Royal Blues also had a hat-trick hero for the second week in a row, with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting following the example Klaas-Jan Huntelaar set last week. S04 are now up to fifth, while Stuttgart are left rock bottom of the table.
FCA flying high, Paderborn leave it late
Augsburg’s sensational start to the campaign is slowly looking to be more than just that. The Bavarian outfit sneaked a late 2-1 win against 1. FC Köln courtesy of Alexander Esswein’s 90th-minute goal and now remarkably sit in third place. At this stage of the season, it’s starting to look like Markus Weinzierl’s side could mount a serious challenge for the European spots.
Not all the matches ended with a winner and a loser in matchday 14’s Saturday action though. Elias Kachunga is the cause of that, as his late strike earned Paderborn a 1-1 draw against SC Freiburg. The point is enough to take SCP up to tenth overnight, still four points clear of the relegation zone, while SCF could slip into it should Bremen take something away from Frankfurt on Sunday.
