Record champions FC Bayern München will spend Christmas at the top of the Bundesliga standings for the 21st time in the clubs' history. Pep Guardiola's men recorded a 2-0 home win against FC Ingolstadt on matchday 16. Robert Lewandowski and skipper Philipp Lahm scored the goals in the second half, as Bayern struggled to break down the newly promoted side. With 43 points to their name FC Bayern will not be caught before Christmas with just one game left to play. Their closest pursuers Borussia Dortmund (35 points) can close the gap on Sunday when they host Eintracht Frankfurt.
Hertha BSC continued their impressive run with a 4-0 win at newly promoted side Darmstadt 98, which sees the capital based side climb into third place before Borussia Mönchengladbach have the chance to reclaim that spot as they take on Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the evening kick-off. Hertha cruised to success thanks to two goals by Vedad Ibisevic and strikes from Marvin Plattenhardt and Salomon Kalou. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim were able to land a crucial 1-0 victory against Hannover 96 which ended a run of eight games without a win. Germany international Kevin Volland assisted Jonathan Schmid's first half winner.
Wolfsburg stumble against Hamburg
Last season's DFB Cup winners VfL Wolfsburg suffered another set-back in the Bundesliga. Following their impressive 3-2 victory over Manchester United to claim a group victory in the Champions League, Dieter Hecking's men were held to a 1-1 draw by Hamburger SV. Nicolai Müller fired HSV into the lead before Maximilian Arnold levelled the score with roughly ten minutes left to play in the second half. Werder Bremen grabbed an early lead through Jannik Vestergaard but were unable to hold on as Dusan Svento scored from the spot in the second half to earn Köln a point. Germany U21s keeper Timo Horn saved a first half penalty from former Köln player Anthony Ujah.
Bayern struggled to find their rhythm against Ingolstadt, as the newly promoted side offered very little room for the record champions to attack into. Guardiola had warned his players that Ingolstadt would be difficult to break down and he was proven right in the first half. The visitors even had the better chances in the opening 45 minutes, but Germany keeper Manuel Neuer was able to keep all efforts out.
FCB increased the pressure after the break and World Cup winner Jerome Boateng had the right idea when his long ball forward found Lewandowski who rounded FCI keeper Ramazan Özcan to score his 15th goal of the season and give Bayern a 1-0 lead. Lahm doubled their advantage a few minutes later following a nice combination involving Kingsley Coman and Thomas Müller.
Efficient Hertha win in Darmstadt - Svento saves point for Köln
Ibisevic, Plattenhardt and Kalou fired Hertha towards their best first half of a season in seven years. Their 4-0 win in Darmstadt was also an excellent preparation for their 3rd round Cup encounter with second division side 1. FC Nürnberg next Wednesday. Hertha took the lead from their first chance with Mitchell Weiser setting up Ibisevic who slotted home from roughly ten yards. Plattenhardt added a second goal to Berlin's lead with an impressive free kick goal from 25 yards. Ibisevic scored his second goal of the day shortly after the break and Kalou completed the scoring in the closing stages of the match.
Köln were trailing Bremen for almost the entire match, but still managed to walk away with a win as Svento equalised Vestergaard's first half opener in the 79th minute. Former Köln player Ujah had the chance to double Bremen's lead from the spot, but failed to get the ball past Timo Horn.
Arnold on target for Wolfsburg, Volland assists winning goal
Wolfsburg showed a good fighting spirit to secure a point as they entertained Hamburger SV. The visitors took the lead with Müller scoring the rebound from Pierre-Michel Lasogga's strike. Wolfsburg were only able to find their rhythm after the break and rewarded themselves with a late equaliser through Arnold.
Record champions FC Bayern München will spend Christmas at the top of the Bundesliga standings for the 21st time in the clubs' history. Pep Guardiola's men recorded a 2-0 home win against FC Ingolstadt on matchday 16. Robert Lewandowski and skipper Philipp Lahm scored the goals in the second half, as Bayern struggled to break down the newly promoted side. With 43 points to their name FC Bayern will not be caught before Christmas with just one game left to play. Their closest pursuers Borussia Dortmund (35 points) can close the gap on Sunday when they host Eintracht Frankfurt.
Hertha BSC continued their impressive run with a 4-0 win at newly promoted side Darmstadt 98, which sees the capital based side climb into third place before Borussia Mönchengladbach have the chance to reclaim that spot as they take on Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the evening kick-off. Hertha cruised to success thanks to two goals by Vedad Ibisevic and strikes from Marvin Plattenhardt and Salomon Kalou. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim were able to land a crucial 1-0 victory against Hannover 96 which ended a run of eight games without a win. Germany international Kevin Volland assisted Jonathan Schmid's first half winner.
Wolfsburg stumble against Hamburg
Last season's DFB Cup winners VfL Wolfsburg suffered another set-back in the Bundesliga. Following their impressive 3-2 victory over Manchester United to claim a group victory in the Champions League, Dieter Hecking's men were held to a 1-1 draw by Hamburger SV. Nicolai Müller fired HSV into the lead before Maximilian Arnold levelled the score with roughly ten minutes left to play in the second half. Werder Bremen grabbed an early lead through Jannik Vestergaard but were unable to hold on as Dusan Svento scored from the spot in the second half to earn Köln a point. Germany U21s keeper Timo Horn saved a first half penalty from former Köln player Anthony Ujah.
Bayern struggled to find their rhythm against Ingolstadt, as the newly promoted side offered very little room for the record champions to attack into. Guardiola had warned his players that Ingolstadt would be difficult to break down and he was proven right in the first half. The visitors even had the better chances in the opening 45 minutes, but Germany keeper Manuel Neuer was able to keep all efforts out.
FCB increased the pressure after the break and World Cup winner Jerome Boateng had the right idea when his long ball forward found Lewandowski who rounded FCI keeper Ramazan Özcan to score his 15th goal of the season and give Bayern a 1-0 lead. Lahm doubled their advantage a few minutes later following a nice combination involving Kingsley Coman and Thomas Müller.
Efficient Hertha win in Darmstadt - Svento saves point for Köln
Ibisevic, Plattenhardt and Kalou fired Hertha towards their best first half of a season in seven years. Their 4-0 win in Darmstadt was also an excellent preparation for their 3rd round Cup encounter with second division side 1. FC Nürnberg next Wednesday. Hertha took the lead from their first chance with Mitchell Weiser setting up Ibisevic who slotted home from roughly ten yards. Plattenhardt added a second goal to Berlin's lead with an impressive free kick goal from 25 yards. Ibisevic scored his second goal of the day shortly after the break and Kalou completed the scoring in the closing stages of the match.
Köln were trailing Bremen for almost the entire match, but still managed to walk away with a win as Svento equalised Vestergaard's first half opener in the 79th minute. Former Köln player Ujah had the chance to double Bremen's lead from the spot, but failed to get the ball past Timo Horn.
Arnold on target for Wolfsburg, Volland assists winning goal
Wolfsburg showed a good fighting spirit to secure a point as they entertained Hamburger SV. The visitors took the lead with Müller scoring the rebound from Pierre-Michel Lasogga's strike. Wolfsburg were only able to find their rhythm after the break and rewarded themselves with a late equaliser through Arnold.
In his sixth attempt, coach Huub Stevens managed his first win with TSG Hoffenheim and as a result they managed to vacate from the bottom spot of the standings. Germany international Volland assisted Schmid's opener with a great cross in the first half, as Hannover missed their best opportunity shortly before half-time.
