Bayern München’s title hopes were boosted on Saturday as they beat 1. FC Köln 1-0. Fellow Champions League quarter finalists Wolfsburg netted an injury time equaliser against Darmstadt. Elsewhere, Hertha BSC beat Ingolstadt, Hoffenheim came out on top against HSV and Werder drew with Mainz.
Bayern made to work for the points
The hosts found themselves 1-0 down in slightly unfortunate circumstances after just 10 minutes of their game against the record champions. Dominique Heintz failed to deal with a ball in properly, leaving Robert Lewandowski with the simple task of tapping the ball over the line. Peter Stöger’s men were resolute throughout the match and limited their illustrious opponents to just a few chances.
The Billy Goats were rarely an attacking threat but Leonardo Bittencourt came close to grabbing an equaliser after the break, however, his effort lacked conviction, meaning that Manuel Neuer stopped it with ease. Shots were few and far between, if truth be told, but the Bavarians hung on to claim the points.
Hertha consolidate third spot
Spectators in the capital weren’t treated to a classic on Saturday; however, BSC strengthened their grip on the Champions League spots. They never really got out of first gear against Ingolstadt but ultimately that proved to be enough.
The first half was lacking in quality but the goals arrived after the break. Genki Haraguchi (54’) and Salomon Kalou (69’) gave the hosts a 2-0 lead and even though Lukas Hinterseer (75’) slotted home a consolation goal for FCI, it was Pal Dardai’s men who were jubilant at the final whistle.
Hoffenheim’s resurgence continues
HSV keeper Rene Adler had a bad day at the office on Saturday. Firstly, he brought down Kevin Volland in the box – the resulting spot kick was confidently despatched by Andrej Kramaric (20’). Moments later he conceded an indirect free kick inside the area, which was expertly finished off by Germany star Volland (23’).
Pavel Kaderabek’s handball allowed the hosts to get back into the game, with Aaron Hunt scoring the subsequent penalty. He now has 50 Bundesliga goals to his name. TSG’s victory was confirmed with just over 20 to minutes to play by Eduardo Vargas. Hoffenheim have really picked up under new boss Julian Nagelsmann and survival is now a realistic goal for the Sinsheim club.
Wagner and Schürrle score
VfL looked impressive early on against newly promoted Darmstadt. The Lilies struggled to cope with the Wolves’ attacking prowess, as they created numerous chances early on, however, the finishing was sub-standard, although the SVD defence do deserve a lot of credit for the way they performed against their illustrious counterparts.
Things didn’t really change after the break although it was the hosts who took the lead against the run of play. Sandro Wagner fired home with just 8 minutes on the clock. It looked like Dirk Schuster’s side would hold on for a morale boosting home win, however, Schürrle had other ideas, scoring in injury time to rescue a point for Dieter Hecking's men.
Spoils shared in Bremen
Werder started strongly in front of their own supporters but found themselves 1-0 down after 38 minutes. Mainz skipper Julian Baumgartlinger capitalised on a defensive error to sweep his side into the lead. The captain was involved in Bremen’s goal too, as his foul on Junuzovic resulted in a penalty for the hosts. Claudio Pizarro coolly slotted the penalty home on the stroke of half time and he now has 101 Bundesliga goals for the club – one more and he becomes their outright leading scorer in the division.
Both sides pushed hard for a winner after the break but chances were few and far between, despite the absorbing nature of the fixture. Mainz came closest to stealing the points, but keeper Felix Wiedwald did well to keep out Jhon Cordoba’s powerful close-range strike.
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Bayern München’s title hopes were boosted on Saturday as they beat 1. FC Köln 1-0. Fellow Champions League quarter finalists Wolfsburg netted an injury time equaliser against Darmstadt. Elsewhere, Hertha BSC beat Ingolstadt, Hoffenheim came out on top against HSV and Werder drew with Mainz.
Bayern made to work for the points
The hosts found themselves 1-0 down in slightly unfortunate circumstances after just 10 minutes of their game against the record champions. Dominique Heintz failed to deal with a ball in properly, leaving Robert Lewandowski with the simple task of tapping the ball over the line. Peter Stöger’s men were resolute throughout the match and limited their illustrious opponents to just a few chances.
The Billy Goats were rarely an attacking threat but Leonardo Bittencourt came close to grabbing an equaliser after the break, however, his effort lacked conviction, meaning that Manuel Neuer stopped it with ease. Shots were few and far between, if truth be told, but the Bavarians hung on to claim the points.
Hertha consolidate third spot
Spectators in the capital weren’t treated to a classic on Saturday; however, BSC strengthened their grip on the Champions League spots. They never really got out of first gear against Ingolstadt but ultimately that proved to be enough.
The first half was lacking in quality but the goals arrived after the break. Genki Haraguchi (54’) and Salomon Kalou (69’) gave the hosts a 2-0 lead and even though Lukas Hinterseer (75’) slotted home a consolation goal for FCI, it was Pal Dardai’s men who were jubilant at the final whistle.
Hoffenheim’s resurgence continues
HSV keeper Rene Adler had a bad day at the office on Saturday. Firstly, he brought down Kevin Volland in the box – the resulting spot kick was confidently despatched by Andrej Kramaric (20’). Moments later he conceded an indirect free kick inside the area, which was expertly finished off by Germany star Volland (23’).
Pavel Kaderabek’s handball allowed the hosts to get back into the game, with Aaron Hunt scoring the subsequent penalty. He now has 50 Bundesliga goals to his name. TSG’s victory was confirmed with just over 20 to minutes to play by Eduardo Vargas. Hoffenheim have really picked up under new boss Julian Nagelsmann and survival is now a realistic goal for the Sinsheim club.
Wagner and Schürrle score
VfL looked impressive early on against newly promoted Darmstadt. The Lilies struggled to cope with the Wolves’ attacking prowess, as they created numerous chances early on, however, the finishing was sub-standard, although the SVD defence do deserve a lot of credit for the way they performed against their illustrious counterparts.
Things didn’t really change after the break although it was the hosts who took the lead against the run of play. Sandro Wagner fired home with just 8 minutes on the clock. It looked like Dirk Schuster’s side would hold on for a morale boosting home win, however, Schürrle had other ideas, scoring in injury time to rescue a point for Dieter Hecking's men.
Spoils shared in Bremen
Werder started strongly in front of their own supporters but found themselves 1-0 down after 38 minutes. Mainz skipper Julian Baumgartlinger capitalised on a defensive error to sweep his side into the lead. The captain was involved in Bremen’s goal too, as his foul on Junuzovic resulted in a penalty for the hosts. Claudio Pizarro coolly slotted the penalty home on the stroke of half time and he now has 101 Bundesliga goals for the club – one more and he becomes their outright leading scorer in the division.
Both sides pushed hard for a winner after the break but chances were few and far between, despite the absorbing nature of the fixture. Mainz came closest to stealing the points, but keeper Felix Wiedwald did well to keep out Jhon Cordoba’s powerful close-range strike.
