Bundesliga: Dortmund Drama & Bayern’s Revival – Match Report

Thanks to a gala by soccer teenager Lennart Karl, FC Bayern also set its own Bundesliga record that was over 50 years old. Accompanied by protests from fans at all games against a possible tightening of security measures in stadiums, Munich won 6-2 against SC Freiburg after an early 2-0 deficit.

Although first place was safe anyway, Bayern (31 points) had double reason to be happy after being in first place in the Bundesliga table for the 43rd matchday in a row across all seasons. From March 1972 to June 1973 they had already achieved this under coach Udo Lattek.

The fact that in the chasing duel Borussia Dortmund played 3-3 against VfB Stuttgart (both 22) despite a late goal from national player Karim Adeyemi made the afternoon even sweeter. The new runner-up is Bayer Leverkusen (23) thanks to a 3-1 win against VfL Wolfsburg, who are still in serious trouble. FC Augsburg defeated HSV 1-0. In the evening game, 1. FC Cologne lost 3-4 to Eintracht Frankfurt after taking an early lead.

Manuel Neuer was in goal after his gastrointestinal infection – and had to quickly get the ball out of the net twice. Yuito Suzuki and Johan Manzambi gave Freiburg the lead with a five-minute brace (12th and 17th). Before the international break, Bayern had not won for the first time this season (2-2 at Union Berlin). And now?

Without the ailing national team captain Joshua Kimmich in the starting line-up, young star Lennart Karl (22nd) scored the quick goal. Even before the break, Michael Olise (45th + 2) equalized – on an assist from Karl, who was only 17 years old. And he wasn’t finished yet, but was involved in Harry Kane’s goal (60th). Defender Dayot Upamecano (55th) also scored beforehand. Nicolas Jackson (78th) and Olise again (84th) made the sweeping victory perfect.

After his weapons possession affair, Adeyemi had to sit on the substitutes’ bench – for sporting and training reasons, emphasized coach Niko Kovac. VfB was initially the better and more dangerous team, the Dortmund fans were able to celebrate: captain Emre Can (34th) put the hosts in the lead with a penalty kick.

Just seven minutes later, Maximilian Beier increased. Shortly after the break, Deniz Undav (48th) scored the next goal. And he added another goal: an equalizing goal in the 71st minute. Substitute Adeyemi brought the stadium to a boil with his goal in the 89th minute – but Undav completed his hat-trick in the 90th +1.

Augsburg stopped its series of defeats after three defeats in a row under coach Sandro Wagner. Even if it took a long time before the hosts were able to celebrate against returning HSV. Anton Kade scored the goal for the third win of the season, which Wagner watched relatively untouched from the sidelines with a winter hat on his head, in the 74th minute. Even the red card against Keven Schlotterbeck (81st) didn’t change anything about FCA’s victory. HSV only got one point from the last five games.

New old interim coach – in the end the next bankruptcy. Even under Daniel Bauer, who helped out last season, Wolfsburg were unable to stop their crisis. 0:1, 9th minute by Jonas Hofmann, 0:2, 24th minute by Edmond Tapsoba, 0:3, 33rd minute by Malik Tillmann. At least there was a sign of life after the break with Denis Vavro’s goal (57th).

Things are getting worse for 1. FC Heidenheim. In stoppage time in the first half, permanent coach Frank Schmidt’s team fell behind. Kevin Diks scored from the penalty spot for Gladbach. The game was already over with Haris Tabakovic’s 2-0 win for the guests (55th), and it was the Borussia team’s fourth competitive win in a row under their coach Eugen Polanski. Shuto Machino scored the final point (76th). Heidenheim remains with just five points and eight goals from eleven games – and bottom of the table.

Led by national player Jonathan Burkardt, Eintracht Frankfurt won against 1. FC Köln for the first time since 2017. The Hessians narrowly won away against the promoted team 4:3 (2:1). Thanks to the fifth game in a row without defeat, coach Dino Toppmöller’s team moved up to sixth place in the Bundesliga table.

After Cologne took the lead in the sold-out stadium through Jakub Kaminski in the fourth minute, Arthur Theate (39th) and Mahmoud Dahoud (45th + 6) made it 2-1 from Frankfurt’s point of view. Burkardt secured the preliminary decision with his brace within a few minutes (60th and 63rd). The “Effzeh” came close again through Marius Bülter (83rd) and Luca Waldschmidt (90th + 4), but it wasn’t enough to win a point.

Note: This article has been updated to include the evening game.