A striker from VfL Bochum scores a hat trick, someone who was considered a sales candidate scores FC Bayern’s victory, and a “brilliant player” is there again – the Sportschau team from the 18th matchday.
Goal – Finn Dahmen (FC Augsburg): It wasn’t a spectacular or outstanding performance, but there was no goalkeeper on matchday 18. Therefore, a very solid performance from Finn Dahmen in FC Augsburg’s 2-0 win against Werder was enough to make it into the matchday team. No mistakes, good charisma: Dahmen was reliable in Bremen.
Defense – Hauke Wahl (FC St. Pauli): Three points and no goals conceded, the afternoon in Heidenheim couldn’t have gone better for FC St. Pauli. Hauke Wahl, who is seen tackling Heidenheim’s Leonardo Scienza in the photo, was one of the guarantees for Hamburg’s fourth away win with his appearance in the back four.
Defense – Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt): Eintracht Frankfurt is on the way to the Champions League, even if this path has to be taken without Omar Marmoush in the future. The Hessians still have Hugo Ekitiké (r.), who scored the first of Eintracht’s two goals in the win against Borussia Dortmund. The fact that we didn’t concede a goal was due to a strong defensive performance. Even though Dortmund mostly had the ball in the second half, they hardly had any chances, and certainly not good ones.
Arthur Theate (l.) has been called up to represent Frankfurt’s three-man backline in the matchday team because, like Robin Koch in the center and Nnamdi Collins on the right, he was always at the top of his game. However, Collins was lucky that there was no penalty after a tough challenge with Jamie Gittens. Theate also had to get through a tricky scene when he put his hand on Serhou Guirassy’s arm and he then fell. Everything within the framework, everything under control.
Defense – Ameen Al-Dakhil (VfB Stuttgart): Al-Dakhil suffered from a muscle injury for ten months. It was not until October 2024 that the central defender, who came from Burnley FC, played his first minutes at his new club. The Belgian was on the pitch for the first time in two consecutive Bundesliga games against SC Freiburg. Al-Dakhil showed a strong performance in the back four, won almost 70 percent of his duels and was on the ball most often in the 4-0 winner. 89 percent of his passes were received.
Defense – Anthony Rouault (VfB Stuttgart): Corner, header, goal. This is how the game began for VfB Stuttgart, and the goalscorer was Al-Dakhil’s partner in central defense. Anthony Rouault scored his first goal in his 38th Bundesliga game. He also did a very good job at the back. SC Freiburg did not record a shot on VfB’s goal during the game.
Midfield – Angelo Stiller (VfB Stuttgart): It was “very early” to dream, said Angelo Stiller, after VfB Stuttgart climbed to fourth place in the table with a 4-0 win against SC Freiburg, which entitles them to take part in the Champions League. “We have to keep performing,” added Stiller, and if his colleagues succeed like the defensive midfielder did once again, then dreams are justified. Stiller provided two assists and 88 percent of the passes found a teammate.
Midfield – Leon Goretzka (FC Bayern Munich): He didn’t want to say anything. Leon Goretzka quietly enjoyed his performance and remained silent. “Leon reacted in the right way: with his feet, not with words,” said Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany about the midfielder’s miraculous comeback from Munich’s first sales candidate to match winner. In the 3-2 win against VfL Wolfsburg, Goretzka scored two goals in the Bundesliga for the third time in his career.
Midfield – Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen): It may be a little boring that Florian Wirtz keeps appearing in the matchday team. But he always plays outstandingly. The national player scored two goals and provided an assist in the 3-1 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The first goal to make it 1-0 was a real treat. Wirtz took the ball and picked up speed, dribbled towards Kō Itakura and pushed the ball through the Borussia defender’s legs before deliberately pushing it into the goal.
Coach Xabi Alonso said that Wirtz was a “brilliant player”. But that isn’t new either.
Midfield – Rasmus Kristensen (Eintracht Frankfurt): His first goal in the Bundesliga was of no use, the game against 1. FSV Mainz shortly before Christmas was lost 3-1. His first assist in the Bundesliga brought the 1-0 win against Borussia Dortmund, scored by Hugo Ekitiké, and thus paved the way to success against the club from the Ruhr area, which was now eleven points away. The way Rasmussen sprinted down the right and played the one-two with Ekitiké happened much too quickly for Dortmund.
Attack – Adam Hložek (TSG Hoffenheim): TSG Hoffenheim lost 5-0 to FC Bayern, slipped into relegation, and Andrej Kramarić then dismantled the club. TSG spent a lot of money “for nothing,” said Kramarić. The most expensive purchase last summer was Adam Hložek, who came from the Leverkusen champions for a fee of 18 million euros. The expectations were correspondingly high, and on matchday 18 the Czech lived up to them. In the 3-1 win against Holstein Kiel, the first away win of the season, Hložek scored two goals, for the first time in his time at TSG.
Attack – Myron Boadu (VfL Bochum): At half-time it didn’t look like a VfL Bochum player would make it into the team for the match day. After 16 minutes of the second half it was clear that Myron Boadu would make it. The striker from the Netherlands scored a hat trick to ensure that VfL recovered from a 3-0 defeat and thus gained an important point in the relegation battle against RB Leipzig. Boadu was suddenly in the spotlight after only playing for a good 20 minutes in one game in the previous four Bundesliga games. “It was like a dream that came true,” said Boadu after his gala against Leipzig.
The eleven from the 18th Bundesliga matchday from sportschau.de: