Union jumps to CL place
Champions League contender Bayer Leverkusen has extended its impressive run against FC Augsburg thanks to a three-pack from Moussa Diaby and successfully defended third place in the table. The “Werkself” won 5-1 (2-0) on Saturday and thus remain undefeated in their 24th competitive game against Augsburg. After five consecutive games without a win, the guests are slipping deeper and deeper into the relegation battle and have fallen back to 16th place in the table. In front of 750 spectators in the BayArena in Leverkusen, Karim Bellarabi (4th minute) scored three times, Diaby (24th/65th/69th) and Lucas Alario (81st) for the hosts, who celebrated the second three points in a row. Arne Maier (62nd) scored for the guests.
After the important win in Mönchengladbach last weekend, Bayer coach Gerardo Seoane had to improvise due to a total of eight absentees and switched his team tactically with Robert Andrich as the only defensive midfielder. In addition, Amine Adli moved into the starting line-up. With the offensive orientation, the hosts got the opening goal with the first offensive action worth seeing. After some fine work from Mitchel Bakker, who had previously played a one-two with Diaby, Bellarabi made it 1-0 with a right-footed shot from a tight angle.
With the early opening goal in the back, the Bayer team started their attacking and combination game and scored a well-deserved second goal through Diaby’s left-footed shot after Adli’s preparatory work. The guests, who started with Rekord-Einkauf Ricardo Pepi, had a good chance of scoring through Maier (14′), but the 23-year-old was denied by Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky. Augsburg found it difficult against the well-adjusted Leverkusen team, who failed to win twice in the last two home games and were superior to the guests in terms of pace and speed. Michael Gregoritsch, who was dangerous in the last goal, could hardly put himself in the limelight, just like the young Pepi. The winter access was also replaced after an hour.
With three fresh players, the Augsburg team acted a bit more aggressively and scored the goal through a Maier sweep after a Gregoritsch free-kick. But Bayer kept the pressure and the team that decided the game created a few good chances through Adli and Bellarabi and came relatively quickly with two more goals from Diaby to make it 4-1. Alario then put the finishing touch.
Efficient BVB wins top game: TSG Hoffenheim slips out of the top 4
Borussia Dortmund quickly made amends four days after losing the DFB Cup and kept its chances in the Bundesliga championship race. On matchday 20, BVB won 3-2 (1-1) at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and thus kept the big gap to the pursuers in the fight for the Champions League. Erling Haaland (6th minute) and captain Marco Reus (58th) scored on Saturday for BVB, who again played a mixed game, where – unlike the 1-2 draw at FC St. Pauli – the result was right this time. There was also an own goal from Hoffenheim’s national player David Raum (66th).
Meanwhile, a week of maximum failure is coming to an end for TSG. Coach Sebastian Hoeneß’s team lost three times in eight days, the 2-1 loss at Union Berlin and the 4-1 draw against Freiburg in the cup were followed by a defeat against the league runners-up, who were up to three points behind the champions for one night FC Bayern Munich is approaching. Goals from Andrej Kramaric (45+1), who scored his 100th goal for TSG, and Joker Georginio Rutter (77) were not enough.
Double Kruse: Gladbach still in crisis, defeat by Union Berlin
Borussia Mönchengladbach and coach Adi Hütter suffered the next setback in the 1: 2 (1: 1) against Union Berlin. With the only two chances to score in the Köpenicker game, former Gladbacher Max Kruse (18th minute/penalty and 84th) shot the staid guests to an undeserved victory. Gladbach did not reward themselves for a convincing and committed performance this time and only managed to equalize in the meantime through Kouadio Koné (40th).
It is unclear whether Hütter will still be coach of Borussia after the seventh defeat from the past nine competitive games in the next game at Arminia Bielefeld on February 5. Sports director Max Eberl is ill and was unable to provide any information on the situation on Saturday. Despite the improved performance, the Gladbachers are not moving in the table and remain in midfield with 22 points.
Greuther Fürth hopes in the fight for promotion: 2nd win of the season against Mainz 05
Driven by Jeremy Dudziak, SpVgg Greuther Fürth clinched their second win of the season against FSV Mainz 05 with temporary boss Babak Keyhanfar. Before the eyes of the suspended box guest Bo Svensson, the bottom of the table remained 2-1 (1-0) for the fourth time in a row without defeat – that has never happened in the Bundesliga for the Franconians.
Dudziak gave the Fürth the lead in the twelfth minute on Saturday. After the break, the attacking player forced an own goal through Stefan Bell (66′). Dudziak thus continued Fürth’s upward trend and at the same time made Mainz’s fifth away defeat in a row perfect. Shortly before the end, Karim Onisiwo (90 + 3) shortened completely free-standing with a header.
SC Freiburg jumps to fifth place: VfB Stuttgart further down
VfB Stuttgart has set a negative club record. Due to the well-deserved 0:2 (0:1) in the southwest duel at European Cup contenders SC Freiburg, the unsettled team of coach Pellegrino Matarazzo remained without their own goal for the fifth time in a row. As tables-17. the gap to a non-relegation zone is three points.
Thanks to an own goal by Hiroki Ito (37th) and a goal by Kevin Schade (71st), the Freiburgers continued their performance in the 4-1 round of 16 win in the DFB Cup at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday and moved back up to fifth rank above. In front of only 500 spectators in the Europa-Park stadium due to corona, they scored their first league win in the new calendar year.
To home page