Leipzig and Werder win away
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FC Bayern only struggled to shake off their great cup frustration – and to do so, the Bundesliga leaders once again needed the brilliance of Jamal Musiala. The national player was rested for 50 minutes by coach Vincent Kompany in the ultimately turbulent 4:2 (1:0) against 1. FC Heidenheim and was then the decisive man.
Just five minutes after coming on as a substitute for captain Thomas Müller, Musiala irresistibly set off with the ball at his feet, shot and celebrated (56′). The ball hit the bottom left corner. The 21-year-old struck again in stoppage time. Substitute Leon Goretzka had previously scored Munich’s third goal (84th) in front of 75,000 spectators. Dayot Upamecano headed the score 1-0 before the break after a corner from Joshua Kimmich (18th).
The Heidenheimers, who mainly defended, came back twice after poor defensive behavior from Bayern by Mathias Honsak (50th) and Niklas Dorsch (85th). Without the injured striker Harry Kane and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (rib problems), thanks to Musiala, Bayern had enough to secure a victory on the day before the general meeting this Sunday.
Bayer Leverkusen narrowly defeated newly promoted St. Pauli
Four days after the cup coup at FC Bayern, champions Bayer Leverkusen also completed their mandatory task in the Bundesliga with confidence. The third place in the table, which was plagued by some personnel concerns, narrowly beat newly promoted FC St. Pauli 2-1 (2-0) and consolidated its position with eleven games in a row without defeat.
The Kiezkicker, on the other hand, remain in the vulnerable zone a week after their first home win. In front of 30,210 spectators in the sold-out BayArena, Florian Wirtz (6th) and Jonathan Tah (21st) scored the goals for the hosts, who were very dominant, at least in the first half. Morgan Guilavogui (84th) scored for St. Pauli.
Leverkusen’s coach Nathan Tella was one of four new players in the starting eleven, making his second starting eleven appearance of this Bundesliga season and was allowed to spin alongside Wirtz in the attack.
Augsburg annoys Bayern’s pursuer Eintracht Frankfurt
Three days after the cup exit, Eintracht Frankfurt also suffered a setback in the Bundesliga. Coach Dino Toppmöller’s team couldn’t get past a tough 2-2 (0-0) draw against FC Augsburg. The second-placed team missed out on their fifth win in a row.
In front of 57,000 spectators, Hugo Ekitiké put the Hessians in the lead with his seventh goal of the season (50th), but the Fuggerstadt team hit back through Phillip Tietz (60th) and Samuel Essende (71st). Joker Can Uzun equalized for the Hessians (74th). The Augsburg team remained without a three-pointer away from home this season, but were rewarded for a disciplined performance. They also had Eintracht striker Omar Marmoush under control. The inconspicuous Egyptian could have caught up with leading Bayern striker Kane (14 goals) with another goal.
The Frankfurters wanted to wipe out the 3-0 cup defeat at RB Leipzig as quickly as possible, so they got started with that commitment. “You don’t have to turn it into a national crisis,” emphasized sports director Markus Krösche before kick-off on “Sky”.
RB Leipzig follows up on Holstein Kiel
RB Leipzig has also ended its sporting crisis in the Bundesliga. Three days after the victory in the DFB Cup against Eintracht Frankfurt, coach Marco Rose’s team won 2-0 (1-0) at newly promoted Holstein Kiel and celebrated their first league three-pointer after four games without a win in a row. In front of 14,715 spectators in the Holstein Stadium, Benjamin Sesko (27th) and André Silva scored the goals for the guests with a penalty kick (69th). Kiel remain second to last in the table after their fourth defeat in a row.
Kiel’s fans were in bad taste before the game. The Holstein supporters had already protested against RB Leipzig’s construct with a fan march before the game. In the stadium, a banner hung in front of the fan curve on which the heads of Oliver Mintzlaff, Jürgen Klopp, Martin Kind and Dietmar Hopp could be seen with the words “Gravedigger of German Football”. Crosshairs could be seen in front of the likenesses for a few minutes before these and then the entire banner were rolled up.
Bottom team VfL Bochum is defeated by Werder Bremen
The strong away team SV Werder Bremen has further exacerbated the crisis at bottom club VfL Bochum. Thanks to Jens Stage’s goal in the 56th minute, Bremen celebrated a 1-0 (0-0) win in Bochum. It was Werder’s fourth away win this Bundesliga season. The Bochum team, on the other hand, still haven’t won a game after the 13th matchday.
Although the VfL team appeared to have improved in terms of play under coach Dieter Hecking, who was hired a few weeks ago, the relegation participants from the previous season remain two points behind at the bottom of the table. After another successful appearance away from home, Bremen has 19 points and climbs to ninth place in the table.
However, the guests had a difficult time against the Hanseatic League’s favorite opponent, against whom they achieved 45 wins in 71 meetings. Because the Bochum team put pressure on right from the start. Before kick-off, managing director Ilja Kaenzig demanded in a “Sky” interview: “At some point we should start winning.” That still didn’t work.