Opening draw for FC coach Schultz
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League leaders Bayer Leverkusen secured the first half of the Bundesliga championship with a late win. The Rhinelanders won 1-0 (0-0) at FC Augsburg on Saturday with a goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time and are again four points ahead of their pursuers FC Bayern Munich.
RB Leipzig lost 0-1 (0-1) against Eintracht Frankfurt in the race for the Champions League places on matchday 17. Timo Schultz only managed a 1-1 (1-0) draw against 1. FC Heidenheim on his debut as the new coach of 1. FC Köln. In the relegation battle, 1. FSV Mainz 05 also scored a point with a 1-1 (0-1) draw against VfL Wolfsburg. SC Freiburg and 1. FC Union Berlin drew 0-0. Before the games, the clubs remembered Franz Beckenbauer, who died on Sunday.
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False start for RB Leipzig: first home defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt
RB Leipzig made a false start to the new football year and suffered a setback in the fight for the Champions League. The Saxons lost 0-1 (0-1) against Eintracht Frankfurt in their first meeting since winning the cup. In front of 45,867 fans in the Red Bull Arena, Ansgar Knauff (7th minute) ensured Hesse’s first win in Leipzig.
With the defeat, RB missed equalizing the club record of 13 unbeaten home games in a row from the 2019/2020 season. Leipzig is in fourth place, six points ahead of Eintracht.
Bayer Leverkusen celebrates late: Palacios scores to make it 1-0 in Augsburg
Exequiel Palacios saved leaders Bayer Leverkusen late in the Augsburg icebox. The Argentine midfielder gave coach Xabi Alonso’s team a 1-0 (0-0) win with a last-minute goal and thus the first round championship ahead of rivals FC Bayern Munich. The Leverkusen combination footballers bit their teeth for a long time before Palacios (90th + 4 minutes) caused Bayer to celebrate.
Xabi Alonso’s team maintained their unbeaten reputation in their 26th competitive game this season in front of 30,055 fans, thus completing their impressive Bundesliga first half of the season undefeated. The lead over FC Bayern is still four points, but the Munich team still has a catch-up game in hand.
First point and first frustration for Schultz on his debut for 1. FC Köln
First game, first point, but above all first frustration: Timo Schultz had a rather disappointing start nine days after he started as coach of 1. FC Köln. FC only managed a 1-1 (1-0) draw against Bundesliga newcomers 1. FC Heidenheim in their first game of the year and are still deep in the table after the debut of Steffen Baumgart’s successor.
FC finished the first half of the season with just eleven points, promoted team Heidenheim is already ten points away after four games without defeat. Davie Selke had given Cologne the lead (29th), but Joker Adrian Beck equalized with his first Bundesliga goal (55th).
Union Berlin scored 0-0 in Freiburg on Vogt’s debut
1. FC Union Berlin, which is in danger of relegation, missed its first away win since the end of August when new defensive hopeful Kevin Vogt made his debut. At the start of the new football year, the Berliners fought to a 0-0 draw against the dominant SC Freiburg and, after six defeats abroad, regained a point.
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However, the Berliners were unable to move away from the relegation zone and remain in 15th place in the table in their weakest first division first half. Next Friday is the important duel against relegation rivals Mainz 05, before the Köpenickers have to play a catch-up game against German soccer record champions FC Bayern.
No winner at the start of the year: Mainz 1-1 against Wolfsburg
1. FSV Mainz 05 can no longer win in the Bundesliga, but has averted a false start to 2024 against VfL Wolfsburg. The 05ers scored 1:1 (0:1) at the end of the first half of the season and thus showed their morale after falling behind. In front of 24,000 fans, Wolfsburg winger Vaclav Cerny (12th minute) gave the guests the lead. Captain Silvan Widmer (61st) at least secured a point for Mainz, who were in danger of relegation.
The Rheinhessen have eleven points and are looking forward to a difficult second half of the season. Jan Siewert was promoted to head coach during the winter break and given a contract until 2026. Since the exciting opening win over RB Leipzig – which was still an interim solution at the time – the 41-year-old has not been able to celebrate another win in seven Bundesliga games. During this period there were only three own goals. Wolfsburg is stuck in midfield and is in danger of losing touch with the European ranks.
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