The latest round of Bundesliga action brought drama, standout performances and surprising results.
Borussia Dortmund’s performances may be shaky, but they continue to secure victories. RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich locked horns in a thrilling showdown in the weekend’s topspiel.
Meanwhile, other teams sought to make their mark, and some recorded their first victories of the season. Let’s dive into the weekend’s highlights.
BVB grind out another win despite unconvincing performance
Dortmund continue to deliver results even though they haven’t reached their peak form.
While their performances have been less than stellar, they are consistently collecting points.
Their current position is stronger than it was at the same stage last season.
In the opening Bundesliga match of the weekend, Niclas Fullkrug put BVB in the lead against TSG Hoffenheim early on, but Andrej Kramaric quickly equalised from the penalty spot.
BVB took the lead again just before half-time, with Marco Reus capitalising on a mistake by Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann to score.
Gregor Kobel made impressive saves to keep his team in the game until the dying moments when Ryerson scored a splendid solo goal to secure all three points for BVB.
Bayern Munich battle back to earn a draw against RB Leipzig
Leipzig fans were brimming with hope, believing their team was destined for a third consecutive victory against the mighty Bayern.
Lois Openda and Castello Lukeba orchestrated an early 2-0 lead, sending waves of excitement through the home crowd.
However, the reigning champions had no intentions of conceding defeat easily.
The Bavarians clawed their way back into the game, eventually spoiling Leipzig’s home party with a Harry Kane penalty and a Leroy Sane strike.
A quick free-kick opportunity early on saw Kane feeding Jamal Musiala, but the young talent was denied by an impressive save from Janis Blaswich.
Leipzig were missing key players, including captain Willi Orban and playmaker Dani Olmo, but they drew inspiration from their recent successes against Bayern.
Their breakthrough came when Xaver Schlager’s pass found Openda, who fended off Kim Min-jae and slotted the ball past Bayern goalkeeper Sven Ulreich.
It was 2-0 moments later, with Openda setting up Lukeba for his first Bundesliga goal.
Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel introduced Raphael Guerreiro and Mathys Tel at half-time in a bid to take something from the game.
A fortunate turn of events came when a Sane free-kick struck Benjamin Henrichs’ outstretched arm inside the Leipzig box, and Kane converted the subsequent penalty.
As the tempo shifted in Bayern’s favour, Sane raced clear before finding the net for his fifth Bundesliga goal, continuing his ludicrous form.
With both sides striving for a winner, Fabio Carvalho and Benjamin Sesko narrowly missed opportunities.
Despite having a poor game, Ulreich displayed remarkable reflexes to deny Sesko. Ultimately, both teams settled for a hard-fought point in a pulsating clash.
Bayer Leverkusen defeat Mainz to stay at the summit
Xabi Alonso’s team aimed to build on their strong start to the season, having won four of their first five league games.
However, they faced a determined Mainz 05 side that held their ground in the first half.
Despite having zero shots on target, Leverkusen managed to take a half-time lead through an own goal by Sepp van den Berg as he turned in Jeremie Frimpong’s cross.
Meanwhile, Leverkusen had Lukas Hradecky to thank for denying Karim Onisiwo’s header and Brajan Gruda’s low shot.
Onisiwo threatened again after the break, but Hradecky’s save proved crucial as Leverkusen later extended their lead.
Grimaldo is a dangerous man on free-kicks, and the Spaniard curled another set-piece into the top corner to double the lead and relieve the pressure.
Jonas Hofmann added another goal with an outside-of-the-boot shot from an Amine Adli cross.
Only a late save by Robin Zentner on Victor Boniface prevented a fourth goal, but the outcome was already decided.
This result further solidified Leverkusen’s title aspirations, while Mainz remain at the bottom of the table with just one point to their name.
Stuttgart beat Koln to take another crucial three points
VfB Stuttgart’s remarkable ascent under the stewardship of Sebastian Hoeneß showed no signs of slowing down as they secured a resounding 2-0 victory against Cologne.
Koln actually got off to a better start, with the home side dominating proceedings until Hoeneß introduced Deniz Undav.
Undav emerged as the hero off the bench and netted, turning the tide in Stuttgart’s favour.
Cologne fought valiantly to level the score but were met with disappointment as Undav struck again, sealing the three crucial points for the visitors with a close-range finish.
Despite losing Wataru Endo and Borna Sosa this summer, Stuttgart continue to shine and remain in the top four.
This victory adds to their growing list of accomplishments and further excitement for the rest of the season.
Wolfsburg swat aside Eintracht Frankfurt
Jonas Wind was the star of the show as Wolfsburg extended their lead over Eintracht Frankfurt to five points at the VW Arena.
Unbeaten Frankfurt suffered their first defeat, largely thanks to Wind’s remarkable performance. The Danish striker opened the scoring in the 30th minute, slamming home a shot spilt by Kevin Trapp.
Wind also slotted home the rebound from his saved penalty to take his season tally to seven goals.
The Eagles’ woes were compounded when Mario Gotze was handed his marching orders, leaving them with ten men, as he received two yellow cards.
Wolfsburg sit outside the European places and will be eyeing a push up the table in the coming weeks.
Around the grounds
Darmstadt finally broke their season’s duck, securing a resounding 4-2 victory over Werder Bremen. The match was a rollercoaster of emotions, with Die Lilien delivering a commanding performance.
The first half set the stage for Darmstadt’s dominance, as Matthias Bader and Tim Skarke put their team in control with brilliant goals.
Marvin Mehlem and Tobias Kempe added to the lead after the break, with Kempe confidently converting from the penalty spot.
Bremen refused to go down without a fight and found a glimmer of hope with goals from Oliver Deman and Milos Veljkovic.
However, it proved to be a case of too little, too late, as Darmstadt had already built a sturdy advantage.
Borussia Monchengladbach also picked up their first victory season, securing a well-deserved 3-1 win on Bochum’s turf.
Alassane Plea netted twice, and Florian Neuhaus also scored in the first half.
The second half saw Bochum battling valiantly, determined to stage a comeback. Their resilience bore fruit when Anthony Losilla scored, reigniting hope among the home crowd.
However, their spirited efforts were not enough to complete a turnaround. Losilla’s second goal was ruled out in stoppage time, leaving Bochum just short of achieving a spectacular comeback.
Heidenheim added to Union Berlin’s woes by clinching their second victory of the season. The defining moment of the match arrived on the hour mark when Jan-Niklas Beste, continuing his incredible form, conjured up a spectacular free-kick.
Beste’s expertly curled free-kick found its way into the back of the net.
Unfortunately for Union, this defeat marked their fifth consecutive loss. The road ahead doesn’t get any easier as they prepare for their first home match in the Champions League against Braga on Tuesday.
Freiburg defeated Augsburg comfortably to pick up three points from their weekend fixture. Vincenzo Grifo slammed home a penalty early on to net his third goal of the season and continue his fine form.
Phillip Tietz had a golden opportunity to equalise, but Noah Atubolu covered his angles and made the save.
Grifo showed his set-piece prowess after the break as Philipp Lienhart steered in his corner to double the lead and take the points.
Player of the Week
Xaver Schlager delivered a top-notch performance as Leipzig drew with Bayern. His showing oozed class and substance.
The Austrian midfielder was everywhere for Die Roten Bullen, even providing the assist for Openda’s opener. He showcased his ability to disrupt the opposition play and create goalscoring opportunities for his team.
The 26-year-old won seven of his 18 duels during the clash, battling all over the field to earn a point for his side. He displayed unrelenting work ethic and determination.
Fixtures to look forward to on Matchday 7
A thrilling fixture awaits as Stuttgart plays host to Wolfsburg, with both teams in excellent form recently.
Leverkusen welcome Koln, and Bayern prepare for Freiburg at the Allianz Arena. Leipzig will take on Bochum, while Dortmund play Union Berlin.
Werder Bremen will go head-to-head with Hoffenheim in another intriguing clash.
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