Bayern Munich moved four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga after edging a five-goal thriller away to Dortmund.
Robert Lewandowski scored twice, bagging his 66th goal in 55 games in 2021. It was a pulsating battle filled with controversy over two penalty decisions and a red card for BVB’s boss.
Of course, Der Klassiker was the match of the weekend in the Bundesliga, but there was plenty more great action as Bayer Leverkusen hammered Greuther Fuerth 7-1 to move to within three points of BVB, and TSG Hoffenheim moved into fourth, while Wolfsburg’s and RB Leipzig’s seasons just got worse.
Dortmund can feel unlucky to have lost Der Klassiker having led early in the game and they pushed the Bavarians all the way. Julian Brandt scored with just five minutes on the clock after collecting a brilliant pass from Jude Bellingham and finishing superbly, but Lewandowski struck back on ten minutes, and Kingsley Coman gave the Champions a half-time lead with the help of a deflection.
Erling Braut Haaland’s injury has been one of the biggest Bundesliga 2021 news stories this term, but he was back in front of the Yellow Wall for this huge clash. The Norwegian goal scoring machine hit his 11th of the campaign, curling in a beauty just after the break to make it 2-2.
BVB head coach Marco Rose had been booked when he fumed at a denied penalty for his side, and his mood became significantly worse when Bayern were awarded a spot kick which he felt was overly harsh when Mats Hummels was judged to have handled.
The Dortmund boss received a red card and Lewandowski slammed the penalty home, though Gregor Kobel got a hand to it.
Here at SBOTOP we went for the double chance of Borussia or Draw but Lewandowski’s clinical finishing and referee Felix Zwayer’s big decisions scuppered the Dortmunders’ hopes.
Young England star Jude Bellingham had two assists to make it five for the season, but he let loose at the ref after the game, saying: “You give a referee, that has match fixed before, the biggest game in Germany, what do you expect? For me it wasn’t a penalty. Mats is not even looking at the ball and it hits him. You can look at a lot of decisions in the game.”
Zwayer was banned for six months in 2005 after a match-fixing scandal and I suspect he won’t be welcome in Dortmund for a few years now! But a quick look at the Bundesliga 2021 betting odds tells us what a huge result this was; it’s Bayern’s title to lose again.
Leverkusen in seventh heaven
Bayer striker Patrik Schick scored four goals in the second half as Die Werkself annihilated Greuther Fuerth to cement their third place in the table. The result leaves Greuther rooted to the bottom with just one point to show for their campaign so far.
Amine Adli volleyed the hosts in front and the floodgates opened. Edmond Taposba headed in the second before Jeremy Dudziak halved the deficit to give Greuther brief hope.
But Piero Hincapie fired in the third just before the break to set up Schick’s second-half blitz. The Czech hitman scored four in 27 brutal minutes to move second in the race for the Golden Boot with 12 goals, ahead of Haaland and four behind Lewandowski.
Leipzig sinking as Union rise
Leipzig dropped to 11th place in the table after going down 2-1 to Union Berlin on Friday night, as head coach Jesse Marsch’s problems mounted. Taiwo Awoniyi has been on fire for Union Berlin and he scored his ninth goal of the campaign with just six minutes on the clock.
Leipzig’s shining light Christopher Nkunku scored his sixth of the campaign to level, but Timo Baumgartl converted from a corner early in the second half to take the points for Berlin.
Die Roten Bullen had 63 per cent possession but were beaten in the shot counts by 15 to 12, and four to three on target; and there’s the problem.
Union Berlin made better use of the ball and move up to fifth.
Wolfsburg in a mess
After finishing fourth in the 2020/21 campaign Wolfsburg started this season with four wins to lead the table in mid-September. But a run of six defeats in the last ten games has dropped Die Wolfe to eighth and well off the pace.
They were never at the races in Mainz on Saturday as their hosts raced into a two-goal lead within four minutes, as Jonathan Burkardt and Anton Stach caught the Wolfsburg defence sleeping. And that was pretty much that until the 90th minute when Maxence Lacroix put through his own net to make it 3-0.
Happy Hoffenheim up to fourth
While Leipzig, Wolfsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach flounder there’s an opportunity for a less fancied team to take a shot at a top-four place and TSG Hoffenheim staked their claim with a 3-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Rafael Borre headed the visitors in front but Hoffenheim hit back with goals from Dennis Geiger, Georginio Rutter and Diadie Samassekou to make it 3-1 on the hour. Goncalo Paciencia pulled a goal back for Frankfurt but Hoffenheim held on for their third win on the bounce, scoring 11 goals in the process.
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