A weekend of dramatic Bundesliga highlights and, yet again, one team look out on their own in terms of title winners.
Even at this stage, the outcome of the relegation battle seems fairly clear cut too.
Yet we should not forget the potential impact of a historic win for another club from Bavaria.
What a time to score your first goal
A maiden Bundesliga goal is usually a personal dream for a player but this was doubly delightful for Chris Richards.
For his stoppage-time strike earned Hoffenheim three important points against Baden rivals Freiburg, as the two teams traded places in the table with Sebastian Hoeneß’s men climbing to fourth.
In netting the winner, the 21-year-old became the 15th different player to score for Hoffenheim this season, opening his Bundesliga account on his 28th outing in Germany’s top flight. And he could not have waited for a better time to do it.
Freiburg’ had actually equalised when Richards was off the field of play getting treatment for a knock. That gave the on-loan Bayern Munich defender even more reason to make amends, which he was able to do after Oliver Baumann saved a Vincenzo Grifo penalty.
What a time to gain your first win
This wasn’t just a first win of the season.
This was a first-ever Bundesliga success for Greuther Furth.
Havard Nielsen’s goal was the difference as Union Berlin were defeated at the Sportpark Ronhof.
Nielsen reacted quickest to bundle the ball in – via a deflection – with what proved the only goal of the contest 11 minutes after the restart.
Although they remain six points adrift at the bottom with two games to go until the halfway point, this was finally a first home win in the Bundesliga for Furth at the 24th attempt, spanning two seasons (2012/13 and 2021/22).
It also ended their run of 12 straight league defeats, the longest losing streak in the division’s history.
They’re already playing for second place
That may seem obvious to the majority but it is true and you can’t say that about any other major European league this side of Christmas.
Some may disagree with me – after all, a six points lead is catchable – but it would take some loss of form by Bayern to be reeled in even now.
On Saturday they trailed at the break but there was to be no surprise, no shock to the SBOTOP Bundesliga betting odds.
Mainz took the lead at the Allianz Arena courtesy of Karim Onisiwo’s close-range header midway through the first half.
A confident finish from Kingsley Coman restored parity before talented 18-year-old Jamal Musiala completed the turnaround with a low strike – his ninth Bundesliga goal in 41 top-flight appearances.
The result means manager Julian Nagelsmann has won 100 games in Germany’s top-flight, spanning spells with Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig and Bayern.
Bayern have now scored in 62 successive Bundesliga matches, stretching back to February last year.
Perhaps most ominous of all, Bayern are also Herbstmeister (autumn champions) for the 24th time. Whenever they have topped the table over the winter break, Bayern have gone on to win the title on 21 occasions.
Dortmund show character – but it won’t be enough
Let me say, Borussia Dortmund deserve immense credit.
They have spent the best part of a decade having to sell their best players, many to their arch-rivals Bayern Munich, and yet, during a number of seasons, they have put up a decent title fight.
However, when they lost the ‘big one’ – now called Der Klassiker – last weekend, they would have known their task had just got a whole lot more difficult.
Behind for long spells to Bochum on Saturday, they refused to get frustrated and got their reward to rescue a point five minutes from time.
Sebastian Polter had converted from the penalty spot for the hosts after Gregor Kobel tripped Christopher Antwi-Adjei.
Then Erling Braut Haaland crossed for substitute Julian Brandt to slam in a fine volley from a tight angle to salvage a share of the spoils.
This was Dortmund’s first draw away from home this season, following three wins and three defeats – a record that underlines why they are not consistent enough for a title charge, although there are other views!
Wriggle room at the bottom
As away wins go, how FC Augsburg and VfB Stuttgart could look back on this weekend as crucial come the end of the campaign.
For their respective 2-0 victories at Koln and Wolfsburg have given them some breathing space from the bottom two and closed the gap on Borussia Monchengladbach, who have shipped 10 goals during two heavy defeats on successive weekends.
Andre Hahn and Niklas Dorsch scored second-half goals in Cologne as Augsburg ended a run of 13 away matches without a win going back to February.
Until then, Cologne had been the only unbeaten home team left in this season’s Bundesliga.
Stuttgart stay a point above Augsburg after their own crucial win lifted them back out of the relegation play-off berth.
Konstantinos Mavropanos celebrated his 24th birthday in style with his fourth goal of the season before Forster Wolves doubled their lead from close range. Wolfsburg could have created a nervous finish but Omar Marmoush’s Panenka-style penalty hit the crossbar.
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