Best of Bundesliga: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig separated by a point
Everything you need to know about Matchday 9 in the Bundesliga.
Good week for: Bayern Munich, Comebacks, Hannover, RB Leipzig
Bad week for: Peter Bosz, First-half leads, Sehrou Guirassy, Cologne, Werder Bremen
Best bits
– Appearance milestones were the theme of the weekend. Stuttgart’s Andreas Beck (250 Bundesliga games), Mario Götze (100 Bundesliga games for BVB), Daniel Brosinski (100 Bundesliga games for Mainz), Branimir Hrgota (100 Bundesliga games).
– Schalke scored their eighth set-piece goal this season against Mainz – the most of all Bundesliga teams.
– Stuttgart have not won away in the Bundesliga in eight games – the club’s longest league drought since 1974.
– RB Leipzig won their fourth Bundesliga game in a row, and are showing signs they can cope with a European schedule. Marcel Sabitzer’s curler was worthy of winning any game, but given the weather and the week RB Leipzig have had it was all the more impressive. Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side are third, just one point (19) back from Bayern and Dortmund.
– Sunday was the day of the penalty, with five spot kicks in the last two games of the day. First, Janik Haberer converted for Freiburg and Saloman Kalou missed one and scored one for Hertha Berlin. Then in the late game, Wolfsburg’s Maxi Arnold blazed over from the spot before Kerem Demirbay gave Hoffenheim a lead they surrendered in injury time.
– Hannover are in the top six thanks to a 2-1 comeback win against Augsburg away from home. Andre Breitenreiter might not have got it right with Schalke, but he is showing that one strike out as a head coach doesn’t always have to spell the end.
Best quotes
“I’m like the fire brigade. If you call, I’m there.”
Neven Subotic after his first appearance for BVB since March, 2016
“After the 2-1, I looked at the scoreboard and thought: ‘Boah, 25 minutes left. Enjoy! This is going to be a wild one.'”
Nuri Sahin after Eintracht Frankfurt’s first goal in the 2-2 with Dortmund
“[Mats] Hummels or [Jerome] Boateng wouldn’t have seen red for that.”
HSV’s Dennis Diekmeier about Gideon Jung’s foul on Kingsley Coman that saw him sent off
Gideon Jung saw red in Hamburg’s narrow defeat
“That was an exceptional Bundesliga game. From the restart to the 65th minute it was played without any midfield and with great vision. I only know that from old boys football.”
Frankfurt’s Sporting Director Fredi Bobic after the 2-2 with Dortmund
“I wanted to be on those funny videos on Facebook and Instagram.”
Hannover’s goalkeeper Philipp Tschauner after his goalkick that ended in a corner
“Maybe I’ll buy myself a pair of shoes.”
Hannover’s Niclas Füllkrug when asked about a reward for his brace against Augsburg
“We can’t offer a spectacle in this three-day rhythm. That’s not asked for in these games – the three points are.”
RB Leipzig head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl on the 1-0 against Stuttgart
“I had to make a save every 10 minutes today so I didn’t get cold.”
Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky
“Unbelievable. Now we’re clearing the ball away from the opposition’s goalline. That really hurts.”
Cologne’s Dominc Maroh after Sehrou Guirassy’s miss late on vs. Werder Bremen
Injury news
– Thomas Müller came off the bench at halftime, set up a goal and then went off with a hamstring/thigh complaint just minutes later.
– Cologne’s Claudio Pizarro was due to start for the home side against Werder Bremen but injured his thigh in the warm-up.
– Eintracht Frankfurt’s Timothy Chandler hobbled off after no tackle midway through the first half. The US international is believed to have twisted his knee and looked in considerable pain at the time of his substitution.
– Stuttgart’s Dennis Aogo was brought off after just 10 minutes into Stuttgart’s game with adductor problems. No timescale has been put on his recovery yet.
Bizarre Bundesliga
There were a few contenders on Matchday 9, and although Philipp Tschauner’s goakick to a teammate that went so wrong it went out for a corner came close, it was Sehrou Guirassy’s miss near the end of Cologne’s game against Werder Bremen that takes it.
The game between the two sides yet to win in the Bundesliga showed little quality, but at the end both sides might have won it and Cologne’s chance was the best of the bunch. Guirassy found himself in front of goal and with the Werder goalkeeper nowhere, but when the ball arrived he ended up clearing it rather than tapping home a likely winner. It summed up Cologne’s season and goes down as one of the most memorable misses in league history.
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Matchday 9 in pictures: Bayer Leverkusen turn on the style, Dortmund pegged back
Gladbach 1-5 Leverkusen
Leverkusen had a big day when they visited Borussia Park on Saturday. Sven Bender (middle), Leon Bailey, Kevin Volland (far left), Julian Brandt (second from left) and Joel Pohjanpalo all found the back of the net as Leverkusen scored five goals in the second half. Fabian Johnson had given the Foals the lead after seven minutes, but Gladbach’s early advantage counted for very little.
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Matchday 9 in pictures: Bayer Leverkusen turn on the style, Dortmund pegged back
Wolfsburg 1 – 1 Hoffenheim
Julian Nagelsmann’s Hoffenheim were looking for a win that would keep them in touch with the top three, but could only manage a draw at Wolfsburg. Maxi Arnold missed an early penalty for the hosts and Kerem Demirbay put Hoffenheim ahead from the spot with 17 minutes to play. But Hoffenheim were denied the win when an injury time header from Uduokhai ensured Wolfsburg’s fifth successive draw.
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Matchday 9 in pictures: Bayer Leverkusen turn on the style, Dortmund pegged back
Freiburg 1 – 1 Hertha
Hertha Berlin still haven’t won since September 20. Freiburg’s Janik Haberer scored from the spot early in the second half after Christian Günter was taken out in the box. Hertha missed a penalty of their own as Salomon Kalou blazed it over the bar, but the Ivorian atoned for that with an 88th minute spot kick, salvaging a much-needed point.
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Matchday 9 in pictures: Bayer Leverkusen turn on the style, Dortmund pegged back
Cologne 0 – 0 Werder Bremen
The Bundesliga’s bottom two sides are still without a win between them after a Sunday game high on tension but desperately low in quality. The struggles of both teams were summed up with five minutes to go when Sehrou Guirassy, who replaced Claudio Pizarro after he was injured in the warm up, managed to strike the ball backwards from two yards out with no goalkeeper to be seen.
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Matchday 9 in pictures: Bayer Leverkusen turn on the style, Dortmund pegged back
Hamburg 0-1 Bayern Munich
Jupp Heynckes’ perfect start to his return from retirement continued on Saturday as Bayern topped Hamburg. The Dinosaurs kept Heynckes’ side at bay for most of the first half until Gideon Jung saw straight read for a challenge on Kingsley Coman. Corentin Tolisso (pictured) scored the only goal of the game as Bayern kept their third-straight clean sheet.
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Matchday 9 in pictures: Bayer Leverkusen turn on the style, Dortmund pegged back
Eintracht Frankfurt 2-2 Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund blew a two goal lead in Frankfurt. Nuri Sahin put Peter Bosz’s side in charge and Maximilian Philipp doubled the score shortly after the break. But Roman Bürki conceded a penalty after colliding clumsily with Ante Rebic, Sebastien Haller converted from the spot. Marius Wolf then scored the equalizer, the first goal of his professional career, before a thrilling finish.
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Matchday 9 in pictures: Bayer Leverkusen turn on the style, Dortmund pegged back
Augsburg 1-2 Hannover
Hannover returned to their winning ways as they completed a 2-1 comeback against Bundesliga surprise-package Augsburg. Michael Gregoritsch scored the opener after his shot deflected off Julian Korb, but Korb later redeemed himself by picking out Niclas Füllkrug from the right wing for the equalizer. Füllkrug also scored the winner just before the final whistle after Jonathas set him up.
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Matchday 9 in pictures: Bayer Leverkusen turn on the style, Dortmund pegged back
Leipzig 1-0 Stuttgart
RB Leipzig’s October surge continued as they won their third game in a row. Marcel Sabitzer (right) scored the only goal of the game, finishing a curling effort after Timo Werner, who came through Stuttgart’s academy, served him the ball. Stuttgart might have got a draw, but couldn’t score. Both teams honored the recently deceased Thomas Albeck, who ran the academy system of both clubs.
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Matchday 9 in pictures: Bayer Leverkusen turn on the style, Dortmund pegged back
Schalke 2-0 Mainz
Schalke started the matchday with a tough home win against Mainz, mainly thanks to another fine performance by Leon Goretzka. The Bochum youth player scored the first goal of the game before Guido Burgstaller poached a decisive second in the second half. Mainz huffed and puffed but were well short of the quality needed to challenge Schalke, who moved into the top four ahead of Saturday’s games.