Bundesliga SRL Round-Up | Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich stay in title race with wins and more
In a packed Saturday, six games were played in the Bundesliga and it was no ordinary day. Borussia Dortmund walked away with a win against Fortuna Dusseldorf, Wolfsburg and Freiburg put up a show but it was Bayern Munich’s battle against Borussia Monchengladbach that was the Saturday’s marquee show.
Fortuna Dusseldorf 1-4 Borussia Dortmund
A brilliant game to watch and it proved as much with Borussia Dortmund on the back foot for most of the first half. Somehow Fortuna Dusseldorf did their business in the first 45 minutes with them scoring, causing loads of problems and somehow failed to score more goals. Because football is a game of two halves and the German giants made sure they paid for that, with not one but four second-half goals.
The half-time team talk worked wonders as Dortmund pummelled four goals in the space of 28 minutes including two during added time. That pushed the game away from Dusseldorf and they failed to cope up with the intensity that Lucien Favre’s men produced.
Hertha Berlin 0-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Another game that proved to be lacklustre ten minutes into it with Frankfurt scoring four minutes into the game getting off to a flying start. But Hertha Berlin managed to produce a stunning effort to try and get their equalizer with 14 shots on goal but with just six on target, they failed to truly test the Frankfurt back four. That didn’t see to matter with the away side doing their fair share to threaten Berlin although, they failed to double their lead walking away with just the lone goal.
FSV Mainz 05 1-0 FC Augsburg
Form was on Mainz’s side and they made sure the took full use of it as they walked away deserved 1-0 winners against Augsburg. Now naturally, the away side put up a fight but with three losses in their last five games, luck was always against them and yet, somehow Mainz walked away with a win. The hosts were put under immense pressure after they opened the scoring halfway through the opening half with the away side turning on the pressure.
But Augsburg’s failure to find the target saw them eventually inch away with a loss despite them earning 10 corners and making next to nothing happen from them. Things need to improve or else they could slip even further down.
SC Paderborn 07 0-0 Werder Bremen
While a goalless draw is almost always boring, this wasn’t. Somehow despite 23 shots on goal, seven corners, 31 free-kicks and a whole host of other stats, either side failed to score. It could have a little something to do with the fact that both sides are in the relegation zone but even then, Bremen had a brilliant chance to leap-frog over SC Paderborn and failed to do it.
The away side, Bremen, dominated the game but somehow failed to get anything out of it. They had more shots on goal, more shots on target and even more corners but failed to find the net. Not only that, but they also failed to work the goalkeeper with SC Paderborn’s number one making just four saves. It still means that relegation is up for grabs with not two but four sides in the running.
VFB Wolfsburg 2-1 SC Freiburg
While the first half was magnificent and action-packed, the second half saw both sides temper off and disappear into the night. The hosts, VFB Wolfsburg managed to open the scoring only for Freiburg to equalize less than ten minutes before half time. In between that, both sides made sure that the other knew they were in the midst of a fight with a whole host of other action.
But the second half was dominated by one side and Wolfsburg eventually made it count as they walked out 2-1 winners on the night. However, things could have been much worse if Freiburg took their chances with the away side outshooting the hosts. But their lack of prolificacy in front of goal saw them suffer with just five shots on target as compared to Wolfsburg's nine.
Bayern Munich 2-0 Borussia Monchengladbach
This game was supposed to be the marquee fixture and the first half proved just as much. While the Bavarians dominated the game with their excellent shooting performance, Marco Rose’s Monchengladbach stayed in the fight and proved that they’re just as good as the rest. But the second half was a different question altogether with the hosts walking out confident.
Within the opening ten minutes, Bayern Munich had smashed two past the Monchengladbach goal and effectively put the game past the away side after that. While Gladbach did have a few, two shots on target in the second half, it turned out to be their best chances of the game. But they failed to get their front-line off and running with nothing working out in their favour.