Bundesliga SRL Round-Up | Hoffenheim win, Bayern Munich sneak past Frankfurt and Werder Bremen lose
Getty
A tough weekend in the Bundesliga SRL but despite that Bayern Munich somehow managed to expand the gap between them and second-place Borussia Dortmund to three points with a win. Not everyone was as lucky with Monchengladbach, Paderborn and Werder Bremen losing although the Berlin derby ended level.
Hertha BSC 1-1 Union Berlin
Only the second Berlin derby played in the top flight and unlike the first one, this finished up as a draw with Union winning the earlier clash. But the away side wasnât really at their best going into the game as they walked into the game with just one win in their last four games. Not that Hertha were in better form with the hosts winning one and losing three in the same time frame.
That showed as much on the field with both sides struggling to grab a hold of the game. It saw just eleven shots fired on goal in total although Hertha did take the lead in 31st minute. That ended the first half and things refused to change in the second half. Hertha did walk out the better side but somehow against the run of play Union equalised. That changed the game but neither side were able to score the winner with the game ending level.
Bayern Munich 1-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
Not the easiest clash for the Bavarians and yet they made sure Frankfurt paid for every mistake, which was quite a lot. In fact, a lot were surprised that Bayern finished the first half without scoring especially since the hosts managed to six shots on goal in the first half. Only one found the target, so that might explain the lack of goals but Frankfurt fired eight and had three on target.
Yet neither side scored and that saw them walk into the restart on level terms although Bayern changed that eleven minutes into the half. That was despite Frankfurt finding their groove although nine shots on goal never helped their cause and neither did their 56 dangerous attacks, as they succumbed to another loss.
Freiburg 4-1 Werder Bremen
This was Freiburgâs game from the moment go and they made no mistake in making Bremen know that fact. Three shots in the opening 15 minutes and three goals in the opening 45 meant that the hosts went into the second half comfortably ahead. Not only that, but there were also only a few on the planet that did not expect Freiburg to be ahead with them winning two of their last four games.
Bremen, on the other hand, walked in winless with two losses and two draws to their name and that showed. With just three shots on goal in the entire first half, the away side were second best for most of the game although they found a rhythm of sorts in the second. It saw them pull one goal back twelve minutes into the restart but Freiburg added a fourth goal in the 68th minute, which effectively sealed the game.
Borussia Monchengladbach 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen
A tough game for both sides but it was without a doubt extremely fun to watch. For once, Bayer Leverkusen proved that you donât need to have too many shots on goal to score and they did just that with one shot in the first half. Gladbach, however, did nothing of that sorts with six shots on goal and three on target with both sides failing to change the scoreline before the half-time break.
Things changed in the second half although the game did take a little time to explode. Only after the 60th minute mark did the game actually burst into action with eleven shots take in the final half hour of the game. Monchengladbach did struggle, despite taking five shots, and they failed to push ahead with handed Leverkusen the chance and they took it with a 73rd minute strike. There was a late fight back from the hosts but they failed to do too much with the ball and it eventually came to nothing.
Paderborn 0-2 Hoffenheim
Few expected Paderborn to do anything but lose and while football can shock and awe people at times, this wasnât one such occasion. Instead, while they dominated the game from the get go even hitting the target twice in the first five minutes, things soon petered out. But Hoffenheim struggled to find their groove in the opening 45 minutes, taking just three shots on goal. Thatâs as compared to Paderbornâs seven on goal with four on target.
Shocking but neither side pushed ahead although that changed rather rapidly in the second half as Hoffenheim took the lead ten minutes in the restart. They continued to dominate the ball and the game after they opened the scoring was all the away side. They doubled their lead in the 79th minute and while Paderborn put up a decent fight, this was never their game to win.
VFB Wolfsburg 1-3 Borussia Dortmund
A goal dominated first half and Wolfsburg fought their hearts out to make sure they stayed in the contest against a Borussia Dortmund that had a title to fight for. The away side made sure they made every advantage they had count with a goal eight minutes into the game. They doubled their lead eleven minutes later although that would last only a minute as Wolfsburg pulled one back. The hosts tried to equalise in the first half but both their shots failed to test the Dortmund backline.
Instead, they walked into the break behind and Dortmund quickly made sure Wolfsburg would regret that in the second half. Within the first fifteen minutes, the Signal Iduna Park side fired four shots on goal and hit the target thrice although their third goal would take another twelve minutes to arrive. The 72nd minute strike from the away side marked the end for Wolfsburg and the hosts had to settle for another loss. However, the stats proved that hosts created just as many dangerous attacks (50 each) but failed to make the most of their chances.
