26th matchday in the Bundesliga. On Saturday afternoon, the bottom two in the table, VfB Stuttgart and Schalke 04, were particularly disappointing. Union Berlin, on the other hand, stayed on top. The duels of Saturday afternoon at a glance:
RB Leipzig suffered a bitter setback in the fight for a place in the Champions League against FSV Mainz 05. Coach Marco Rose’s team lost 3-0 (1-0) to FSV Mainz 05 and missed out on the top four in the Bundesliga. Mainz celebrated their first win ever in the Leipzig Arena and have been unbeaten in seven games.
Marcus Ingvartsen (9th minute) gave the visitors the lead in front of 45,597 spectators before Ludovic Ajorque (57th) and Dominik Kohr (67th) increased. For RB it was the third defeat in a row after the 0:7 at Manchester City and the 0:1 at VfL Bochum. Again Timo Werner and Co. remained goalless. Now the Saxons, who have lost four of the last seven league games, have to fear for the premier class qualification as fifth in the table. They are two points behind fourth-placed Freiburg.
VfB Stuttgart was unable to end its away trauma at home power 1. FC Union Berlin and continues to stagger towards relegation from the Bundesliga. Despite a convincing first half, the bottom of the Bundesliga table ultimately suffered a bitter 0:3 (0:0) defeat at the Champions League contenders from Köpenick.
In front of 2,012 spectators in the sold-out An der Alten Försterei stadium, goalgetter Sheraldo Becker (51st minute) gave the hosts the lead with his eighth goal of the season. Kevin Behrens (65th) and an own goal by former Union pro Genki Haraguchi (68th) ensured the final score, with which the Irons consolidated their third place.
Hertha BSC has ended its series of bankruptcies away from home in the relegation battle of the Bundesliga and at least got a draw with the 1-1 (0-0) at SC Freiburg. In front of 34,700 spectators in Breisgau, the team coached by Sandro Schwarz scored their first point away from home since mid-September thanks to Jessic Ngankam equalizing (77th minute). Eight times in a row, Hertha lost away from home. Although the Berliners remain on the relegation rank, unlike their competitors VfB Stuttgart and FC Schalke 04, they still scored a point. Vincenzo Grifo initially gave Freiburg the lead with a free kick (52′) and thus scored Baden’s 999th Bundesliga goal.
Even the ninth goal of the season by new national player Mergim Berisha was not enough for FC Augsburg to win their first away win in six months. In the 2-2 (2-0) win at VfL Wolfsburg, the Augsburgers gave up a 2-0 lead at the break on Saturday. After Wolfsburg’s captain Maximilian Arnold scored an early own goal (2nd minute), Bersiha made it 2-0 for the guests in the 32nd minute.
But in the closing stages, the hosts came back again. First, Luca Waldschmidt scored the first goal for VfL (85′), then Wolfsburg’s national team debutant Felix Nmecha scored the deserved equalizer for Wolfsburg (90′) with the final action of the game.
FC Schalke 04 suffered a setback in the Bundesliga relegation battle against Bayern conquerors Bayer Leverkusen and lost for the first time in the second half of the season. Coach Thomas Reis’ team lost 3-0 (0-0) to their Western rivals for the outstanding Florian Wirtz.
Schalke, who had not lost eight times in a row, remain in the relegation zone. Leverkusen, on the other hand, confirmed their very good shape 13 days after the 2-1 win against FC Bayern Munich. Jeremie Frimpong (50th minute), Wirtz (61st) and Sardar Azmoun (90th 2) scored the goals for coach Xabi Alonso’s team against a strong but offensively harmless Schalke team. With their fourth win in a row, Leverkusen continued their race to catch up in the European Cup in front of 62,271 spectators in the Gelsenkirchen Arena.
Eintracht Frankfurt has once again lost points in the fight for a place in the Champions League. The Europa League winner did not get past a 1-1 (1-1) draw against VfL Bochum on Friday evening. Goalscorer Randal Kolo Muani saved coach Oliver Glasner’s team a point with a converted penalty kick in the 22nd minute. In front of 50,000 spectators, Takuma Asano (14th) had given the guests the lead.
At 6.30 p.m. the top game between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund is on the program (live on Sky and in the stern ticker). The 26th matchday will then be concluded on Sunday with the games 1. FC Köln against Borussia Mönchengladbach (3.30 p.m.) and Werder Bremen against TSG Hoffenheim (5.30 p.m.).
