RB Leipzig has climbed to second place in the Bundesliga for the time being. The cup winner said goodbye to the World Cup and winter break with a 2-1 (1-0) win at SV Werder Bremen.
Thanks to the fourth win in a row, Leipzig are three points behind FC Bayern under coach Marco Rose with 28 points – the Munich team still have to play last-placed FC Schalke 04 in the evening (6:30 p.m. / Sky).
The tied teams of 1. FC Union Berlin (3rd) and SC Freiburg (4th/27th each) will play against each other on Sunday, as will Eintracht Frankfurt (5th/26th) at 1. FSV Mainz 05 (12th/18th) . Borussia Dortmund (6th/25th) had to lose contact with Bayern after beating Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-2 on Friday evening at the start of the 15th matchday.
Victorious Hertha
Hertha BSC (15th/14th) left the relegation rank with a 2-0 (1-0) win over 1. FC Köln. VfB Stuttgart slipped to 16th place with the same number of points, the Swabians lost 0:2 (0:1) at Bayer Leverkusen. VfL Wolfsburg defeated TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 2-1 (1-1). The table penultimate VfL Bochum celebrated its first away win with a 1-0 (0-0) against FC Augsburg. The games were partly accompanied by protests against the World Cup in Qatar, which begins next Sunday and lasts until December 18th.
It soon looked as if the Saxons would win again, having traveled to Bremen with three in a row. Andre Silva took the lead in the 13th minute. But the team of coach Marco Rose failed to follow suit. A slightly deflected shot by Christian Groß (57th) equalized. Xaver Schlager (71st) put Leipzig back in the lead and ultimately to victory.
Wolfsburg series holds
It also worked for the Wolfsburg team with their fourth league win in a row. The team of coach Nico Kovac in Sinsheim fell behind for the first time. Christoph Baumgartner (42nd) gave Hoffenheim the lead just before the break. In the long stoppage time of the first half of the game, teammate Ozan Kabak (45.4) scored an own goal before Ridle Baku (56.) scored the second goal for the guests from Lower Saxony and made it a happy success.
The professionals from Hertha BSC ended their earnings crisis with three defeats in a row. The general meeting this Sunday can come. Against 1. FC Köln in their 24th competitive game in 106 days, Wilfried Kanga (9th) and Marco Richter (54th) scored for coach Sandro Schwarz’s team.
Instead of Hertha, VfB Stuttgart slipped to the relegation rank. The battered team of interim coach Michael Wimmer lost to Leverkusen through goals from Moussa Diaby (30′) and Jonatha Tah (82′). VfB thus set a negative club record: For the first time in a full calendar year, they went without an away win in the Bundesliga.
VfL Bochum is only one point worse than VfB. Christopher Antwi-Adjei scored the third win of the season for the promoted team with a goal in the 58th minute.
