Bundesliga Bulletin: Bayern one win from glory
June 14, 2020
Good week for: Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, Union Berlin, relegation battle, away teams
Bad week for: Paderborn, Düsseldorf, Mainz, home teams
The headlines:
Bayern one win away from glory
Borussia Mönchengladbach were a few minutes away from getting a big point at the Allianz Arena in Saturday's late game, but Leon Goretzka put pay to that with an 86th minute winner. Hansi Flick had rested Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller, and the former's understudy – 19-year-old Joshua Zirkzee – got himself on the scoresheet before Goretzka won it. Gladbach remain in a close fight with Leverkusen for the fourth Champions League spot after the Werkself could only draw with Schalke (see below), while Bayern will clinch an eighth straight title at Bremen on Tuesday night. Speaking of Bremen…
Paderborn as good as gone as Bremen keep fighting
Werder Bremen simply needed to win to stay in the Bundesliga, but three points haven't come easily for them this season. They travelled to the Bundesliga's bottom team Paderborn and played them off the park, scoring five goals in a league game for the first time since April 2017. For Paderborn, only a miracle will save them. Eight points off the play-off place with three games to play paints a bleak picture for them.
Haaland steals the late show for Dortmund
Fortuna Düsseldorf, one of Bremen's rivals at the bottom, were so close to getting a point that would have been worth its weight in gold to them. A goalless draw was on the cards until the 95th minute, when Erling Haaland broke Fortuna's hearts. The title may be gone for Dortmund, but they're finishing the season strongly and not letting RB Leipzig pip them to second.
Union take huge step towards safety
If Union Berlin secure Bundesliga survival, it will be a major achievement for a club operating on a budget several times smaller than most of the clubs around them. They took a big step towards that goal with a vital 2-1 win in Cologne on Saturday, courtesy of goals from Marvin Friedrich and Christian Gentner. Mathematically, they're not safe, but they're almost there.
Mainz slip closer to the trap door
The same can't be said of Mainz, who are perilously close to the bottom three after a home defeat – another one in the Bundesliga – by Augsburg. With Mainz facing Borussia Dortmund next, their home game against Werder Bremen has become the mother of all six-pointers. Defeat for either side there and things will begin to look very, very, bleak.
Schalke close, but winless streak continues
Schalke put in their best performance since their last victory in January - but they still only have a point to show for it. Hopelessly out of form going into this oneand with a huge injury list, their young replacements played some good stuff against a Leverkusen side chasing fourth. Daniel Caligiuri fired Schalke ahead from the spot soon after half time, but a Juan Miranda own goal ensured the points were shared, extending Schalke's winless Bundesliga run to an incredible 13 games - a new club record.
The stats:
- Bayer Leverkusen have profited from own-goals nine times this season – more than any other club in Europe's top five leagues.
- Bayern's victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach was their tenth straight in the Bundesliga. The last time they achieved that was under Jupp Heynckes in 2017-18.
- Andre Silva's two goals for Eintracht Frankfurt against Hertha Berlin brings him up to six since the Bundesliga restarted – more than any other player in Germany's top flight.
- Paderborn's Klaus Gjasula received his 17th yellow card of the season against Werder Bremen, in 28th appearances. A new Bundesliga record!
- Niclas Füllkrug's goal for Werder Bremen against Paderborn was the first goal scored by a Werder substitute this season.
- Schalke's starting XI against Bayer Leverkusen was the youngest they've fielded in three years.
- Florian Niederlechner's goal after 43 seconds was the third time this season that Augsburg have scored in the opening minute of a game, tying a record set by Duisburg in 1974-75 and then equaled by Saarbrücken in 1985-86.
The quotes:
"It's a bit of a paradox when you hear the club talking about big summer transfers and then requesting we take wage cuts."
- Thomas Müller with a controversial comment ahead of Bayern's game against Gladbach, for which he later apologized and insisted he was happy to take a wage cut to help club employees.
"Bayern are Bayern, they believe in success right until the end. That's where we want to be"
- Gladbach coach Marco Rose.
"That was a super goal, it shows his quality. He's very confident in his shooting in training too."
- Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick on 19-year-old striker Joshua Zirkzee.
"S***. Keep going."
- Werder Bremen coach Florian Kohfeldt's reaction to Milot Rashica's missed penalty with the score still 0-0.
"I'm not often speechless, but I am today. We played very well, we ran almost nine kilometers, we didn't allow Dortmund through - until the goal."
- Fortuna Düsseldorf coach Uwe Rösler
"Last week I was the fool, this week I'm the hero. That's football."
- Augsburg's match-winner Florian Niederlechner
"I've seen a lot of crazy things, we're not going to start calculating now - but it looks very, very good."
- Union Berlin's Christian Gentner