One of, if not the the biggest game in German football took place this weekend. The RevierDerby see intense rivals Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund face off, and generally throws up some very memorable moments. Who can forget the 4-4 just last year, for example?
The first meeting between the two this season may not have been quite as exciting, but Dortmund won’t care. Lucien’s Favre’s men came away from the Veltins-Arena with a 2-1 victory as Jadon Sancho scored the winner in the 74th minute. This triumph over their bitter enemy maintains BVB’s seven point lead at the top of the Bundesliga. Schalke, meanwhile, remain in the bottom half.
Borussia Mönchengladbach continued their impeccable home form with a dominant 3-0 against an albeit lacklustre Stuttgart. Die Fohlen have been victorious in all seven of their games at the Borussia-Park, and this one was just as emphatic as the rest. For their opponents, it is a return to their uninspiring form following their 1-0 win against Augsburg last week.
It was a good matchday for Freiburg, as they dispatched RB Leipzig with surprising ease. The 3-0 scoreline may have been a little lenient, but Christian Streich and his players deserved their victory. Leipzig’s loss was also good news for Bayern Munich, who leapfrogged Ralf Rangnick and co following their victory against Nürnberg. For FC Bayern’s opponents, it is now eight games without a win. They are in need of a change of fortunes if they are to halt their slide down the table.
What has happened to Eintracht Frankfurt in recent weeks? They went so long without a loss, and then two have come back-to-back. Hertha Berlin inflicted the damage this time around, winning 1-0, in what was the first game since the Super Cup in August that Eintracht have failed to score in. Whilst Frankfurt weren’t their usual selves, credit must be given where it is due. Pal Dardai continues to do a solid job with the team from the capital, who now sit in sixth place.
Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen claimed three points, against Augsburg and Fortuna Düsseldorf respectively, whilst Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim drew 2-2. After a dip in form, Wolfsburg have picked up of late, with this point following two victories against Eintracht Frankfurt and RB Leipzig, both high-flyers in the division. Die Wölfe manager Bruno Labbadia certainly deserves credit after having masterminded these results against formidable opposition.
Mainz 05 and Hannover 96 also split the points in a game that produced more action off the field than on it. Firstly, excessive pyrotechnics in the Hannover stand imposed a seven minute stop on proceedings. Then, Mainz were awarded a very debatable penalty, in part thanks to the ever popular VAR system that continues to cause debate. The draw, however, was a fair reflection of the encounter.