Kruse prepares his own goal: FC Bayern picks up historic rubdown

FC Bayern travels to the away game as the clear favorite – and makes the return journey badly beaten. The 22nd Bundesliga match day will be a celebration for VfL Bochum. The mood at Hertha BSC is significantly worse, that’s due to Fürth and Mönchengladbach.

SC Freiburg – 1. FSV Mainz 1: 1 (0: 1)

Superjoker Nils Petersen prevented the next setback for SC Freiburg in the fight for Europe. With his goal (69th), the attacker saved the team of coach Christian Streich at least a 1:1 (0:1) against the away weak FSV Mainz 05. Nevertheless, the Breisgauer missed the leap to a Champions League on the 22nd Bundesliga matchday -Place. After the Mainz lead by Alexander Hack (31st), Petersen struck two minutes after being substituted on. Especially in the first round, Streich’s team disappointed against FSV, who scored again away from home after five bankruptcies in a row. Freiburg, on the other hand, is still waiting for their second win in the second half of the season.

Streich’s eleven started powerfully in front of 10,000 fans, but quickly lost momentum after a good start. On the other hand, Mainz, who had mostly disappointed abroad, were by no means hiding – through Jonathan Burkardt (14th), the guests also reported dangerously in front of the goal. The Rheinhessen, where clearer Dominik Kohr celebrated his comeback in the starting XI, determined the events. Hack’s goal, which pushed the ball over the line out of the crowd, was the deserved reward for a courageous performance.

Freiburg had big problems, Streich could not be satisfied. While Burkardt (41st) missed the second goal, FSV goalkeeper Robin Zentner remained largely unemployed in his 100th Bundesliga game. However, that changed after the break. Freiburg came out of the dressing room much more committed. After a first warning shot by Lukas Kübler (47th), Roland Sallai (52nd) failed freely at the strong hundredweight and thus opened an open exchange of blows – with advantages for Freiburg.

Driven by Streich, who brought in Petersen for the final phase, the Sport-Club pressed for the equaliser. Mainz increasingly let themselves be pushed into their own half, but Burkardt repeatedly relieved the pressure on the front. Then Petersen was spot on after a corner.

Borussia Mönchengladbach – FC Augsburg 3: 2 (1: 0)

Borussia Mönchengladbach has managed a liberation. Coach Adi Hütter’s team celebrated a 3-2 (1-0) win against FC Augsburg after four home defeats in a row and increased the lead over the guests in the relegation rank to four points. Kouadio Kone (30′), Jonas Hofmann (46′) and Ramy Bensebaini (67′) scored for the five-time German champions, who had previously won just one of their last nine games. Meanwhile, FCA are waiting for their second away win of the season, and goals from Iago (55′) and Alfred Finnbogason (90’+3′) didn’t change that.

There was a short-term referee change before kick-off. Tobias Welz was injured and was replaced by his assistant Martin Thomsen. After the numerous negative experiences in the past few weeks, the Gladbachers lacked a little lightness and naturalness in their actions, but they acted courageously and kept looking for the way forward. Florian Neuhaus narrowly missed the lead (13′), Breel Embolo clearly missed FCA goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz (25′) after a nice pass from the strong Alassane Plea. But the guests were by no means hiding. Ex-Gladbach player Andre Hahn caused danger with two headers (12′, 18′).

The lead of Borussia was still deserved. Kone had too much space after a sensitive Plea cross and headed in from close range. After the change, the hosts got off to a lightning start. Bensebaini asserted himself on the left side and served national player Hofmann, who finished deliberately. The guests quickly put the setback away and increased their offensive efforts. The reward was Iago’s connecting goal, which the not always solid Gladbach defensive had lost sight of after a cross. However, Gladbach reacted, after a nice combination and a precise cross from Neuhaus, Bensebaini headed in. Finnbogason’s subsequent goal made added time exciting again.

VfL Bochum – FC Bayern Munich 4: 2 (4: 1)

Serial champion Bayern Munich has suffered an almost historic Bundesliga disgrace. The leader of the table lost 2:4 (1:4) to newly promoted VfL Bochum. World footballer Robert Lewandowski (9th) put Julian Nagelsmann’s star selection in the lead. But intrepid Bochumers duped the favorites with goals from Christopher Antwi-Adjei (14′), Jürgen Locadia (38’/penalty), Cristian Gamboa (40′) and Gerrit Holtmann (44′) before the break. Bayern Munich had last conceded four goals in the first half in 1975 at Eintracht Frankfurt (final score 0:6). Lewandowski (75th) made it exciting again.

The 8,500 spectators had to do without Herbert Grönemeyer’s goosebumps anthem “Bochum” before kick-off – a power failure in the entire Grumme district initially paralyzed the technology and the floodlights. VfL was bursting with energy, the promoted team started briskly against the series champions, who were offensive in the 4-1-4-1. Bayern answered typically: first chance, first goal. Lewandowski switched first from a Kingsley Coman cross and scored his 25th goal of the season.

Anyone who now believed in a “normal” course of the game was disappointed: in the 14th minute, VfL surprised the big favorites with a counterattack, Holtmann left Dayot Upamecano and played into the centre, where Antwi-Adjei gave the sluggish Süle the edge. In the 38th minute, Upamecano got the ball in his own penalty area, Bochum’s winter signing Locadia overcame Ulreich from the point with a bit of luck. Bochum was now intoxicated. Locadia moved in from the right and hit the corner, Holtmann scored the next dream goal from the left.

The half-time period brought back memories of Bochum’s game of the century in 1976. At that time, VfL even led 4-0 against FC Bayern at half-time – and lost dramatically 5-6. Nagelsmann reacted, scored another six in Corentin Tolisso and took the overwhelmed Upamecano off the field. The pressure grew, a Lewandowski free kick (86th) hit the crossbar. VfL, which took a big step towards staying up in the league, brought Bayern back to a Bundesliga bankruptcy as the first promoted team since 1. FC Kaiserslautern in August 2010.

SpVgg Greuther Furth – Hertha BSC 2: 1 (1: 0)

Hertha BSC suffered another severe setback in the relegation battle and is slipping deeper and deeper into the crisis. The ambitious Berliners lost at bottom SpVgg Greuther Fürth after a poor performance for long stretches deservedly 1: 2 (0: 1). For the harmless team of coach Tayfun Korkut, the situation is getting more and more explosive after the fifth game without a win. SpVgg took the lead after just 27 (!) seconds through captain Branimir Hrgota. It was the Kleeblatt’s fastest Bundesliga goal ever and the fastest this season. Hrgota also made it 2-0 with a hand penalty (71st). The 17-year-old Linus Gechter (82nd) ​​managed to get the visitors back, it was his first Bundesliga goal.

The SpVgg got off to a lightning start. After a great cross pass from Paul Seguin, Hrgota didn’t miss the chance to score his sixth goal of the season. The Hertha defense wasn’t awake yet. The guests shook themselves briefly and took over the initiative, Fürth withdrew. Ishak Belfodil (13′) initially had the best chance, but Linde made a brilliant save. But that was it from the Berliners. Fürth fought back into the game and should have been ahead before the break. Timothy Tillmann, Jeremy Dudziak, Jamie Leweling and Hrgota missed good chances against a shaky Hertha.

Korkut reacted and brought Marco Richter. Hertha now acted more decisively. However, Stevan Jovetic and Richter just missed the target. Linde saved against Vladimir Darida. Fürth held against it and was rewarded. Maximilian Mittelstädt blocked a cross from Meyerhöfer with his hand, referee Daniel Schlager immediately decided on a penalty kick, which Hrgota safely converted.

Eintracht Frankfurt – VfL Wolfsburg 0: 2 (0: 1)

Thanks to his dazzling returnee Max Kruse, VfL Wolfsburg landed a surprising liberation in the table basement. After the glimmer of hope in the previous week, the Lower Saxony, with a little luck, won 2-0 (1-0) at Eintracht Frankfurt and got some air in the table basement. Kruse made it 1-0 with a self-made penalty kick after video evidence (28th), Dodi Lukebakio (90th + 3) made the final score. With the first away win in 105 days, coach Florian Kohfeldt should have secured his job for the time being. On the other hand, the Frankfurters, who were too harmless in the end, are slipping more and more into the middle field, the European Cup places are becoming more and more distant.

Eintracht took over control of the game and squeezed the guests in their own half, even without Filip Kostic, who was initially on the bench after suffering from a flu infection. Rafael Borre (3rd/6th) missed the ball twice from a promising position, Kristijan Jakic (10th) only hit the side netting from a tight angle. After a quarter of an hour, VfL was able to balance the game in front of 10,000 spectators.

During a counterattack, Hinteregger Kruse ran clumsily down the penalty area line, and with a bit of luck he converted the justified penalty himself. It was his sixth goal in the past four games against Frankfurt. The SGE was thrown a bit out of rhythm, the inaccuracies increased. Only Jesper Lindström (41′) had a good chance before the break, but Koen Casteels made a strong save.

After the change, the Hessians increased the pressure, but the last pass was often missing. Instead, Kruse put it on the other side, but Jonas Wind (61st) headed inches wide. Then Kostic came into play and caused danger again and again with his cross runs. But the Wolfsburg back three around the strong Sebastiaan Bornauw cleaned up several tricky situations.