After the big night against PSG, Bayern need a few minutes to settle into everyday life in the league. But after falling behind early on, they fight back furiously. And move away for now. Gladbach’s Pléa is desperate in Leipzig, Frankfurt loses important points and Hertha is still stuck in the basement.
Bayern Munich – FC Augsburg 5: 3 (4: 1)
After its premier class gala, FC Bayern has fulfilled its duty in everyday league life with some brilliance. Three days after the impressive 2-0 win against Paris St. Germain, the enthusiastic Munich team won the derby 5-3 (4-1) against an overwhelmed FC Augsburg. The record champions extended their lead in the table to three points for a short time, but Dortmund can draw level again in the evening game. FCA, who had won two of their last three league games against Bayern, took the lead in the second minute through Mergim Berisha. But Bayern reacted to the shock in class: João Cancelo equalized with his first goal for Bayern (15′).
Benjamin Pavard made it 2-1 four minutes later and increased in the 35th minute with a scissor shot. Leroy Sané (45th), who was recently criticized, made it 4-1 before the break in front of 75,000 spectators. Again Berisha shortened the penalty kick (60th), but Alphonso Davies (74th) ensured clear conditions. Irvin Cardona (90+3) scored for FCA just before the end. Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann made five changes after the PSG game, bringing a breath of fresh air. Thomas Müller, Kingsley Coman, Josip Stanisic and Leon Goretzka initially sat on the bench. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was out injured. Instead, superstar Sadio Mané, Pavard, Serge Gnabry, Sané and Cancelo joined the team.
And after a slightly delayed start because a hole in the net had to be patched, they hadn’t sorted themselves out properly, and it was already 0:1. Pavard was unlucky with the header, Cancelo was not consistent enough. Berisha, who scored his fourth goal (two for Salzburg) in the fourth game against Bayern, converted coldly. The FCA striker is said to be on the list of national coach Hansi Flick.
It was a hello-awake for Bayern. Cancelo with a powerful low shot and Pavard in goalscoring style after a nice overhead kick from Mané turned the game around. Bayern kept the pressure and even rewarded themselves twice before the break. FCA, who, in contrast to the previous duel against Munich, were far too timid, had nothing to oppose Bayern at this stage. Coach Enrico Maassen reacted and made four changes at the break. Initially, this did not change anything about Bayern’s superior performance – until Matthijs de Ligt fouled Arne Maier. Berisha converted the penalty. The Munich remained focused. Davies made everything clear after a nice assist from Cancelo.
RB Leipzig – Borussia Monchengladbach 3: 0 (0: 0)
RB Leipzig celebrated a successful dress rehearsal for the Champions League cracker at Manchester City at the explosive and emotionally charged reunion of Max Eberl with his former club Borussia Mönchengladbach. On Saturday, the 100th day of Eberl’s tenure, the DFB Cup winner won 3-0 (0-0) against Gladbach, who had recently been weakening. Eberl, who left Gladbach in January 2022 after 23 years as a player and sports director and finally joined RB last December, followed the goals of Timo Werner (58th), Emil Forsberg (71st, penalty kick) and Josko Gvardiol (80th minute). ) in the stands next to former RB managing director Oliver Mintzlaff. RB goalkeeper and ex-Gladbacher Janis Blaswich (53rd) also saved a penalty after video evidence from Alassane Pléa.
The people of Leipzig, who continue to have their sights set on the premier class ranks in the Bundesliga, are going into the round of 16 second leg of the Champions League at City on Tuesday (9 p.m. / Prime Video) with a tailwind, where they are after the 1-1 draw in the first Duel create the big surprise and want to move into the top eight in Europe. While Eberl warmly greeted his former employees on the Gladbach side before the game, the away fans who had traveled with him received him less warmly. “Eberl is a son of a bitch,” they sang when he was in the run-up to the TV interview. And the 49-year-old criticized the followers in turn.
Max Eberl is not very popular with the BMG fans.
(Photo: IMAGO/Jan Huebner)
“I made no secret of the fact that I was ill. If this topic is then simply negated and it is simply summarized as a change from Gladbach to Leipzig, it is simply wrong,” said Eberl on Sky: “It happens from people, put the others in their crosshairs, run through the cities with iron bars and light fires.” The Gladbach ultra group Sottocultura had previously described Eberl as a “character pig” who had switched “to the evil side of football”. At the same time, with reference to Eberl’s burnout diagnosis, which caused him to turn his back on Gladbach, the group wrote about “his invented ‘disease’, which then coincidentally and appropriately paved the way for him to Leipzig”.
On Saturday, the fans also added banners. “Empty words only for appearances, for us only a bull pig” or “Miracle healing by Red Bull. When lying becomes a business model” was read in the block. But the game in the first round also offered a lot in terms of sport. Leipzig relied on possession but struggled to create chances, carelessly inviting the visitors on several occasions. First Marcus Thuram (10th) failed from an acute angle at Blaswich, before Werner (11th) shortly afterwards checked Gladbach’s keeper Tobias Sippel on the other side – then Willi Orban’s blackout followed. Leipzig’s captain left Thuram (33rd) in a dangerous position, whose shot went just over the bar.
Even after the break, Gladbach continued to have chances that RB gave them too easily. Jonas Hofmann ran towards the goal completely alone and was only straddled at the last moment by Leipzig’s David Raum. Referee Matthias Jöllenbeck initially saw no foul, corrected himself after viewing the video images, with Blaswich guessing the right corner at the penalty and parrying Pléa. Only five minutes later, Werner refined a wonderful solo with a powerful shot under the crossbar. Forsberg then raised after Pléa brought down Amadou Haidara in the box. Gvardiol put the finishing touches.
Eintracht Frankfurt – VfB Stuttgart 1: 1 (0: 0)
Eintracht Frankfurt had a poor dress rehearsal for the premier class against VfB Stuttgart, who were in danger of being relegated. Four days before the round of 16 second leg at SSC Naples, coach Oliver Glasner’s team had to settle for a disappointing 1-1 (0-0) in a duel with the away weak Swabians and missed the fifth home win in a row. Although the Hessians took the lead through captain Sebastian Rode (55th), substitute Silas (75th) equalized for the Swabians – a significant increase is needed in Naples. Coach Bruno Labbadia’s team from Stuttgart, on the other hand, was able to celebrate an unexpected point, although the wait for their first away win continues.
Frankfurt started with Rafael Borre and Djibril Sow instead of Jesper Lindström (ankle injury) and Daichi Kamada compared to the game in Wolfsburg (2-2). Labbadia made three changes after the decent performance against Bayern Munich (1: 2): Tiago Tomas, Juan Perea and Borna Sosa after a yellow card suspension moved into the team. In the 100th meeting of the two clubs in the Bundesliga, which was initially characterized by bad passes and duels in midfield, Stuttgart made a slightly better impression. However, VfB lacked accuracy in several promising switching actions. Only Konstantinos Mavropanos (34th), who should be the focus of Eintracht, and Perea (42nd) reported dangerously in front of the goal.
The Hessians, on the other hand, who want to catch up 0: 2 in Naples on Wednesday (9 p.m. / DAZN), acted much too sluggishly before the break. In the attacking game, the offensive around Randal Kolo Muani, Mario Götze and Co. hardly came up with anything, deals remained scarce in front of 50,000 fans. Glasner probably found the right words during the break. Frankfurt started the second half much more energetically and struck immediately. Djibril Sow’s shot was initially blocked, but on the second try Rode skillfully put the ball into the far corner – and gave the Hessians fresh self-confidence.
Labbadia reacted to his team’s weak start after the change of sides and brought in Chris Führich and Silas, among others, for more offensive power, who used a counterattack almost out of nowhere to equalize about ten minutes after being substituted on. Enzo Millot (79th) just missed the lead a little later.
Hertha BSC – FSV Mainz 05 1: 1 (1: 0)
New investor, old sporting worries: On the day its new financier 777 Partners was announced, Hertha BSC missed three big points in the fight against relegation from the Bundesliga. Despite the lead, the Berliners couldn’t get more than a 1-1 (1-0) win against the in-form FSV Mainz 05 on Saturday and are stuck deep in the table basement.
Striker Jessic Ngankam (18th, hand penalty after video evidence) scored for Hertha, which got fresh money flushed into the very tight club coffers through the entry of the US investment company. But Ludovic Ajorque (57th) equalized for Mainz, which was worth seeing, but after four wins in a row they missed another big step towards international business and can slip to eighth place in the table on Sunday. A few hours before kick-off, the Berliners presented the successor to investor Lars Windhorst, who had held 64.7 percent of the shares in Hertha BSC GmbH & Co. KGaA with his company. According to “kicker” information, a total of 100 million euros will initially flow into the club from the private investment company.
After the economic exclamation point, Hertha wanted to set a scent mark on the pitch right from the start, coach Sandro Schwarz’s team was immediately the more active team against his former team. Referee Benjamin Cortus awarded the hosts a flattering penalty after Leandro Barreiro’s hand touched the ball slightly from a Lucas Tousart cross – Ngankam didn’t care, the forward who had slipped into the starting XI threw in the lead safely. The game then flattened out a bit, Hertha’s Tolga Cigerci just got away with a yellow card after a hard challenge (22nd) against Barreiro. Mainz gradually took over control of the game, but the guests failed to complete anything until the break.
Even after the change of sides, Mainz initially hardly posed a goal threat, Hertha was compact on the defensive. But the first notable offensive action by the guests led to the equalizer: Sturmtank Ajorque got the ball 20 meters from the goal and flicked it fantastically into the top right corner. Hertha tried to reply, a header from Marc Oliver Kempf hit the crossbar after a corner (68′). Both teams were now looking for a way forward.