Rasenballsport Leipzig welcomes its new sports director with the heaviest home defeat of the Bundesliga season. In the race for the Champions League qualification, Union Berlin is therefore expanding its lead. Schalke’s great streak is over, while Augsburg gives away the win at the last second.
Lawn ball sports Leipzig – 1. FSV Mainz 05 0: 3 (0: 1)
On the first working day of its new sports director Rouven Schröder, Rasenballsport Leipzig suffered the next major setback in the fight for the Champions League places. The helpless Saxons lost 0:3 (0:1) against the in-form FSV Mainz 05 in front of their home crowd and after the third league defeat from the last four games they have to play in the premier class, the sporting director Max Eberl before the game as a “must”, fear.
Marcus Ingvartsen (9th), Ludovic Ajorque (57th) and Dominik Kohr (67th) scored for Mainz, which after the seventh game in a row without defeat is increasingly emerging as a real contender for an international place. Leipzig, where Schröder, who was handicapped by a torn Achilles tendon, took up his post alongside Eberl on Saturday, are only five points ahead of Rheinhessen in fifth place after the third goalless competitive game in a row.
Leandro Barreiro failed after a cross at RB keeper Janis Blaswich, but Ingvartsen easily dusted off the early tour of the visitors. The Saxons took a moment to recover from the early setback. A shot by Andre Silva was narrowly deflected wide of the goal (23′). The guests acted from a compact defense and countered extremely dangerously: The active Ingvartsen scored, Blaswich prevented the 0:2 (25th). Just a little later, Barreiro headed the ball against the crossbar after a cross from Anton Stach (30′) – the Leipzig defense was completely off the mark in this phase.
Offensively, the hosts lacked a brilliant idea for a long time, after a long ball from Dominik Szoboszlai, national striker Timo Werner appeared completely free in front of the Mainz goal – but failed to Robin Zentner (41st). At the half-time whistle there were whistles from their own fans for RB. Rose brought on Amadou Haidara and David Raum in the second half, but there was no improvement in Leipzig’s game. Sturmtank Ajorque extended a pass from Stach fantastically into the far corner to make it 2-0, Kohr scored the decision from a distance.
1. FC Union Berlin – VfB Stuttgart 3: 0 (0: 0)
VfB Stuttgart continues to stagger towards the 2nd division. At Union Berlin, coach Bruno Labbadia’s team collapsed in the second half and deservedly lost 0:3 (0:0). With just 20 points after 26 match days, the Swabians remain bottom of the table. Union top scorer Sheraldo Becker (51st), Kevin Behrens (65th / according to video evidence) and an own goal by ex-Unioner Genki Haraguchi (68th) brought the bitter bankruptcy to Stuttgart. VfB has been without a win for five games. In general, under Labbadia, who took over in December, only one success in eleven league games so far. Union celebrated their second win in a row and remains third in the Champions League with 51 points.
Because VfB and Union were defensively stable, little happened at the beginning. This only changed when Stuttgart’s Enzo Millot found Dan-Axel Zagadou (29′) in the middle after a deflected free kick – the header from three meters flew just over the goal.
Four minutes later, Union goalkeeper Lennart Grill, who replaced the ailing Frederik Rönnow, almost gave the guests the lead. After a long shot from Stuttgart keeper Fabian Bredlow, the Grill stormed out of his goal and shot VfB striker Juan Jose Perea, who only had to push the ball in. Bad luck for Stuttgart: Perea was on the ball with his hand when Grill shot, which is why referee Florian Badstübner denied the goal according to the video images.
Union came out of the dressing room with a lot more energy after the break. First Janik Haberer (48′) twisted from an acute angle before Becker pushed a cross from Jerome Roussillon over the line and caused the An der Alten Försterei stadium to tremble. Only four minutes later, Rani Khedira had the 2-0 on the foot after a corner, but chased the ball clear in the fray. Stuttgart collapsed under the constant pressure of the Union – and Behrens turned on. He scored the second goal, which was initially called off for offside, before Haraguchi deflected his sharp cross into his own goal.
SC Freiburg – Hertha BSC 1: 1 (0: 0)
Hertha BSC put a damper on SC Freiburg’s premier class dreams and ended their black away streak. The Berliners, threatened with relegation, got a deserved 1:1 (0:0) at the Breisgauers despite being behind. Jessic Ngankam (77th) scored for Hertha, who after eight bankruptcies in a row were able to take a point away from abroad. Vincenzo Grifo put Freiburg in the lead (52′). The SC, who meet Bayern Munich in the next two matches (cup and league), at least kept their streak alive: Freiburg have been unbeaten in seven games, and Breisgau have not lost at home in twelve games.
The Berliners made a stable impression in the early stages, especially in the duels the guests were very present. Even after 20 minutes there was no chance for Freiburg. The hosts were unusually imprecise in their offensive actions. Only in the 27th minute did Lucas Höler pose a little danger in front of the Berlin goal. After this scene, the SC increased the number of strokes, but the best chance in this phase was missed by the Belgian Dodi Lukebakio with a header (32nd). Hertha deserved the goalless draw at the break.
Shortly after the start of the second half, a standard put Freiburg in the lead. Hertha goalkeeper Oliver Christensen didn’t look particularly good when Grifos deflected a free kick and scored his 13th goal of the season. Shortly thereafter, Lukebakio, who broke through, had the equalizer on his feet, but the attacker failed at Freiburg goalkeeper Mark Flekken (56th). Just three minutes later, SC striker Höler cleared his own goal line with a header, Lucas Tousart had headed in from close range.
After 66 minutes Boateng had to vacate his place for Suat Serdar. After that, the encounter finally developed into an open exchange of blows. Hertha took a risk, Freiburg countered. There were chances for both sides, substitute Ngankam scored after a mistake by substitute Jonathan Schmid.
FC Schalke 04 – Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0:3 (0:0)
Schalke 04’s series in the relegation battle broke against the feared opponent. After eight games without defeat at the start of the second half of the season, the Royal Blues lost to Bayer Leverkusen 0:3 (0:0). The Werkself, who haven’t lost in Gelsenkirchen for almost ten years, are aiming for the European Cup again with their sixth competitive win in a row. Jeremie Frimpong (50′), Florian Wirtz (61′) and Sardar Azmoun (90’+2) scored the goals for the guests, who scored 35 points in 18 games under coach Xabi Alonso. Schalke left the field as a loser for the first time in 68 days – despite a strong fight in the first half. After the break, Leverkusen’s class and pace prevailed.
Schalke attacked the guests early and aggressively, provoked ball losses and thus fought their way into the penalty area. The Werkself had the first clear chance to score: Amine Adli was denied by goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann (10′), who reacted brilliantly. The Schalke veteran also excelled in Robert Andrich’s long-range shot (19′) and Adli’s chance after a pass from Florian Wirtz (27′).
Florian Wirtz scored to make it 2-0 for Leverkusen.
(Photo: REUTERS)
Leverkusen’s right winger with Frimpong and Moussa Diaby, who scored three goals in the 4-0 win in the first leg of Alonso’s debut, was initially unable to show their pace. Schalke’s derby hero Henning Matriciani held back with good positional play and tough duels – with the support of his colleagues. Nevertheless, Bayer increasingly took the initiative, also because at Schalke the bad passes and unclean duels increased. But royal blue always found relief.
Immediately after the break, Bayer suddenly got a surprising amount of freedom: First Frimpong failed to get through to Fährmann, then he converted a cross from Diaby, who had switched to the left, to make it 1-0. Wirtz increased after a one-two with Adli – again the Schalke defense looked on in amazement. Matriciani deflected a shot from Diaby (80′) with his thigh against the crossbar of his own goal. Azmoun then provided the final point.
VfL Wolfsburg – FC Augsburg 2: 2 (0: 2)
On a bitter day, VfL Wolfsburg saved a point for Maximilian Arnold with an awful lot. In the 2: 2 (0: 2) against FC Augsburg, the captain of Lower Saxony first produced a curious own goal before he also missed a penalty. But the Lower Saxony came back thanks to a strong final phase. Luca Waldschmidt (85th, according to video evidence) and young national player Felix Nmecha (90th + 6) scored the goals for the team of coach Niko Kovac, who had hoped for more in the race for Europe – but then Arnold’s bad luck began in the 2nd minute of the game.
The 28-year-old headed a poorly-timed corner over a puzzled Koen Casteels into his own goal. After a foul on Patrick Wimmer, Patrick Wimmer quickly had the chance to make amends from the point – but Arnold shot over the goal (20′) before Augsburg increased through international Mergim Berisha (32′). Despite the late point win, VfL’s weakness at home continues and clearly jeopardizes the European Cup ambitions. The Wolves team remained without a win in front of their home crowd for the fifth time in a row and missed the good chance to jump past Eintracht Frankfurt in sixth place.
In particular, the agile Patrick Wimmer repeatedly came up with good prospects in final situations for the playfully superior hosts in the first half. First, the Austrian had a chance with a header (15′), before he could have scored from close range seconds before the undisputed penalty whistle. But Rafal Gikiewicz was quick to react for Augsburg, who defended deep but not always solidly. In the 24th minute, Yannick Gerhardt hit the outside post with a head, before Wimmer tore his hair again shortly before the half-time whistle after the next top-class goal.
Kovac had a lot to talk about at half-time. And he brought another offensive power in Nmecha, who made his debut in the DFB jersey against Belgium. After the first initial swing, the wolves ran into each other again and again and ran after the deficit until the final phase. Augsburg, meanwhile, had the chance to make a decision on counterattacks. That took revenge in injury time.