Bundesliga Match Day 29: Weekend Wrap-Up
- Chuck Smith
- Apr 10, 2018
- 4 min read
Bayern Munich clinched its sixth consecutive Bundesliga title with a hard-fought 4-1 win over FC Augsburg.
As covered here, Augsburg did not make life easy for Bayern, especially early on. After staking out a 1-0 lead on an own goal that deflected off the face of Bayern defender Niklas Sule, Augsburg continued to pressure Die Roten until Bayern finally shook off its cob webs and broke through.
When Bayern awoke from that slumber, however, it completely dominated Augsburg. Corentin Tolisso, James Rodriguez, Arjen Robben, and Sandro Wagner all scored for Die Roten and once again showed that the mighty Bayern machine was going to rule the Bundesliga.
The real man of the hour, though was Jupp Heynckes. Heynckes has worked wonders for Bayern during this season that initially looked aimless and uninspired under Carlo Ancelotti. Or as Bayern President Uli Hoeness so aptly put...
Heynckes will now undoubtedly focus on trying to leading Bayern to another treble. With the DFB Pokal and Champions League both within reason, Heynckes could further cement his status as one of Germany's all-time great managers.
Eintracht Frankfurt 1, Hoffenheim 1: Serge Gnabry's 56th minute goal equalized a tally by Frankfurt's Luka Jovic in a battle between two of the league's up-and-coming teams. With the recent rumors of Julian Nagelsmann being the top target for Bayern Munich in their hunt for a Jupp Heynckes replacement, we are sure that Nagelsmann would have preferred a win here, but the Eagles have been solid all season. In addition to the draw, Frankfurt successfully held off the late-charging Hoffenheim squad from overtaking them in the standings. The competition for the second through sixth spots will be intense over the coming weeks.
Borussia Dortmund 3, VfB Stuttgart 0: This was effort we have been looking for from BVB and by no coincidence, Marco Reus was back in the lineup. Dortmund is just a completely different animal with Reus powering the offense. Reus' presence in the lineup helped open things up for goal scorers Christian Pulisic, Michy Batshuayi, and Max Philipp. Philipp has shown flashed of brilliance in his young career and could be one of the players to keep an eye on in coming months. If Dortmund throw its belief in him, it could mean an exit is on the way for veterans Mario Götze and André Schürrle . And I totally want some Bundesliga side to sign both Max Philipp and Philipp Max. This would be the best of both worlds.
Hamburger SV 3, Schalke 04 2: In what was the upset of the weekend, Hamburger shocked Schalke behind an 84th minute goal from Aaron Hunt and earlier tallies from Lewis Holtby (57'), and Filip Kostic (17'). Schalke, meanwhile, will only have itself to blame should it proceed to tumble further down the standings. Goals from Naldo and Guido Burgstaller proved not to be enough offense to carry the Royal Blues to a victory. Schalke is still in the driver's seat to capture a top four Champions League) spot, but another misstep or two could prove fatal and vanquish the Royal Blues to the Europa League.
Borussia Monchengladbach 2, Hertha Berlin 1: The Foals kicked Hertha to the curb with an exciting win (which we NAILED). After a 40th minute goal by Salomon Kalou gave Hertha the lead, it looked as if it was going to be yet another unfulfilling effort by M'Gladbach. Thorgan Hazard - a man we have been waiting to erupt for weeks - then took matters into his own hands. After tying the game in the 75th minute, Hazard lined up for a penalty kick just four minutes later when Fabian Lustenberger was carded for an ugly challenge. Hazard then did exactly what we have been waiting for him to do and hit the PK for the 2-1 win.
FC Koln 1, Mainz 1: The Billy Goats seemingly never shook off the 6-0 beating they took from Hoffenheim last week and could only scuffle with Mainz for a draw. Jonas Hector's goal in the 7th minute gave Koln early life, but that was all their "offense" could muster. Mainz, meanwhile, received a 50th minute goal from Pablo De Blasis to salvage a point.
Wolfsburg 2, SC Freiburg 0: Wolfsburg used two goals from Daniel Didavi to pull away from a punchless Freiburg side that was playing without its top weapon, Nils Petersen. The win by the Wolves gives them a two-point cushion over Mainz in the race for relegation.
Hannover 96 2, Werder Bremen 1: We have been touting Bremen recently as a team on the rise, but Hannover's pesky style felled them this week. Martin Harnik and Felix Klaus each had first half goals to bury Bremen before Ishak Belfodil cut the lead in the 74th minute. Ultimately, those first half tallies would be enough for Hannover to continue its impressive season.
Bayern Leverkusen 4, RB Leipzig 1: After Marcel Sabitzer gave Leipzig a 1-0 lead just 17 minutes into the game, Die Werkself battered Die Roten Bullen with four consecutive goals. A magnificent tally from Kai Havertz evened the game before Julian Brandt, Panagiotis Retsos, and Kevin Volland added additional scores to decimate Leipzig. It was a tremendous effort for Leverkusen and sign that its youthful core looks ready to start imposing its will on the rest of the league.
This was clearly not a banner week in for The Barrel.
This week's record: 3-6
Season record: 41-40
Note: Predicted ties count as a win if correct and as a loss if there is a winner; conversely if a game is predicted to have a winner but ends in a tie, it will count as a loss.
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