Bundesliga Match Day 25: Weekend Wrap-up
Eintracht Frankfurt's Sebastien Haller is sometimes over-shadowed by his oft-heralded teammates Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic. Make no mistake, though, the 6-foot-3, 24-year-old Frenchman is quickly developing into one of the most dangerous players in the Bundesliga.
That is exactly what Fortuna Dusseldorf found out the hard way in Die Adler's 3-0 victory over F95.
Haller secured a brace, bringing his total for the season to 19 goals in 35 games across all competitions. Haller is not a one-trick pony either; the target man also has 12 assists as well. If anyone is overlooking the big man's talent and ability, they are totally missing out.
Part of what makes Eintracht Frankfurt so fascinating to watch week-over-week is the how its Big Three interact on the pitch and which player ultimately imposes his will on the game. This week, it was Haller's turn for a moment in the spotlight.
Haller is a strong presence in the box and uses his height and strength to exert himself on the opposition's defense, but the Frenchmen also has a deft touch and great vision. For as much credit as Jovic and Rebic get, Haller is developing at just as fast a rate as his teammates, which give Adi Hutter some very interesting options for how to best deploy his best weapons.
Regardless, yesterday was Haller's turn to leap into the spotlight. After 24-year-old Portuguese forward Goncalo Paciencia scored in the 48th minute, the game would remain tight until Haller's extra time outburst.
For F95, it was a valiant effort, but it ultimately fell short. Fortuna Dusseldorf battled hard hut Haller's goals in the first and third minute of extra in the second half official put the game away for Die Adler.
Prediction: Eintracht Frankfurt 3, Fortuna Dusseldorf 1 (W)
Werder Bremen 4, Schalke 2: The demise of Schalke is ongoing and it does not look close to being over. Die Werderaner fell behind on a 26th minute goal from Breel Embolo, but would answer with three consecutive scores of their own from the ever-dangerous Milot Rashica (31' and 73') and Max Kruse (51' - PK) before Embolo struck again.
That was as close as Die Königsblauen would get, however. Martin Harnik added the fourth and final goal for Werder Bremen. For the Green and Whites, it was yet another impressive performance, but Schalke is plummeting quickly toward rock bottom.
Prediction: Werder Bremen 2, Schalke 1 (W)
Bayern Munich 6, Wolfsburg 0: As Thomas Muller, Mats Hummels, and Jerome Boateng were unceremoniously dumped by Joachim Low last week, the trio made it a point to excel against Wolfsburg. Led by the German threesome, Bayern dominated the Wolves. Robert Lewandowski had a brace, Thomas Muller and Serge Gnabry each had a goal and an assist, James Rodriguez and Joshua Kimmich also had goals, and Franck Ribery had three assists. It was a thorough and unmitigated dismantling of a very good Wolfsburg team.
This Bayern squad looks dangerous and deserving of its standing atop the Bundesliga table.
Prediction: Bayern Munich 4, Wolfsburg 1 (W)
RB Leipzig 0, FC Augsburg 0: I expected a lot of scoring...we got none. Once again, all this proves is that I am dope. While Timo Werner has been sidelined for much 2019 with an illness so far, he is still oh-for-2019 when it comes to goals.
Prediction: RB Leipzig 4, FC Augsburg 2 (L)
Borussia Dortmund 3, VfB Stuttgart 1: BVB's effort might not have been enough to keep it atop the table (goal differential pushed the Black and Yellows to second place), but it was a promising effort from Dortmund nonetheless.
After Marco Reus opened the scoring with penalty conversion in the 62nd minute, Stuttgart battled back. Marc-Oliver Kempf scored in the 71st minute to tie the game, but Dortmund was not going to have yet another untimely loss be a possibility. Paco Alcacer (84') and Christian Pulisic (90+2') each added goals to earn three points for BVB,
For Pulisic, it was a solid showing in what was been a very up-and-down season. The American assisted on Alcacer's goals in addition to adding his own. It would be terrific to see the USMNT star regain his form and confidence heading into his upcoming summer move to Chelsea.
Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 2, VfB Stuttgart 1 (W)
SC Freiburg 2, Hertha Berlin 1: Freiburg needed a little help and an own goal from Vedad Ibisevic to get by Hertha Berlin, but it was still a terrific effort from Christian Streich's squad. Nils Petersen scored a 27th minute goal to give Breisgau-Brasilianer a 1-0 lead that held up until the 76th minute when Ibisevic knotted the game.
But Ibisevic giveth and Ibisevic taketh away as his own goal in the 80th minuted turned out to be the difference maker in the contest.
Prediction: Hertha Berlin 3, SC Freiburg 2 (L)
Hoffenheim 2, FC Nurnberg 1: Andrej Kramaric has a brace, including a first half penalty kick conversion to pace the TSG1899 effort. Hanno Behrens (61') has the only goal from Der Club, which showed some fight, just not enough unfortunately for them.
Prediction: Hoffenheim 3, FC Nurnberg 1 (W)
Borussia Monchengladbach 1, Mainz 0: Thorgan Hazard's drought for 2019 continued, but M'Gladbach finally found itself back in the win column. Nico Elvedi's 61st minute goal was the difference in the game as Mainz once again proved to be a difficult opponent. I'm not saying Mainz is a group of world-beaters, but they play with a tremendous amount of grit and pride -- which keeps them competitive in most fixtures.
Prediction: Borussia Monchengladbach 3, Mainz 2 (W)
Bayer Leverkusen 3, Hannover 96 2: This game was a blast to watch. With a wintry mix falling, the field was a slippery and sloppy, and while it did not make for the most photogenic brand of soccer, it was a pretty thrilling contest.
Die Werkself jumped out to a 2-0 lead behind a first half brace from Kevin Volland, but the hosts were not going to go down with a fight. This was one of the few instances that Hannover showed the trademark grit, which made it such a tough out in the league last season.
H96 received a goal from Jonathas and an own goal from Leverkusen's Mitchell Weiser to knot the game before Die Werkself's Julian Brandt and Kai Havertz hooked up for the game-winner. A stunning give-and-go connection between the young stars was deftly headed home by Havertz, who has all the makings of Germany's next great attacking midfielder.
For Leverkusen, Brandt had three assists on the day and looked every bit like the star people have expected him to be.
Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 4, Hannover 96 1 (W)
Match day record: 7-2
Season record: 112-113
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.
