Borussia Dortmund and Schalke are heated rivals, but nothing excuses what happened to Jadon Sancho during the Revierderby on Saturday at Signal Iduna Park.
The home side went in the lead in the 14th minute when Sancho’s delicious lob into the box was headed home by Mario Götze.
After the goal, the Dortmund players celebrated together in the right corner. Soon after, Sancho was requiring medical attention, holding his right eye.
When you’ve recently churned out talent like Marco Reus, Mario Götze and Christian Pulisic, people get a bit more interested in the next generation of young lads at the Hohenbuschei training ground in the quiet Dortmund suburb of Brackel.
Thorgan Hazard has been a revelation for Borussia Mönchengladbach this season. The Belgian has scored 12 goals and assisted 12 in all competitions in Germany and has attracted suitors from across Europe.
Hazard left Chelsea on loan to Möchengladbach in 2015, where he would earn a permanent stay.
Remember the name: Matheus Cunha.
The 19-year-old Brazilian arrived at RB Leipzig from FC Sion last June for $17.1 million, but he’s been brought along slowly in the Bundesliga with 15 of his 21 appearances coming from off the bench.
However, on Saturday, Cunha scored his second league goal of the season, and my word. The Brazil U-20 forward pulled off a ridiculous Zidane turn to eliminate two Bayer Leverkusen defenders before seamlessly transitioning into a delicate chip over Lukáš Hrádecký.
It says everything about Joshua Kimmich’s ability that when he’s described as the heir to Philipp Lahm at the right back position for both Bayern Munich and Germany, no one bats an eye.
The 24-year-old has captured the Bundesliga title in each of his three full seasons with Bayern, and he shares Lahm’s Cruyffian quality of being able to play pretty much anywhere while still being the best player on the pitch.
Hop into The18 time machine and travel back to Jan. 23, 2017, to see “Borussia Dortmund Beat Real Madrid To The Signing Of 17-Year-Old Swedish Phenom” Alexander Isak. After breaking through with AIK and scoring 10 goals during his debut Allsvenskan season, “the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic” made further waves by becoming Sweden’s youngest-ever international goalscorer.
What’re you doing on Saturday? Hold that thought, because I’m about to decide for you. At 12:30 p.m. ET, Bayern Munich hosts Borussia Dortmund in a meeting that’ll go a long way toward deciding the Bundesliga title. That match will be broadcast on FOX, and it’ll lead directly in to coverage of Wayne Rooney’s D.C. United hosting Carlos Vela’s Los Angeles FC.
Both of these games are truly captivating, and again, they’re being broadcast on national television!
Which team is the hottest in the Bundesliga right now? It’s certainly not Borussia Dortmund, despite a narrow win on Saturday, nor is it Bayern Munich, after a draw saw it lose its spot at the top of the table.
The hottest team in the Bundesliga right now is RB Leipzig. And 20-year-old American midfielder Tyler Adams is a massive reason why.
It’s a bit strange, but for the likes of Real Madrid, PSG, Atlético and Napoli, there’s not much to play for with two months remaining in the season. Maybe a Coupe de France here and a triggering of an Arsenal crisis there, but it’s really silly season time for the aforementioned giants of the European game.
18-year-old Canadian phenom Alphonso Davies scored his first Bundesliga goal for Bayern Munich on Sunday, coming on as a substitute in the club’s 6-0 hammering of Mainz 05 at the Allianz Arena and completing the scoring.
A James Rodriguez hat-trick alongside goals from Robert Lewandowski and Kingsley Coman had given Bayern a 5-0 lead when Davies came on for David Alaba in the 59th minute.