Game Recaps

Fortuna Dusseldorf boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation from the Bundesliga as goals from Rouwen Hennings and Kenan Karaman helped them come from behind to beat Schalke 04 2-1 at home in a scrappy contest on Wednesday. 

The result left Fortuna 16th, the relegation playoff spot, on 27 points from 28 games, one behind Mainz who stayed in the safety zone with a 1-1 draw at Union Berlin. 

Schalke, who extended their winless league run to 10 matches, stayed ninth on 37 points. 

To maintain any chance of catching Bayern Munich and winning the Bundesliga title, third-place Leipzig needed to defeat 11th-place Hertha Berlin on Wednesday at Red Bull Arena. 

Things started out poorly with Hertha’s Marko Grujić, on loan from Liverpool, opening the scoring in the ninth minute. However, Leipzig responded in the first half through Lukas Klostermann before the home side had Marcel Halstenberg sent off for a second yellow card in the 63rd minute.

Bayern Munich put itself on the cusp of an eighth straight Bundesliga title after defeating Borussia Dortmund 1-0 at an empty Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday. Joshua Kimmich’s delicate chip just before halftime proved the difference as Bayern opened up a seven-point lead at the top with only six matches remaining.    

He’s been heavily linked with Liverpool — although Chelsea, Manchester United and Inter Milan are reportedly in the fight — but RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner might’ve added a little more to his $70 million valuation following a hat-trick in Sunday’s 5-0 rout of Mainz. 

Schalke slumped to a shock 3-0 home loss to relegation-threatened Augsburg on Sunday, their fourth defeat in five games dropping them to eighth place in the Bundesliga. 

Augsburg's Eduard Löwen curled in a sensational free kick from 25 yards in the sixth minute and Nigerian winger Noah Sarenren Bazee slotted home in the 76th before Sergio Cordova added the third in stoppage time. 

6’: Eduard Löwen Free Kick 

Maybe it’s youthful exuberance, maybe Thomas Müller is rubbing off on him, but Alphonso Davies’ second goal of the Bundesliga campaign was the product of nothing more than effort and being in the right place at the right time.

And the strike came at the perfect time for a Bayern Munich side that was reeling in the moments prior.

Davies scored in the 61st minute after Eintracht Frankfurt had quickly cut a three-goal lead to one, helping Bayern Munich pull away for a 5-2 victory on Saturday. 

Everything Erling Haaland does is magic, even when he fucks up.

Haaland was unable to add to his tally of 41 goals in his 35th match but still helped create Borussia Dortmund’s first goal in a 2-0 victory over Wolfsburg on Saturday.

After scoring upon Bundesliga’s return last week, Haaland was fairly quiet on the road this time around. In fact, BVB in general failed to create the number of chances you come to expect from one of Europe’s most exciting teams. 

Bayer Leverkusen thrashed Werder Bremen 4-1 on Monday in a match that showcased exactly why Leverkusen could be playing in the Champions League next season while Werder’s 40-year stay in the top division is almost certainly at an end.

Talking points from the Bundesliga's return at the weekend. 

NO FANS 

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Given it’s the only major league in action, there’s no ignoring the season Robert Lewandowski’s having anymore. On Sunday, the Bayern Munich striker scored his landmark 40th goal across all competitions this season, a staggering total that begs comparison: Cristiano Ronaldo has 25 and Lionel Messi has 24. 

The 31-year-old has never finished higher than fourth in Ballon d’Or voting (2015), but he’s going toe-to-toe with Lazio’s Ciro Immobile for this season’s prestigious Golden Shoe award.