Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich suffered a first league defeat under Vincent Kompany on Saturday, as upwardly mobile FSV Mainz beat the Bavarians won by the odd goal in three to make it three victories in four and move up to sixth in the table.
In my SBOTOP preview of this match I said improving Mainz would test the leaders and so they did; and it was experienced Koran winger Lee Jae-sung who put Bayern to the sword with two brilliantly taken goals. First he seized on some slack Munich defending to give Mainz a lead at half time, and then he turned and fired in a clinical second on the hour. Leroy Sane halved the deficit with three minutes remaining but it was too little too late for the title favourites.
Without the injured Harry Kane Die Bayern were toothless, limping to a defeat and registering just one shot on target against Bo Henriksen’s impressive hosts; but Kompany was philosophical in defeat, saying: “We played against a team with a lot of life and spirit and they were prepared to fight for every moment. From our side there was not a lack of fighting. Today we were not at or best. This game, we can’t play it any more. It’s done. We’ll use it to build a fire for next week.”
The Bundesliga 2024 betting odds still firmly back a Bavarian title and this is just one defeat; but Kompany will be feeling a little more pressure than he did before the weekend.
Leverkusen keep the pressure up
2024 Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen climbed to within four points of the leaders thanks to a comfortable 2-0 victory away to FC Augsburg. Die Werkself have made a habit of scoring early this season, bagging six goals in the first quarter hour of matches in the league campaign this season and they did it again when Martin Terrier plundered a lead with 14 minutes on the clock. Then Florian Wirtz drilled home a second, soon after half time, to make the points safe. It was the attacking midfielder’s fifth consecutive game with a goal contribution and his stock continues to rise with six goals and four assists for the season, and Leverkusen have now won their last seven games in all competitions, as well as registering a record 23rd Bundesliga of the calendar year.
Xabi Alonso’s side have shrugged off a slow start to their title defence and have installed themselves as the clear rivals to Bayern Munich. And with fourth placed Red Bull Leipzig meeting Eintracht Frankfurt, currently third, on Sunday night, at least one more of the chasing pack will make up some ground on the league leaders.
Freiburg edge a Friday six-pointer
In other Bundesliga 2024 news SC Freiburg won a five goal thriller over Wolfsburg, although it seemed to be something of a stroll on the hour when Austrian forward Michael Gregoritsch made it 3-0 to Julian Schuster’s men. 32 year old wingback Lukas Kubler scored either side of half time to put the hosts firmly in control but when they went three down the Wolves bit back twice, first through Jonas Wind on 75 minutes and then when Mattias Svanberg fired home with seven minutes of normal time remaining. In an end to end match with 38 shots on goal, 20 for Freiburg and 18 for Wolfsburg, both teams had late chances but the hosts hung on for the three vital points which lifted them to fifth place and three points ahead of eighth placed Wolfsburg.
It looks grim for Bochum and Holstein
The two bottom clubs VfL Bochum and Holstein Kiel are in danger of being cut adrift long before the end of the campaign, with just three points and five for their first 14 games. Bochum only survived last term thanks to a penalty shootout win over Fortuna Dusseldorf, and that after they had been 3-0 down in the first leg. And they showed plenty of fighting sprit to take their third point of the campaign away to FC Union Berlin, despite playing most of the game with ten men. Japanese midfielder Koji Miyoshi was sent off on 13 minutes, but then Bochum went ahead through Ibrahima Sissoko midway through the first half. When Union Berlin drew level through Benedict Hollerbach there was still an hour left but Bochum held on to pick up a point.
They will need more than fighting spirit to survive though, and so will newly promoted Holstein Kiel who suffered a 4-1 thrashing away to Borussia Monchengladbach, a fifth consecutive defeat.
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