It was the weekend the Bundesliga remembered the man considered the finest footballer Germany has ever produced.
At grounds across the country, large and small, top to bottom, they saluted Der Kaiser, the icon that was Franz Beckenbauer.
Fittingly, the weekend’s Bundesliga highlights began with the club where he made his name and will forever be an illustrious figure.
Champions Bayern Munich hosted Hoffenheim on Friday night as the league returned after its brief winter hiatus.
What followed on the pitch was not a shock as the SBOTOP Bundesliga betting odds make the Bavarians favourites on virtually every occasion for good reason.
Yet it was the tribute that took priority and Bayern duly delivered on that score too as the Allianz Arena paid its respects to a true great of the club and the German game.
Eighteen minutes had elapsed when Leroy Sane slipped Jamal Musiala in behind the defence following a short corner and the talented former Chelsea youngster blasted in off the far post from a tight angle.
Home nerves were settled with 20 minutes remaining when Musiala played a smart one-two with Sane before completing his brace from point-blank range.
Bayern’s job was made easier when the visitors were then reduced to 10 men and Harry Kane rounded off an emotional evening in the closing moments.
With two assists, Sane has now provided a league-high 10 goals this season.
This was also the first time in 20 games Hoffenheim have failed to score, bringing to an end their own club record.
Victory ensured Bayern moved to within touching distance of the top but it’s still Bayer Leverkusen who have the edge after their own thrilling late show on Saturday.
Exequiel Palacios was the injury-time matchwinner and the look on his face, and that of his team-mates, as he wheeled away, said everything.
It was hard not to feel for Augsburg goalkeeper Finn Dahmen who had kept Leverkusen at bay but he was finally beaten in the 94th minute when the lively Alejandro Grimaldo, who had earlier struck the crossbar, passed to Palacios who smashed the ball into the net to send the unbeaten league leaders into raptures.
Based on the first half of the season, this is far from a fluke.
Leverkusen are currently 26 games without defeat in all competitions this term (23 wins, three draws), a record for a German club at the start of a season.
Bayern Munich, when managed by Pep Guardiola, are the only other side to have amassed 45 points in the first half of a campaign (14 wins, three draws).
Eintracht Frankfurt gained the result of the weekend as they emerged 1-0 victors at RB Leipzig.
In the game of the weekend, an early goal from Ansgar Knauff, converting a pinpoint Nils Nkoukou cross, was enough for them to claim their first ever win at Leipzig, who went down to their first home league defeat of the campaign in the process.
On loan signings Danny van de Beek and Sasa Kalajdzic both started for Frankfurt.
The only goalless draw of the weekend in the Bundesliga was not exactly what either club was looking for as Freiburg slipped two points behind sixth placed Frankfurt and Union Berlin failed to pull away from the bottom three.
Darmstadt remain bottom after a 3-0 reverse at home to Borussia Dortmund who gained their first win in five Bundesliga games as a result.
After Julian Brandt had grabbed the opener, the spirited hosts kept in touch until on loan substitute Jadon Sancho set up Marco Reus to add a second 13 minutes from time.
Youssoufa Moukoko struck in added time to confirm all three points.
Onto Sunday and Robin Hack had only ever scored once in the Bundesliga going into Borussia Monchengladbach’s game with high-flyers Stuttgart.
Within 19 minutes he had trebled his tally.
A meagre 21 seconds into the game and he produced a superb finish for the opener and his first goal in the league since 2017.
Like buses, after waiting for so long, another quickly arrived as he lashed home an Alassane Plea pass.
When Josha Vagnoman unleashed an unstoppable finish 11 minutes after the restart, Stuttgart were back in the contest.
At that stage, you’d have said they were the likelier team to score again but, with 91 minutes on the clock, the hosts broke away and substitute Jordan made it 3-1 after a Manu Kone shot came back off the post.
Job done for Monchengladbach on an emotional weekend in Germany.
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