FSV Mainz produced the shock result in this weekend’s Bundesliga round with a 2-1 victory over champions elect FC Bayern; and a win for second-placed Red Bull extended the title race for another week.
Elsewhere there were top six clashes won by Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen which have brought the race for Champions League places alive, and at the bottom end FC Koln had a good win over Augsburg to boost their survival hopes.
Winners: FSV Mainz 05
Okay, the celebration of Bayern’s ninth consecutive Bundesliga has been put on hold, but I’m not about to categorise Hansi Flick’s all stars as losers! But the achievement of Christian Heidel’s Mainz 05 can’t be underestimated. Die Bayern started the weekend ten points clear at the top of the table but they went behind in the third minute when Jonathan Burkhardt hit a beauty into the bottom corner from just outside the penalty area.
Swedish striker Robin Quaison made it two with a well taken header before half time and Robert Lewandowski scored his 36th goal of the campaign in the 94th minute, but it was merely a consolation.
The Bundesliga 2021 betting odds aren’t about to take a shift away from Bavaria but this was Mainz’s day; die Nullfunfer are climbing to safety, up to 12th and five points clear of the drop.
Winner: Erling Braut Haaland, Borussia Dortmund
Of all the weekend’s Bundesliga 2021 results Borussia’s 2-0 win away to Wolfsburg was probably the most significant. Die Schwarzgelben are now just a single point behind fourth placed Frankfurt, thanks to Bayer Leverkusen’s victory over the Eagles.
Erling Braut Haaland was the difference between the two sides, scoring in either half while the only black spot for BVB was when Jude Bellingham received his marching orders on the hour after picking up his second yellow card.
The race for the top four is approaching an exciting climax and here at SBOTOP we’ll be there with tips, great odds, previews, news and the best action as it happens.
Winners: Bayer Leverkusen
Having slipped to sixth place in the Bundesliga table die Werkself really needed this win against Frankfurt to prove to themselves and the rest of the league that they can live in the top reaches of the table, even without the departed Kai Havertz. The game was goalless until the 70th minute when Leon Bailey gave Leverkusen a lead, and goals from Lucas Alario and Kerem Derimbay won the points while Andre Silva bagged a consolation for the visitors who suffered what could be a damaging 3-1 defeat.
Loser: Adi Hutter: Frankfurt
The Eintracht head coach will be suffering a few sleepless nights this week as his team’s defeat, combined with Borussia Dortmund’s impressive win away to Wolfsburg, has really set the cat amongst the pigeons. Frankfurt finished ninth last season and have improved dramatically, spending much of this term in the top four, but BVB are now strong favourites to snatch that place over the remaining three games.
Hutter’s side matched their hosts for three quarters of the game but they fell apart in the latter stages and that could prove to be costly.
Loser: Naouirou Ahamada, Stuttgart
Stuttgart have played each of the top three sides in recent weeks having lost to both Wolfsburg and FC Bayern and their task today against Red Bull Leipzig became almost impossible when Naoirou Ahamada was red carded with just 14 minutes on the clock.
The 19-year-old French midfielder has a bright future in the game but he’ll want to forget this weekend in a hurry after he ploughed into Leipzig’s Amadou Haidara and the referee saw enough to dismiss him. Red Bull took full advantage, just after half time when the excellent Dani Olmo crossed and Haidara made Stuttgart’s and Ahamada’s day even worse as he planted his header home. Substitute Emil Forsberg had only been on the pitch a minute when he made the game safe, drawing a foul in the penalty area and sliding the spot-kick low into the corner to make it 2-0.
Red Bull close the gap to Bayern, but still seven points behind they need a miracle to stop the Bavarians.
Losers: Champagne sellers in Munich!
The wine merchants of Bavaria stocked up on champagne to be sold and enjoyed in households throughout Munich. Some fans may have bought their bottle in anticipation of an expected win against Mainz, but many more would have bought some bubbles had Lewandowski and co done the job this weekend.
The fizz will still be there in a couple of weeks though, when Bayern host Borussia Monchengladbach and we may hear the corks popping then!
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