It was goals galore on matchday 29 of the Bundesliga, as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund both registered thumping wins against relegation-threatened sides Dusseldorf and Paderborn respectively.
Elsewhere, Borussia Monchengladbach and RB Leipzig also won their matches to spice up the race for top-four finishes.
On the other hand, Werder Bremen defeated Schalke to win three crucial points and continue their slow and steady progress towards staying up in the Bundesliga.
In this article, we will review all the fixtures of Bundesliga’s matchday 29.
SC Freiburg vs Bayer Leverkusen (0-1)
Bayer Leverkusen kicked things off on this matchday, as they were scheduled to visit Schwarzwald Stadion, to face Freiburg on Friday. The away side dominated proceedings from the get-go but couldn’t create clear cut chances.
Ten minutes into the second half, Leverkusen skipper Kai Havertz scored his fifth goal in four matches to put his side ahead. Eventually, that goal was the only one that separated the two teams, as Leverkusen remain in fifth place, while Freiburg are still eighth.
Mainz vs Hoffenheim (0-1)
Another close encounter between two sides who have been at opposite spectrums this season. Mainz, who are struggling to pick up points, welcomed an overachieving Hoffenheim side to the Opel Arena.
The game was a keenly contested affair as both teams committed plenty of fouls, however, Ilhas Bebou’s 43rd-minute striker made all the difference as the away side triumphed on Saturday night.
After their latest win, Hoffenheim are now level on points with sixth-placed Wolfsburg, while Mainz are still 15th, just one place above relegation spots.
Wolfsburg vs Eintracht Frankfurt (1-2)
Wolfsburg’s lack of consistency came back to haunt them again on Saturday as they fell to a demoralising defeat at home against 12th-placed Eintracht Frankfurt.
The home side defeated Bayer Leverkusen last week, and they would have been hoping to build some momentum heading into the final stretch of the season, instead, it was Frankfurt who took home all three points from the Volkswagen Arena.
Andre Silva’s early penalty had the away side in cruise control, but Wolfsburg responded well through Kevin Mbabu’s goal to restore parity. However, a late goal from Daichi Kamada sealed the game for the away side, taking them into 12th place on the table.
Schalke vs Werder Bremen (0-1)
For the second week in a row, Bremen pulled off a major upset as they visited the Veltins-Arena and defeated Schalke in their own den.
The Royal Blues could muster up just one shot on target during the whole game, as Leonardo Bittencourt’s 32nd-minute goal further compound their miseries. After the latest upset, David Wagner’s men have fallen one place down in the standings to 10th.
On the other hand, Bremen are still 17th, but they now trail Dusseldorf by just two points, and also have a game in hand.
Hertha Berlin vs Augsburg (2-0)
Saturday’s penultimate game saw Hertha Berlin continue their late resurgence, as they successfully overcame Augsburg at home to rise to ninth on the table.
Javairo Dilrosun put Bruno Labbadia’s men ahead after just 23 minutes and it the scoreline remained 1-0 until half-time.
After a high-spirited second half, the Olympiastadion celebrated again deep into stoppage time as Krzysztof Piatek’s late goal put the cherry on top of the cake. As a result, Augsburg have fallen to 13th, a mere five points above the relegation berths.
Bayern Munich vs Dusseldorf (5-0)
The league leaders thumped the visitors 5-0 at the Allianz Arena to continue their march towards an eighth consecutive Bundesliga title. Dusseldorf got off to the worst start possible as they fell behind in the 15th minute via an own goal from Mathias Jorgensen.
From then on, Bayern Munich never took their foot off the pedal as Benjamin Pavard and Robert Lewandowski killed the game before half-time.
The Polish striker scored yet another goal five minutes after the restart, with Alphonso Davies completing the rout in the 52nd minute.
Borussia Monchengladbach vs Union Berlin (4-1)
After Leverkusen’s win earlier on Saturday, the onus was on Marco Rose’s men to keep up with their rivals. And they certainly did that, in an emphatic fashion, to say the least.
Florian Neuhaus opened the scoring on Sunday against minnows Union Berlin in the 17th minute. Marcus Thuram’s brace either side of half-time ensured smooth sailing for Gladbach.
The away side did pull one goal back through Sebastian Andersson five minutes after the break, but Alassane Plea’s late goal crushed any hopes of a late comeback for Berlin. Hence, they have fallen down one place to 14th the standings, while the Foals are still in fourth place, level on points with Leverkusen.
Paderborn vs Borussia Dortmund (1-6)
The home side held back Borussia Dortmund to a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture earlier this year, but Lucien Favre’s side couldn’t afford any setbacks this time around.
The Black and Yellows registered a resounding 6-1 win against Paderborn, courtesy of Jadon Sancho’s hattrick, as they are trying hard to keep Bayern under the cosh.
Thorgan Hazard, Achraf Hakimi and Marcel Schmelzer each scored one apiece, apart from Sancho’s treble at the Benteler Arena. Unfortunately for the home side, there is no way back now, as they are headed for the 2. Bundesliga now, in all likelihood.
FC Köln vs RB Leipzig (2-4)
After dropping points last week, Julian Nagelsmann’s men were under pressure on Monday, but despite that, they showed nerves of steel to overcome FC Köln at the Rhein Energie Stadion to return to winning ways.
Jhon Cordoba had put the home side ahead after seven minutes, but Leipzig responded well to turn the game around, courtesy of goals from Patrick Shick and Christopher Nkunku.
Timo Werner also got into the thick of the action with a strike five minutes after the break, with Anthony Modeste keeping FC Köln in the game with his 55th-minute goal.
Dani Olmo scored another for the away side just two minutes later, as his goal put the game to bed, and propelled Die Roten Bullen back to third in the league standings.
All stats courtesy: Bundesliga.com