Bayern Munich came out of matchday 28 of the Bundesliga with a seven-point lead over second-placed Borussia Dortmund after winning Der Klassiker by a margin 1-0 on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Monchengladbach and RB Leipzig all dropped points, with the race for the second spot really heating up.
At the foot of the table, Fortuna Dusseldorf took a major step towards survival by defeating Schalke, while Paderborn and Werder Bremen both got a point each from their respective fixtures.
Without further ado, let’s do a game-by-game review of matchday 28 of the Bundesliga.
Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich (0-1)
Matchday 28 of the Bundesliga was headlined by the battle of two powerhouses – Bayern Munich and Dortmund. The game at Signal Iduna Park was a tight affair, with chances aplenty.
Eventually, Joshua Kimmich made the difference as his chipped goal won the Bavarians three very crucial points, sending them seven points clear at the top of the table.
BVB will now have to win every single one of their remaining six fixtures if they hope to win the title, but they’ll also need Bayern Munich to drop points. And judging by the Bundesliga champions’ current form, it seems highly unlikely.
Werder Bremen vs Borussia Monchengladbach (0-0)
17th-placed Werder Bremen held Borussia Monchengladbach to a goalless draw at Weserstadion to keep their hopes of survival alive. The home side, despite being engaged in a dogged relegation battle, actually had more shots than the visitors. But eventually, they had to settle for a point each.
While Bremen would be happy to have picked up a point, Monchengladbach, missed a chance to leapfrog RB Leipzig into the third place.
Moreover, the Green and Whites have a game in hand over fellow relegation battlers Dusseldorf, who are just a place above them in the table.
Eintracht Frankfurt vs SC Freiburg (3-3)
Two mid-table sides produced one of the most thrilling games of matchday 28 of the Bundesliga, as Frankfurt and Freiburg played out a six-goal thriller at Commerzbank Arena, but eventually, they couldn’t be separated.
The away side kicked things off as Vicenzo Grifo put his team ahead, but there was almost an instant response from Frankfurt, who were level through an Andre Silva strike.
Freiburg came out all guns blazing in the second half, as two quickfire goals from Nils Peterson and Lucas Holder put them 3-1 ahead. Their joy didn’t last long though, as the home side completed a miraculous comeback, courtesy of late goals from Daichi Kamada and Timothy Chandler.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Wolfsburg (1-4)
The away side pulled off a major upset this week by defeating Leverkusen at the BayArena to cut down some of the gap between themselves and the hosts on Wednesday.
Many expected Leverkusen to continue their good run but it was Wolfsburg who took the lead in the first half through Marin Pongracic. Despite having the lions’ share of possession, Leverkusen struggled to create chances and it eventually came back to haunt them.
Two quickfire goals from Maximilian Arnold and Renato Steffen put the game to bed before Pongracic completed his brace to put the icing on the cake. Peter Bosz’s side did get a late consolation goal but they have now fallen to fifth in the table, level on 53 points with Monchengladbach.
RB Leipzig vs Hertha Berlin (2-2)
After Dortmund’s defeat on Tuesday, Die Roten Bullen had the golden opportunity to leapfrog them into second place with a win against Hertha Berlin, however, they could only muster up a 2-2 draw instead.
Marko Grujic put the away side ahead after just nine minutes into the game. Lukas Klostermann pulled his team level, and the first half ended 1-1.
Patrick Schick then got RB Leipzig ahead, although Krzysztof Piatek scored a late leveller from the penalty spot and the scoreline remained 2-2 at the final whistle. As a result, Leipzig remain in third place, while Hertha moved up to 10th spot.
Augsburg vs Paderborn (0-0)
Augsburg welcomed bottom-placed Paderborn to the WWK Arena hoping to build on their big win over Schalke last week, but the two teams played off a drab stalemate.
Chances were at a premium in the game and as neither side were able to break through, the result did not favour either team. The home side are still in 12th place with 31 points from 28 matches, while Paderborn are in deep trouble now.
Steffen Baumgart’s men will have to win all their remaining games and hope for favourable results elsewhere in order to have any hopes of avoiding relegation.
Union Berlin vs Mainz (1-1)
The home side were looking to bounce back after two consecutive defeats since the Bundesliga resumed, but they eventually had to settle for a draw.
In fact, it was the away team who took the lead through Bote Baku’s goal after 13 minutes and continued to dominate proceedings, but eventually, Union Berlin did find a way back as Marcus Ingvartsen drew his team level and the scoreline remained 1-1 till the break.
Neither side could find a second goal and the game ended in a draw. Mainz are now just one point above Dusseldorf, who occupy the last relegation berth, with Union Berlin further up the table in 13th place.
Hoffenheim vs FC Köln (3-1)
Hoffenheim took a major step towards keeping their hopes of playing in Europe next season alive with a big win over Koln.
The home side got off to the best possible start, taking an early lead through Christoph Baumgartner. They began the second half even better, as Baumgartner completed his brace.
Steven Zuber’s goal put Hoffenheim three goals to the good, meaning Florian Kainz’s strike after the hour mark was nothing more than a consolation.
Dusseldorf vs Schalke (2-1)
Having suffered back-to-back defeats in their last two games, Schalke would have been hoping to have an easier outing against relegation-threatened Dusseldorf, but that didn’t happen.
The Royal Blues did go ahead in the game after Weston McKennie’s goal in the 53rd minute, however, Dusseldorf staged a roaring comeback courtesy of two goals in quick succession from Rouwen Hennings and Kenan Karaman just after the hour mark.
Neither side scored again further as Dusseldorf claimed a big win on their own perch.
As a result, Dusseldorf remain in 16th place but have cut down the gap between themselves and Mainz, whereas Schalke have slipped down one place to ninth in the Bundesliga standings.
All stats courtesy: Bundesliga.com