It was another thrilling weekend of Bundesliga football during matchday 29. From stuttering at the top to relegation battles as well as several 90th-minute winners, there are plenty of stories to get stuck into. Here is your recap and talking points from matchday 29 in the Bundesliga.
Hoffenheim Safe, Ilzer Not
Hoffenheim captain Andrej Kramarić scored a first-half brace to earn TSG Hoffenheim a huge win 2-0 against Mainz 05. The win puts TSG in 14th on 30 points in what was their first victory in five Bundesliga matches. With a much nicer cushion on the bottom three, you feel that Hoffenheim will be safe this season.
However, the same can’t be said for their head coach, Christian Ilzer. Despite this huge win, it looks to be the case that head coach Christian Ilzer won’t be around beyond the season. As reported by GGFN via Kicker, there appears to be a rift between players and coach that leaves the TSG front office leaning towards sacking Ilzer at the season’s end and installing Paderborn head coach Lukas Kwasniok instead.
Bayer Leverkusen & Bayern Munich Both Stall
Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich both drew this weekend, meaning it’s as you were at the summit of the table. Early on Saturday, B04 were held to a goalless draw at home to Union Berlin. The one positive for B04 was the return of Florian Wirtz, who has been out of action for five weeks through injury. Wirtz played the last 30 minutes but was unable to help them find a winner. When asked whether or not the Bundesliga title race is over, head coach Xabi Alonso said: “The feeling right now is that it’s more difficult. We had a clear situation, and now we have to wait.
“But yes, we had an opportunity today and we missed it, but we still have five games. But the current feeling isn’t euphoria. We need to wait and see but we’re ready for everything and need to accept it.”
Later on Saturday evening, Bayern played out a thrilling 2-2 draw against Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker. Though Bayern will be disappointed not to capitalise on B04’s draw, they haven’t lost ground at the same time and remain favourites to win the title.
Speaking after what was his last Der Klassiker Bayern veteran Thomas Müller told Sky Germany: “It was a game of missed opportunities. I could have scored [in the 40th minute]. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that Emré [Can] was on the ground and that cancelled out the offside. I could have taken the ball and scored the 1-0. A 1-0 lead against Dortmund at home might have given us more adrenaline.“
Freiburg Edge Past Gladbach
SC Frieburg scored a late goal to ensure they leapfrog Borussia Mönchengladbach into 6th. The game got off to a flying start, with both goals coming in the 14th and 16th minute. From there, however, it was a cagey affair. However, Johan Manzambi’s 90th-minute header sent the away fans into ecstasy and give Freiburg a huge boost for their European hopes. What’s ...
