Saturdays Bundesliga Review: Dortmund Maintain Form, Bayern Stutter

Raul Master-Class Lifts Schalke To A Convincing 40 Win.

Saturdays games were representative of how this Bundesliga has gone so far. Goals galore, shock results, and one clear leader of the pack in the form of Borussia Dortmund. Here are the results!

Borussia Monchengladbach 2 3 Mainz

Mainz have finally ended their poor run of form with a comeback win here against Gladbach. Both teams went into the break goal-less, but the second half was absolutely action packed. Marco Reus opened the scoring on 53 minutes, but Andre Schuerrle put his side back on level terms ten minutes later. Reus popped up again to put Gladbach back in front, with just 20 minutes left on the clock. It was up to Thomas Tuchel to change the game for his side, and he did. He replaced Marcel Risse with Sami Allagui, and it turned out to be an absolute master stroke. Allagui scored twice to win the game for Mainz, which sees them keep their second place spot in the Bundesliga table. Gladbach, who had been on a positive run up until now, will be disappoined with the turn around. Frontzeck would have expected more from his side at home!

Eintracht Frankfurt 0 4 TSG Hoffenheim

I dont think Im the only one who didnt see this one coming! Hoffenheim completely caught their opponents out with the pace of their attack, and brought this high-flying Frankfurt side to its knees. Goals from Boris Vukcevic, Peniel Kokou Mlapa and a Vedad Ibisevic brace stunned what would have been an expectant Frankfurt crowd. Hoffenheim dominated the match in terms of goal-scoring opportunities, and really took the game to Frankfurt. Very convincing, and exactly what Hoffenheim fans have been hoping for all season. With their attacking trident linking up so well, theres no ! telling how far Hoffenheim can go as long as they can keep it up. Definitely one of the big surprises of the week.

Hannover 96 3 2 Hamburg SV

Hamburgs away form has been far from convincing this season, and it proved to be their achilles heel again on Saturday. South Korean wunderkind Heung Min-Son put Hamburg 12 up after Lars Stindl opened the scoring for the home side, but Hannover roared back through Christian Schulz, and won it through Mike Hanke at the death. Hannover have lifted themselves to fourth place in the Bundesliga table, which is extremely impressive for a side who finished 15th last season. Hamburgs inconsistency continues under Armin Veh, and it wont be long before Hamburg supporters become very frustrated with their side.

Nurnberg 1 3 Kaiserslautern

Thats more like it, Kaiserslautern! The visitors have been flirting with relegation all season, but this result will lift spirits. First-half goals from Stiven Rivic, Ivo Ilicevic and Srdjan Lakic put the visitors in an unbelievably comfortable position, but Nurnberg nearly came back to equalize after Robert Mak put them in the game just past the hour mark. Andreas Wolf had the chance to make it 23, but his spot kick was saved by Tobias Sippel. Kaiserslautern are now three points clear of the relegation zone, and theyll be hoping they can continue to pick up positive results and remain in the Bundesliga this season. Nurnberg are comfortably in mid-table, but theyll need to turn things around quickly or suffer a relegation battle as well.

SC Freiburg 1 2 Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund are invincible! The table toppers can boast a perfect away record this season, with seven wins from their seven away games. I dont think anyone was betting on them losing this one, so its no surprise that they got the three points in the end. Freiburg made it all very difficult for them though, so kudos to them. The home side took the lead after an unfortunate Mats Hummels own-goal jus! t before the half-hour mark, but Dortmund came back with a bang late in the second half. Robert Lewandowski tied it up with 15 minutes left, and then an own goal from Mensur Mujdza three minutes later won the tie for Dortmund. Kuba had a golden opportunity to make it 13, but incredibly missed a wide open net from about 10 yards out. Probably one of the worst misses Ive ever seen. The pressure is on Dortmund to keep up their incredible form, but they dont seem to be feeling it. Theyre playing fluid attacking football, and the team looks full of confidence and excitement. Jurgen Klopp is no doubt doing a fantastic job.

Schalke 4 0 Werder Bremen

Anyone who thought buying an aging Raul Gonzalez was a bad idea can think again. This game was clear proof of the class and quality that never fades in top players, despite advancing years. This game was about a lot more than Raul, though. Werder Bremen were a complete shambles. I dont even think they have an actual back-line. It cant be called that. Its just four defenders playing in front of their own 18-yard box. Every time Schalke attacked, they looked like theyd score. If it wasnt for Tim Wiese, it could easily have been ten. Christoph Metzelder opened the scoring with an absolute bullet header that smashed onto the crossbar and off Tim Wieses elbow into the back of the net. Then, there was Raul. We all know what kind of player he is, so I dont need to sugar coat it. His hat-trick was one of the best Ive seen, and his third goal was tribute to his sheer class when he lobbed Tim Wiese. Definitely up for goal of the week. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar had a bundle of chances as well, and if not for Tim Wiese, he could have had a hat-trick too. This is more like it from Schalke. Theyll need to stay consistent, but this will lift spirits. Werder Bremen, on the other hand, really need to get things sorted. They were woeful. A pub team could have given them a game on Saturday night. To even further depress Thomas Schaafs side, Philipp Bargfrede was sent o! ff after two reckless challenges just minutes before time.

Bayer Leverkusen 1 1 Bayern Munich

Louis van Gaal will have known how important three points could have been here against one of Bayern Munichs title rivals. Die Rotens strong form wasnt enough to lift them over the hosts on Saturday night, and its really starting to look like theyre just a bit too far off the pace to catch Dortmund and retain the league title. Still, you can never count them out. Mario Gomez opened the scoring with a typical Mario Gomez goal, but Leverkusen levelled just before the break from the penalty spot through Arturo Vidal. Bayern Munich will really need to work for it if they want this Bundesliga title, because right now its looking a bridge too far.

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