The Ruhr region of Germany is rejoicing as its two biggest clubs — Borussia Dortmund and Schalke — were the big winners of Matchday 15.
Dortmund got back into the Bundesliga title race as they went to Leipzig and took down the high-flying Red Bulls. Meanwhile, Schalke snapped their almost year-long winless stretch as they thumped Hoffenheim.
Elsewhere, leaders Bayern Munich suffered a shocking defeat as they went from two goals up to lose 3-2 to Borussia Monchengladbach.
These are just a few of the notable winners and losers of the latest round of Bundesliga matches that SBOTOP has chosen to highlight this week.
Winner: Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund are right back in the title race as they thumped RB Leipzig, 3-1, in their marquee matchup at the Red Bull Arena. Led by Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland, the BVB ripped through Leipzig’s league-leading defence.
Thanks to their win, coupled with several of the other top teams in the league dropping points, Dortmund are now back in fourth place in the standings, just five points back of champions Bayern.
After a slow start to the season, Sancho is now back in form with two goals in his last two games. Meanwhile, the return of Haaland after his month-long absence has made a huge impact on their attack.
With Sancho, Haaland, and Marco Reus — who assisted two of their goals against Leipzig — Dortmund can be a dangerous force to be reckoned with in the second half of the season.
Health and consistency will be the BVB’s main issue moving forward, but with Bayern not looking like they will run away from the rest of the pack this year, Dortmund’s Bundesliga 2021 odds of winning the title are still looking quite decent.
Winner: Matthew Hoppe, Schalke
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund’s Revier rivals Schalke smashed Hoffenheim 4-0 at home, which was a historic win for a few reasons.
First, it ended Schalke’s remarkable 30-match winless run in the Bundesliga as they fell just short of tying Tasmania Berlin’s all-time mark of 31 matches without a win.
And second, US teen Matthew Hoppe scored a hat-trick, becoming the first American ever to achieve the feat in the Bundesliga.
While Schalke did well to avoid that ignominious winless mark, they still have a long way to go. Despite their win they are still in the relegation zone, three points away from Arminia Bielefeld in the relegation play-off spot.
Nevertheless, this result against Hoffenheim should be quite a good confidence-booster for a club that is in serious need of a major revival.
Loser: Bayern Munich
If it weren’t for the Ruhr clubs, by far the biggest of all Bundesliga 2021 results would’ve been Bayern Munich’s incredible 3-2 defeat at Borussia-Park against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Bayern had gone 2-0 up through goals from Robert Lewandowski and Leon Goretzka and looked all set for another win, but Gladbach roared back to win it, 3-2.
This result is yet more proof that Bayern are playing far from their best this season. Their defence, in particular, has looked very shaky and unconvincing far too many times, which is why this year’s title race is much closer.
Bayern should still be considered significant favourites moving forward, but they must be careful not to have more results like the Gladbach match or they risk losing their control of the league.
Loser: Bayer Leverkusen
Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig both losing should have been the perfect opportunity for Bayer Leverkusen to gain ground on the top two. But they completely squandered that chance as they could only draw at home to struggling Werder Bremen.
After a hot start, Leverkusen are quickly losing steam. They have failed to win any of their last three games. But despite those poor results, they are only four points behind the leaders, so there’s still time for them to turn things around.
Winner: Freiburg
With Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig losing, Freiburg are now the hottest team in the Bundesliga. They have now won five games in a row after thrashing Koln 5-0 at home, and their undefeated run is now up to seven straight games. They have scored an impressive 14 games during their five-game win streak.
Freiburg’s winning run will be put to the ultimate test as they face Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena next week. But with Bayern in inconsistent form of late, Freiburg could yet spring a surprise and cause the champions to drop even more points.
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