The first half of the season in the Bundesliga is still running after the winter break. And so Bayer Leverkusen is heading towards the autumn championship in January. Other teams find it much more difficult.
Exequiel Palacios saved leaders Bayer Leverkusen late in the Augsburg icebox. The Argentine midfielder gave coach Xabi Alonso’s team a 1-0 (0-0) win with a last-minute goal on Saturday and thus the first round championship ahead of rivals FC Bayern Munich. The Leverkusen combination footballers bit their teeth for a long time before Palacios (90th + 4 minutes) caused Bayer to celebrate.
Xabi Alonso’s team maintained their unbeaten reputation in their 26th competitive game this season in front of 30,055 spectators, thus completing their impressive Bundesliga first half of the season undefeated. The lead over FC Bayern is still four points, but the Munich team still has a catch-up game in hand.
1. FC Cologne – 1. FC Heidenheim
First game, first point, but above all first frustration: Timo Schultz had a rather disappointing start nine days after he started as coach of 1. FC Köln. FC only managed a 1-1 (1-0) draw against Bundesliga newcomers 1. FC Heidenheim in their first game of the year and are still deep in the table after the debut of Steffen Baumgart’s successor.
FC finished the first half of the season with just eleven points, promoted team Heidenheim is already ten points away after four games without defeat. Davie Selke had given Cologne the lead (29th), but Joker Adrian Beck equalized with his first Bundesliga goal (55th).
SC Freiburg – 1. FC Union Berlin
1. FC Union Berlin, which is in danger of relegation, missed its first away win since the end of August on the debut of new hopeful Kevin Vogt. At the start of the new football year, the Berliners fought to a 0-0 draw against the dominant SC Freiburg and, after six defeats abroad, regained a point.
However, the Berliners were unable to move away from the relegation zone of the Bundesliga and remain in 15th place in the table in their weakest first division season. Next Friday is the important duel against relegation rivals FSV Mainz 05, before the Köpenickers have to play a catch-up game against German soccer record champions FC Bayern.
Start after the winter break
A mess will cost a coach his job – and six more theses about the Bundesliga
In front of 33,800 spectators, Freiburg did not use their superiority to score goals. Three and a half weeks after the messed up finish in Heidenheim before Christmas (2:3), the SC had to be content with one point.
RB Leipzig – SG Eintracht Frankfurt
RB Leipzig made a false start to the remaining round of the Bundesliga and suffered a serious setback in the fight for the Champions League. The Saxons lost 0-1 (0-1) against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday in their first meeting since winning the cup. In front of 45,867 spectators in the Red Bull Arena, Ansgar Knauff (7th minute) ensured Hesse’s first win in Leipzig.
FSV Mainz 05 – VfL Wolfsburg
FSV Mainz 05 can no longer win in the Bundesliga, but has averted a false start to 2024 against VfL Wolfsburg. The 05ers won 1:1 (0:1) at the end of the first half of the season on Saturday and thus showed their morale after falling behind. In front of 24,000 spectators, Wolfsburg’s winger Vaclav Cerny (12th minute) gave the guests the lead. Captain Silvan Widmer (61st) at least secured a point for Mainz, who were in danger of relegation.
The Rheinhessen have eleven points and are looking forward to a difficult second half of the season. Jan Siewert was promoted to head coach during the winter break and given a contract until 2026. Since the exciting opening win over RB Leipzig – which was still an interim solution at the time – the 41-year-old has not been able to celebrate another win in seven Bundesliga games. During this period there were only three own goals. Wolfsburg is stuck in midfield and is in danger of losing touch with the European ranks.
FC Bayern Munich – TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
FC Bayern won on the evening of Franz Beckenbauer’s emotional farewell at the start of the new year in the Bundesliga. The football record champions defeated TSG Hoffenheim 3-0 (1-0) on Friday and reduced the gap to leaders Bayer Leverkusen to one point, at least until Saturday.
Before the Bundesliga game
“Thank you, Franz”: FC Bayern Munich says goodbye to Franz Beckenbauer
Jamal Musiala (18th and 70th minutes) and Harry Kane (90th) scored the goals for Thomas Tuchel’s team, who like the guests played with mourning after the death of Beckenbauer. Hoffenheim’s Grischa Prömel was shown a yellow-red card in the 74th minute.
The game, especially before kick-off, was dedicated to the memory of Beckenbauer, who died last Sunday at the age of 78 and who shaped FC Bayern and German football in his career. He became world champion with the DFB team in 1974 as captain and in 1990 as coach. His role was also crucial in the awarding of the 2006 World Cup to Germany, which is remembered as a summer fairy tale.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
