Bundesliga Roundup, Matchday 30
The 30th round of games in the 2023/24 Bundesliga season featured exciting matches and impressive demonstrations of talent. Here is an overview of the weekend’s games.
Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 Augsburg
Eintracht Frankfurt, who are in sixth place, broke their streak of four games without a win by coming from behind to defeat Augsburg 3-1. This victory gave them a six-point lead over Augsburg. Eintracht has only been defeated once in 15 Bundesliga home matches this season at Deutsche Bank Park. They now face a tough match against Bayern Munich next Saturday. Meanwhile, Augsburg will try to return to winning form when they play against Werder Bremen on the same day.
Wolfsburg 1-0 Bochum
In a crucial Bundesliga match, Wolfsburg secured a 1-0 victory over Bochum thanks to a goal from Jonas Wind. This win helped Wolfsburg move nine points clear of the automatic relegation zone. Despite some tension in the crowd during the final moments, Wolfsburg never seemed in danger of losing points as Bochum struggled to come up with effective strategies, resulting in their 11th away defeat in 16 matches. Wolfsburg’s outlook has significantly improved following their first home league win since late November.
Hoffenheim 4-3 Monchengladbach
Hoffenheim kept their chances of qualifying for Europe alive with an exciting 4-3 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach at the PreZero Arena, breaking a four-game H2H losing streak against their opponents. Despite intense pressure from Mönchengladbach, a moment of brilliance from Hack quieted the home fans. Positioned on the right wing, the Gladbach forward completed a hat-trick by taking advantage of a defensive error from Baumann to score a goal that leveled the match. The thrilling game continued as Anton Stach scored from Ihlas Bebou’s pass to put Hoffenheim back in the lead in stoppage time, securing a dramatic victory that keeps their European aspirations alive.
Heidenheim 1-2 RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig continued their quest for a top-four position by narrowly beating Heidenheim 2-1 at the Voith-Arena, extending their unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga to seven games. With the possibility of finishing fifth being the worst-case scenario for RBL, they are likely to secure a place in European competition due to the Bundesliga’s expected additional qualification spot based on UEFA coefficient rankings. On the other hand, despite their strong home record against top-five teams, mid-table Die Schanzer’s performance in this match left them in 10th place in the league standings.
Cologne 0-2 Darmstadt
Darmstadt secured their place in the Bundesliga for another week by defeating Cologne 2-0 at the RheinEnergieStadion. This victory marked only their second win against Cologne in their head-to-head matches. The win also brought Darmstadt within 10 points of the relegation play-off spot. Additionally, the win ended their 22-game winless streak. On the other hand, Cologne missed the chance to close the gap to Mainz to just one point.
Union Berlin 1-5 Bayern Munich
Thomas Müller scored twice as Bayern Munich won 5-1 against Union Berlin, marking their seventh victory in 10 matches against the team. Union Berlin, who are just two points above the Bundesliga’s relegation play-off spot, managed to score a consolation goal through Yorbe Vertessen. Despite this, Bayern Munich dominated the match and secured the win, avenging their narrow 1-0 victory in the previous encounter. This defeat also marked Union Berlin’s first consecutive home losses since November 2023, heightening their concerns about potential relegation from the Bundesliga.
Werder Bremen 2-1 Stuttgart
Werder Bremen improved their chances of avoiding relegation by securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Stuttgart at the Weserstadion, marking their first win in eight Bundesliga matches (with two draws and five losses). This win saw Bremen move up to 11th place and create an 7-point buffer above the relegation play-off spot. On the other hand, Stuttgart missed an opportunity to extend their lead over fifth-placed Borussia Dortmund by ten points, delaying their confirmation of a return to the Champions League after a 14-year absence.
Dortmund 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Borussia Dortmund nearly ended Bayer Leverkusen’s 44-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, coming close to victory until a dramatic 98th-minute header by Josip Stanišić secured a 1-1 draw at Signal Iduna Park. Leverkusen’s impressive record was almost broken, but thanks to Stanišić’s late goal from Florian Wirtz’s corner kick, they managed to salvage a draw. Despite the introduction of substitutes Wirtz, Schick, and Boniface by Xabi Alonso, it was Stanišić who emerged as the hero after being on the field for the entire match.
Freiburg 1-1 Mainz
Freiburg rallied to prevent Mainz from securing their first away victory of the season, resulting in a 1-1 draw at the Europa-Park Stadion in the late Bundesliga match today. Mainz, known as Die Nullfünfer, have now gone undefeated in their last five league games (winning three and drawing two). In the final 10 minutes of the game, Freiburg appeared more likely to score a winning goal, but ultimately failed to do so, leading to a draw. This outcome sees Freiburg falling behind in the race for the top six, with a five-point gap separating them from sixth place. On the other hand, Mainz climbed out of the relegation zone, surpassing Vfl Bochum on goal difference.
