So Mainz plays Europe
Union spoils Bayer with returnee Wirtz the title dreams
Union spoils Bayer with returnee Wirtz the title dreams
04/12/2025, 5:28 p.m.
Florian Wirtz can play again, which Bayer Leverkusen does not help with the hunt for FC Bayern. The defending champion must probably bury the dream of repetition. The Mainz victory series stops and threatens Europe. St. Pauli sets off from the relegation trio.
Borussia Mönchengladbach – SC Freiburg 1: 2 (1: 1)
SC Freiburg has overtaken Borussia Mönchengladbach in the snail race around Europe. Patrick Osterhage put an outer egg in the nest in the 2-1 (1: 1) of the otherwise strong foal goalkeeper Tiago Pereira Cardoso shortly before the holidays. Johan Manzambi met late for victory (90th).
Osterhage durable header (16th) was the first goal of the 25-year-old for the SCF. Through the first three after five games without a win, the team of coach Julian Schuster again climbed sixth – right in front of the Gladbachers, who took the lead through an own goal of SCF captain Christian Günter (14th).
And not only that: With now 45 points, SCF trainer Julian Schuster has already exceeded the yield of his predecessor Christian Streich in the previous year (42). Gladbach, on the other hand, missed “Big Points” in the race for the Champions League, the team of coach Gerardo Seoane had already left feathers at FC St. Pauli (1-1) last weekend.
VfL Bochum – FC Augsburg 1: 2 (0: 1)
The upswing under coach Dieter Hecking fizzles out, the Ruhr Stadium fortress is crumbling: VfL Bochum stumbles towards the descent with a blatant weakness. In the key game against FC Augsburg, the Hecking team lost 1: 2 (0: 1) and already received the ninth bankruptcy in front of their own audience. The Ruhrpottklub thus stopped its club record: there had been so many home defeats in the Bundesliga four times before – VfL relegated three times.
Samuel Dessende (16th) and Mert Kömür (89th) scored the gates for the Augsburgers, who remained undefeated in the eighth away game in a row – and are still allowed to take a look at the international places. Arne Maier had seen red (81.). Bochum, on the other hand, runs the time of it despite the interim compensation by Philipp Hofmann (60th) after just one win in the past seven home games: 1. FC Heidenheim could be on Sunday (5.30 p.m./DAZN and in the NTV.de Liveticker) At Eintracht Frankfurt, enlarge the distance to the relegation place.
TSG Hoffenheim – 1. FSV Mainz 05 2: 0 (2: 0)
Andrej Kramaric could not be stopped: Without his international players, FSV Mainz 05 missed the return to the trail of success and has to fear for his first participation in the Champions League. The Rheinhessen, in which strikers Jonathan Burkardt and Nadiem Amiri were missing, lost 0: 2 (0: 2) on the relegation threatened TSG Hoffenheim for double packer Kramaric on the 29th matchday of the Bundesliga.
TSG star Kramaric scored in the 4th and 32nd minute for the Hoffenheimers, who had previously only scored two points from the four matches. Without the ex-Hoffenheimer Amiri (yellow-locked) and striker Burkardt (infection) there was nothing to get for the Mainz in the Kraichgau. In the meantime, the FSV, for which Paul Nebel saw the yellow-red card late due to unsportsmanlike behavior (90.+4), has been waiting for a win for four games.
Bayer Leverkusen – 1. FC Union Berlin 0: 0
Bayer Leverkusen may have already played his minimum chance of the championship despite the return of exceptional skiers Florian Wirtz. The double winner had to be satisfied with a 0-0 against Union Berlin and hardly increased the pressure in the title race on Bayern. The Munich team could expand the lead at the top of the table in the classic against Borussia Dortmund to eight points in the evening.
The Werkself made a poor appearance against harmless Berliners and missed excitement in the fight for the championship. With five outstanding games, the title is probably gone. Wirtz celebrated his comeback, but could not prevent the setback after a substitution. Union remained unbeaten for the fifth time.
Holstein Kiel – FC St. Pauli 1: 2 (1: 1)
Big Points against relegation: Thanks to Max Gimmeli, FC St. Pauli won the basement duel near Holstein Kiel and thus gives itself a lot of air in the fight for relegation. The Kiezkicker rang Kiel in the deserved 2: 1 (1: 1), Gimmeli (90.+2nd) caused a party mood among the fans who traveled. Previously, Danel Sinani (34th) had also hit the guests, the goal of Alexander Bernhardsson for the meantime was not enough for Kiel.
And so there was a sadness in the storks: the descent back into second class can hardly be prevented. The bottom of the table has been without victory for six home games, in the age of the three-point rule, all Bundesliga clubs who had a maximum of 18 points after 29 match days are also relegated.
