Bayern extend lead after shocks for Dortmund and Leipzig
February 11, 2017
Darmstadt 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
(Boyd 21', Colak 67' – Guerreiro 44')
Darmstasdt secured a surprise but richly deserved win against a weakened Dortmund side to reignite their survival battle and cast further doubt on BVB's European hopes.
The hosts created plenty of opportunities earlier on before taking the lead. American striker Terrence Boyd, on loan from Leipzig, reacted quicker than several static Dortmund defenders to scuff in an effort from close range. Raphael Guerreiro equalized just before the half, lashing home a bouncing ball after some slick interplay from the visitors.
But it wasn't enough. Darmstadt carved open the visitors again in the second period, leaving substitute Antonio Colak with time to compose himself stroke home from the right hand side of the box. The unexpected lead had Torsten Frings jubilant on the sideline as he celebrated a famous first win as Darmstadt boss.
RB Leipzig 0-3 Hamburg
(Papadopoulos 18', Walace 24', Hunt 90+2)
Kyriakos Papadopoulos was Hamburg's hero for the second week running as their revival under Markus Gisdol gathers pace. The defender, on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, opened the scoring when he leaped highest at a corner to power in a header.
Six minutes later and fans at the Red Bull Arena could have been forgiven for thinking they were suffering from a bad case of déjà vu - another right wing corner, another fearsome leap, this time from Walace, and another goal for Hamburg. A late Aaron Hunt strike put the cherry on HSV's cake and condemned Leipzig to a fourth loss in seven games.
Ingolstadt 0-2 Bayern Munich
(Vidal 90', Robben 90+1')
A pair of late strikes from Arturo Vidal and Arjen Robben meant Bayern Munich were able to inflict a cruel blow on Ingolstadt and capitalize on the slip-ups of the three sides below them in the league table.
The visitors labored at times, but sprung to life in the dying minutes of the second half. Vidal's volley came shortly after Robert Lewandowski struck the crossbar with a sensational long range effort. Robben wrapped up a victory that put Bayern seven points clear at the top.
Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
(Hernandez 5', 63', Voland 75')
Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt came in to this match under severe pressure, but his star striker struck twice to lift spirits at the BayArena. Javier Hernandez took advantage of some scrappy Frankfurt defending to tuck in his seventh league goal of the season.
The Mexican poacher put the finishing touches on a sweeping team move just after the hour mark with an athletic volley to double his team's advantage. The win was sealed shortly after when substitute Kevin Volland's right foot was first to a right wing cross, his first goal since his return from injury. The win lifts Leverkusen in to the top half, for 24 hours at least.
Schalke 2-0 Hertha Berlin
(Bürgstaller 41', Goretzka 62')
Schalke have been far from consistent under new coach Markus Weinzierl, but the pendulum seems to now be swinging in the right direction. They followed up their 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich last week with a solid 2-0 win over Hertha Berlin on Saturday night.
Guido Bürgstaller scored his second goal for the club after chesting down a chipped pass from Nabil Bentaleb before drilling home. Bentaleb was also involved in the second. The Algerian produced a cheeky lob in midfield before Lwon Goretzka dribbled past Hertha defender John Brooks and slid a shot inside the far post.
The defeat for Hertha their fourth in five games in all competition as they struggle to rediscover their early season form.
Werder Bremen 0-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
(Hazard 18')
An early Thorgan Hazard goal was enough to separate the sides at the Weser Stadium in Bremen. The decisive moment came after an attack from the hosts. Gladbach broke rapidly out of defense, exchanging quick passes until they found Thorgan Hazard on the right. The Belgian spurned his teammates in space across the box and slammed past Felix Wiedwald from a tight angle.