Leverkusen stay on top, Mainz no longer last
Bayer Leverkusen have defended their lead at the top of the Bundesliga table ahead of the top match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern on Saturday evening (18:30/Sky).
Coach Xabi Alonso's team, which has been performing strongly for weeks, won 3:2 (2:0) at TSG Hoffenheim this afternoon and extended their lead over Munich to five points, at least for the time being. Meanwhile, bottom-of-the-table FSV Mainz 05 celebrated a 2-0 (0-0) win over RB Leipzig under interim coach Jan Siewert.
As a result, 1. FC Köln slipped to the bottom of the table despite the 1:1 (1:1) draw against FC Augsburg. The sporting crisis also worsened at 1. FC Union Berlin with a 0:3 (0:2) against Eintracht Frankfurt. Before the game, Union coach Urs Fischer had been given a job guarantee. In mid-table, SC Freiburg celebrated a late equalizer to draw 3:3 (1:3) against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Grimaldo and Wirtz secure Leverkusen victory
The league leaders took the lead through Florian Wirtz (9') after a good combination. Alejandro Grimaldo (45.+1) followed up after a corner. The half-time lead was well deserved. However, Anton Stach (56') after a mistake by Bayer goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky and Wout Weghorst (58') equalized for Hoffenheim. Grimaldo again (70) secured Leverkusen's lead at the top of the table.
Mainz kept up well against the cup winners. Jae-sung Lee (76') put the Rheinhessen, who had parted company with coach Bo Svensson on Thursday, ahead. Leandro Barreiro (82) decided the game.
Frankfurt's Omar Marmoush (2. and 14.) increased Berlin's worries with his goals in the opening phase, who continued to have great problems creating scoring chances. Nacho Ferri (82) scored the final goal.
Freiburg score late on to equalize
Freiburg took the lead through Lucas Höler's goal (7'), but it did not last long. Jordan Siebatcheu (25) and Alassane Pléa (29) turned the game around. Julian Weigl initially failed to beat Freiburg's Noah Atubolu with a penalty - but the spot-kick was retaken because the goalkeeper was too far in front of the line. Weigl was successful at the second attempt in the 39th minute. Substitute Noah Weißhaupt (71) scored the equalizer for Sport-Club, Vincenzo Grifo (90.+6) scored a late penalty to equalize.
The Cologne fans celebrated Linton Maina's goal in the 16th minute, but Augsburg came back into the game with a goal from Phillip Tietz (25').
Bayer Leverkusen's victory over Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga further cemented their position at the top, extending their lead to five points. Alejandro Grimaldo scored a crucial goal in the 70th minute, helping Leverkusen secure their spot at the top of the table.
In the Bundesliga, FSV Mainz 05, who were previously struggling at the bottom, managed to secure a 2-0 win over RB Leipzig, temporarily moving them out of last place.
Source: www.dpa.com
