Defending champions Bayern Munich will finish the weekend three points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table after close rivals Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg both suffered away defeats on Saturday. Without injured star striker Erling Braut Haaland and club captain Marco Reus, Dortmund had midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud sent off for two first-half yellow cards as their 1-0 defeat at Borussia Monchengladbach left them fourth in the table.Having lost both Haaland and Reus to injuries in training on Friday, the visitors struggled in front of goal as Monchengladbach fans whistled Dortmund coach Marco Rose on his return to Borussia Park, where he was in charge for two years before quitting to join their Bundesliga rivals.The match was decided shortly before half-time when Swiss midfielder Denis Zakaria beat England midfielder Jude Bellingham to the ball and fired the hosts ahead with the game’s first clear chance.Emotions were running high and referee Denis Aytekin dished out eight yellow cards, two of which were shown to Dahoud. He was booked early for fouling Gladbach captain Lars Stindl, then sent off on 40 minutes for a late tackle on US defender Joe Scally. Dortmund squandered the chance to grab a late equaliser when Belgium winger Thorgan Hazard headed over in added time.
Haaland and Reus face a race against time to be fit for Tuesday’s Champions League game at home to Sporting Lisbon while Saturday’s win hauled Gladbach up form the relegation places to 11th. Wolfsburg crashed to a 3-1 defeat at Hoffenheim on Saturday to miss their chance of going level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga table. Elsewhere, last season’s runners-up RB Leipzig brushed off recent poor results to climb to 10th with a 6-0 thrashing of Hertha Berlin. Kouadio Koné vs BVB73 minutes40 passes88% pass accuracy1 shot4/6 successful dribbles3 tackles won2 interceptions10/17 duels wonVery good Bundesliga debut. Huge amount of work done by Toulouse academy graduate. Quality box-to-box midfielder. pic.twitter.com/ctX8Wsbh2Q— Football Talent Scout – Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) September 25, 2021 Wolfsburg took the lead at Hoffenheim when winger Ridle Baku fired in a stunning long-range shot from the left flank. However, Hoffenheim roared back with three unanswered goals as Croatia striker Andrej Kramaric headed in a corner, then Christoph Baumgartner and Pavel Kaderabek fired in second-half goals.Wolfsburg drop to third on goal difference behind Bayer Leverkusen, who went second after teenage midfielder Florian Wirtz scored in their 1-0 home win over Mainz. Wirtz, a full Germany international at just 18, continued his fairytale form as his second-half winner made him the youngest player to reach the milestone of 10 Bundesliga goals.
In Leipzig, the hosts picked up a much-needed confidence boost before Tuesday’s home Champions League game against Brugge by thrashing Hertha. French winger Christopher Nkunku capped an outstanding display with two goals and two assists as Leipzig ran amok. Three defeats in their opening five league games, as well as a 6-3 thrashing at Manchester City in Europe, had piled pressure on Leipzig coach Jesse Marsch. The American reacted by switching Denmark forward Yussuf Poulsen upfront for struggling new striker Andre Silva. Poulsen linked up with Nkunku to cause havoc in the Hertha defence.Nkunku deftly chipped the Berlin goalkeeper to give the hosts an early lead, then provided the pass which Poulsen swept into the net for the second. Lukas Klostermann had a goal disallowed, but Leipzig still went into half-time 3-0 up when Nordi Mukiele volleyed home an Angelino free-kick. Leipzig playmaker Emil Forsberg converted a penalty to make it 4-0 before Nkunku grabbed his second when he fired in a free-kick and Mali midfielder Amadou Haidara made it 6-0 when he fired into the bottom corner from the edge of the area for his second goal in as many games.Florian Wirtz is the youngest player EVER to score 10 Bundesliga goals, at 18 years and 145 days 👶 #NXGN pic.twitter.com/ZiuC0I6WHb— Goal News (@GoalNews) September 25, 2021 Union Berlin are unbeaten in their last 20 home league games after a 1-0 win against Bielefeld in the capital. Substitute striker Kevin Behrens came off the bench to claim his first Bundesliga goal in only his fourth game for Union. However, the win was overshadowed by injury to Union defender Timo Baumgartl, who was knocked out during a first-half collision and taken to hospital. BUNDESLIGA – Round 6FridayGreuther Fuerth – Bayern Munich 1-3 (0-2)/Itten 87 – Mueller 10, Kimmich 31, Griesbeck 68 og/SaturdayRB Leipzig – Hertha Berlin 6-0 (3-0)/Nkunku 16, 70, Poulsen 23, Mukiele 45+3, Forsberg 60 pen, Haidara 77/ Eintracht Frankfurt – Koln 1-1 (1-1)/Borre 45+6 – Skhiri 14/Leverkusen – Mainz 1-0 (0-0)/Wirtz 62/Union Berlin – Bielefeld 1-0 (0-0)/Behrens 88/Hoffenheim – Wolfsburg 3-1 (1-1)/Kramaric 45+2, Baumgartner 74, Kaderabek 81 – Baku 25/Borussia Monchengladbach – Borussia Dortmund 1-0 (1-0)/Zakaria 37/Sunday 16.30: (3.25) Bochum (3.50) Stuttgart (2.30)18.30: (2.00) Freiburg (3.50) Augsburg (4.10)***odds are subject to change