15:30 Kickoffs: Leipzig suffer another shutout defeat, Union and Leverkusen cruise to victories
A fine set of finishes in the Bundesliga's latest set of 15:30 kickoffs yielded ramifications for all areas of the Bundesliga table. Union Berlin and SC Freiburg maintain their top four places after attain results. Leipzig, courtesy of another loss, are in fifth.
Company teams VfL Wolfsburg and Bayer 04 Leverkusen remain in the hunt for European following their own results. A much needed point for Hertha BSC pushes the Berliners up to the relegation playoff spot.
Company teams VfL Wolfsburg and Bayer 04 Leverkusen remain in the hunt for European following their own results. A much needed point for Hertha BSC pushes the Berliners up to the relegation playoff spot.
| Marco Rose. | Photo: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
RB trainer Rose made two changes to the side that lost 0-1 to VfL Bochum just before the international break. Benjamin Henrichs and Emil Forsberg moved into the XI for Yussuf Poulsen and Mohamed Simakan. FSV gaffer Svensson introduced two new players to his previous XI as well. Silvan Widmer and Dominik Kohr replaced Jae Sung-Lee and Danny da Costa. An RB 4-2-2-2 squared off against a Mainz 3-4-3.
The Rheinhessen were courageous right from the very start. The Pfälzer soon found themselves in possession of a deserved lead as a result. Leipzig defender Willi Orban was able to block a Ludovic Ajorque close-range effort in the 9th and RB keeper Janis Blaswich was able to save Leandro Barreiro's follow up shortly thereafter. Marcus Ingvartsen was nevertheless on hand to pummel home the second rebound for the 1-0.
The Saxon hosts could only muster up a pair of half chances in response. Ajorque and Ingvartsen very nearly combined for the 2-0 in the 25th. Five minutes after that, Barreiro just missed yet another chance at the 2-0 with an effort of the crossbar at the half-hour mark. Robin Zentner did have to make a quality save against Timo Werner in the 41st, but Leipzig could still count themselves lucky that they were only down one goal at the half.
Rose attempted to shake things up with a double change at the half. Amadou Haidara and David Raum came on for Kevin Kampl and Marcel Halstenberg. Leipzig's play still summarily failed to become more constructive. The opportunities for Mainz simply kept coming. Ajorque, Ingvartsen, Kohr, and Anton Stach all had looks at goal until the 2-0 finally came in the 57th.
Ajorque supplied a fine finish after some nice work from Barreiro and Stach. The German Red Bulls proceeded to fall apart, committing several hard frustration fouls during a choppy ten minutes that saw players on both sides booked. Kohr finally made Leipzig's misery complete in the 67th by polishing off a failed Dani Olmo clearance for the 3-0. Werner and Dominik Soboszlai failed to pull back a goal during a late push.
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga's 15:30 kickoffs, 1. FC Union Berlin and Bayer 04 Leverkusen took some time to wake up against respective opponents VfB Stuttgart and FC Schalke 04. Stuttgart played a serviceable first half at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. The Köpenick hosts then leapt ahead early in the second 45 behind goals from Sheraldo Becker and Kevin Behrens. Genki Haraguchi then scored an own-goal against his own club in a match that also finished 3-0.
Scahlke were similarly able to rack up some small points against Leverkusen at home at the Veltins Arena. After a scoreless first half, however, Germany's red company team got rolling quickly after the restart. Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz scored in quick succession. Sardar Azmoun added a late goal in second half injury time for yet another 3-0 scoreline.
Over at the Volkswagen Arena in Lower Saxony, VfL Wolfsburg battled back to draw visiting Augsburg 2-2. Enrico Maaßen's Fuggerstädter were ruthlessly efficient in front of goal during the first half. VfL captain Maximilian Arnold regrettably scored an own goal and missed a penalty during the opening 45. An FCA 2-0 lead held until the final six minutes, when Luca Waldschmidt and Felix Nmecha drew the hosts level.
Down south in SC Freiburg's Europa Park Stadion, Christian Streich's Breisgauer and Hertha also drew 1-1. After Vincenzo Grifo put the hosts ahead, the Hertha striking duo of Jessic Ngankam and Wilfried Kanga combined for a late equalizer. The draw enables Hertha to climb up to the relegation playoff place.