Bundesliga Roundup: Bayern & Dortmund Win (Again), Leipzig Stumble in European Push & More

Bayer 04 Leverkusen v FC Bayern Muenchen - Bundesliga
Bayer 04 Leverkusen v FC Bayern Muenchen - Bundesliga / Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
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Football may be set for a return all around Europe in the coming weeks, but until then, the eyes of the world remain focused on the Bundesliga.

And rightly so! The German title may be heading back to Munich for another year, but a pulsating scrap for Champions League football is unfolding between four Bundesliga giants. And that's without even mentioning the ugly battle at the basement of the table, as the league's stragglers attempt to avoid the heartbreak of relegation.

There was another gripping day of German football for our entertainment on Saturday, and 90min is here to bring you the all-important details from all the action. Get it while it's hot.


Although there were four afternoon kickoffs, the majority of football fans tuned in to check out an epic clash between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. Plenty of us were hoping for a close encounter, and maybe even an upset. It didn't happen, however.

Bayern did fall beyond when Lucas Alario broke the offside trap and beat Manuel Neuer at his front post, but their lead lasted only 17 minutes, as Kingsley Coman brought parity to the German champions. And Die Roten went from strength to strength, ripping Leverkusen apart twice more in the first half, with Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry applying two emphatic finishes.

Robert Lewandowski put the game beyond doubt with a bullet header on 66 minutes, although Florian Wirtz did add a consolation strike for the hosts. But Bayern saw the game out and took another huge step towards their eighth consecutive league title.

Borussia Dortmund hosted a revived Hertha Berlin In the evening kickoff, and Lucien Favre's men were made to work hard for their 1-0 win. The breakthrough came just before the hour-mark, when Emre Can rounded off a lovely team move with a calm, slotted finish from just inside the penalty area.

Hertha tried to get back into the game, but they struggled to break down a solid Dortmund defence, and Der BVB held on to cement themselves in second place.

The biggest shock of the afternoon came at Leipzig, where bottom of the table Paderborn snatched a late equaliser to throw the hosts' Champions League ambitions into doubt.

On loan striker Patrik Schick swept home on 27 minutes to deal a huge blow to the lowly visitors, but their guests were given hope when Dayot Upamecano saw a second yellow card on 43 minutes for kicking the ball away in frustration.

And Paderborn eyed their chance to grab the headlines, and their efforts were rewarded in injury time when Christian Strohdiek smashed home a rebound to condemn Leipzig to a shock 1-1 draw.

Elsewhere, Fortuna Dusseldorf and Hoffenheim played out an entertaining 2-2 draw, in a match which saw the visitors battle for over 80 minutes with ten men. Fortuna took the lead after five minutes, and it was only four minutes later that Benjamin Huebner was given his marching orders for the second time in two matches. Good going, that.

But Munas Dabbur pulled Hoffenheim level and Steven Zubar slotted home on the hour mark to stun the empty stadium into...silence, handing them a shock 2-1 lead.

But the brave visitors couldn't hold on for the three points, and with 15 minutes left on the clock, Rouwen Hennings converted a penalty to earn a share of the spoils. A great effort from the ten men of Hoffenheim, nonetheless.

At the bottom of the table, Mainz shocked Eintracht Frankfurt, claiming a 2-0 win to open up a three-point gap above 16th place Fortuna. Moussa Niakhaté powered a header home just before half time, and the three points were confirmed when Pierre Kunde capitalised on a defensive mix-up to add a second.

Kunde then celebrated by taking a knee, following in the footsteps of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Thuram in supporting the recent movement against racism, after the tragic death of George Floyd in America.

Results:

Bayer Leverkusen 2-4 Bayern Munich

Eintracht Frankfurt 0-2 Mainz

Fortuna Dusseldorf 2-2 Hoffenheim

RB Leipzig 1-1 Paderborn

Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Hertha Berlin