15th matchday
BVB again without a win – Leipzig now third
Dissatisfied faces: Borussia Dortmund only managed a draw in Augsburg. photo
© Tom Weller/dpa
Accompanied by violent fan protests, the ball is rolling in the Bundesliga stadiums. Runner-up BVB remains without a win again. Leipzig wins.
RB Leipzig did better than Dortmund. Coach Marco Rose’s team improved to third place ahead of Sunday’s top game between Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart. In the 3-1 (1-1) win against TSG Hoffenheim, Emil Forsberg was celebrated by the fans in what was probably his last home game for RB Leipzig.
Forsberg says goodbye with top performance
After Lukas Klostermann took the lead in the 34th minute, Ozan Kabak (42nd) equalized for the guests. Four minutes after his substitution, Forsberg put Leipzig back in the lead with a dream goal; the super technician prepared Mohamed Simakan’s goal (74th). The 32-year-old Swede is about to move to Red Bull New York.
For Union Berlin, after the European Cup exit during the week, there was the next setback in the relegation battle with the clear 0:3 (0:1) at VfL Bochum. The Köpenickers only have ten points and are in relegation place. Only SV Darmstadt 98 and FSV Mainz 05 (nine points each) are worse. Despite having a long majority, Darmstadt lost 0-1 (0-0) against VfL Wolfsburg. Mainz also remained without a point in the 0-1 (0-1) draw against 1. FC Heidenheim at home. It was the first away win in the upper house for the Bundesliga newcomer.
The 15th matchday was accompanied by violent fan protests against the German Football League’s investor deal. Sometimes, as in Bochum, tennis balls and chocolate coins were thrown onto the playing field, along with insulting chants and protest posters. At the general meeting on Monday, the DFL received a mandate from the professional clubs to begin concrete negotiations with a strategic marketing partner.
Dortmund loses connection after a draw
In Augsburg, top scorer Ermedin Demirovic gave the hosts the lead after prevailing in a tough duel with Nico Schlotterbeck (23rd minute). The scene was checked but no complaints were made. It was Demirovic’s eighth goal of the season. Dortmund equalized before the break through Donyell Malen (35′).
In Bochum, the Japanese Takuma Asano initially strengthened himself with a chocolate coin thrown from the stands, then he gave VfL a massive lead (45th + 4). Goncalo Paciencia (54th) and Kevin Stöger with a penalty kick (78th) made everything clear.
The situation in Mainz is particularly precarious, which Marvin Pieringer made even worse with his winning goal for Heidenheim (12th). In Darmstadt, the hosts were unable to take advantage of being in the lead for more than an hour after Maxence Lacroix was shown the red card following an emergency stop (27′). Lovro Majer scored Wolfsburg’s winning goal (63′).