Arminia Bielefeld 1-0 Union Berlin (0-0), Goals: 1-0 Masaya Okugawa (53′)
The online petition “Build a statue for Fabian Klos!” had signed just over a thousand people early on Saturday afternoon. The striker announced his departure from Arminia Bielefeld in the summer earlier this week, after 11 years, two promotions from the third to the first division and 162 goals for the club. Klos could set a monument for himself, said coach Frank Kramer, with staying up in the league this season.
Reaching this goal is getting closer, but Captain Klos, 34, no longer contributes as a regular. The protagonists of the Bielefeld offensive are significantly younger and are called Janni Serra, 23, and Patrick Wimmer, 20, both of whom were involved in preparing Masaya Okugawa’s, 25, goal. Klos came on as a substitute in the 64th minute. A few signatures were added.
Happy Masaya Okugawa (2nd from left): With the only goal of the afternoon he gave Arminia Bielefeld some breathing room in the relegation battle.
(Photo: Martin Rose/Getty Images)
FC Augsburg – SC Freiburg 1:2 (1:2), Goals: 0: 1 Nils Petersen (4th), 1: 1 Michael Gregoritsch (16th), 1: 2 Nico Schlotterbeck (26th)
It’s well known by now that you should keep an eye on Nils Petersen when he’s substituted on. The Freiburger has scored 31 joker goals in the Bundesliga so far – by far the most in history. The 33-year-old only scored two minutes after coming on against Mainz last weekend. In the days that followed there were rumors that Petersen could switch to 1. FC Köln after his contract expired in the summer – despite record statistics, he was dissatisfied with the short time in Freiburg.
Was it because Petersens was in the starting XI for the first time this season? In any case, the Augsburgers lost sight of him early on. It took just four minutes for Petersen to head in after a cleanly played attack to give Freiburg the lead. FCA, who had to do without their Corona-positive coach Markus Weinzierl, equalized after a good quarter of an hour with a well-placed shot by Michael Gregoritsch – only to fall behind again ten minutes and a rehearsed Freiburg free-kick variant later. In the second half, the Breisgauer had enough chances to further extend their lead. Apart from a dangerous Gregoritsch header, Augsburg managed little and, after the second defeat in a row, is only three points ahead of a direct relegation zone.
Nils Petersen was in the starting eleven for the first time this season against FC Augsburg – and repaid the trust with a goal.
(Photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
VfB Stuttgart – VfL Bochum 1: 1 (0: 0), Goals: 1: 0 Armel Bella Kotchap (56th, own goal), 1: 1 Eduard Löwen (90th + 4, penalty kick)
Striker Sasa Kalajdzic is a symbol for VfB Stuttgart right now: he is one of the many talented Stuttgart footballers whose talent has been seldom seen for quite some time. Despite calf problems, he sat on the bench on Saturday: “For emergencies,” as coach Pellegrino Matarazzo said. On the other hand: Isn’t this season at VfB one big emergency?
The action that robbed VfB of victory shortly before the end: Stuttgart’s Konstantinos Mavropanos (right) fouled Bochum’s Sebastian Polter. Eduard Löwen converted the subsequent penalty.
(Photo: Marijan Murat/dpa)
It only took a good quarter of an hour for the misery to continue: Silas Katompa Mvumpa had to go out with shoulder pain. Then, for once, it was luck that helped VfB. Not much was accomplished towards the opposing goal until Bochum defender Armel Bella Kotchap extended the ball into his own goal following a corner. But when it looked like VfB would win for the first time after seven games without a win, Konstantinos Mavropanos kicked Sebastian Polter over in the penalty area without much effort. Eduard Löwen scored from the penalty spot.
And Kalajdzic? He stayed on the bench on Saturday. But the football emergency has now occurred at the latest in the penultimate table.
VfL Wolfsburg – TSG Hoffenheim 1: 2 (1: 0), Goals: 1-0 Jonas Wind (36′), 1-1 Jacob Bruun Larsen (74′), 1-2 Andrej Kramaric (78′)
Nothing to stop Koen Casteels: Hoffenheim’s Andrej Kramaric can slide in unhindered to make it 2-1 for the guests from a short distance.
(Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Before this game, the focus was not only on the 22 players, but at least as much on the referee. After a highly controversial referee at the clash between FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund at the beginning of December, a break of more than two months and speculation about a possible end to his career, referee Felix Zwayer made his Bundesliga comeback. Luckily he wasn’t the center of attention in Wolfsburg.
At first, the Wolves had more of the game and deservedly took the lead after a good half hour thanks to a wonderful goal from Jonas Wind – it was the Dane’s debut goal in the Bundesliga, who only switched to Wolfsburg in the winter break as Weghorst’s replacement. After half-time, the guests from Hoffenheim got stronger. Shortly after his substitution, another Dane, Jacob Bruun Larsen, equalized with a side kick and just four minutes later Andrej Kramaric turned the game around. Goalkeeper Oliver Baumann secured the victory for TSG, who, among other things, spectacularly deflected a Wind header around the post ten minutes before the end of the game.