BERLIN: Bayern Munich’s closest challengers, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen, both lost in the Bundesliga on Saturday to give the eight-time defending champions a chance to move seven points clear at the top by winning their game in hand.
Second-placed Leipzig lost 3-2 at relegation-threatened Mainz 05 and third-placed Leverkusen were beaten 1-0 at home to VfL Wolfsburg.
“In principle we don’t need to talk about Bayern if were losing games,” Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann said of his team’s weakened challenge after just one win in four matches. “It’s about winning the games yourself.”
American midfielder Tyler Adams got his team off to a great start with a goal in the 15th minute, but Moussa Niakhat scored twice for Mainz, either side of Marcel Halstenberg’s 30th-minute strike for the visitors.
New signing Danny da Costa set up Leandro Barreiro for Mainz’s winner in the 50th.
“It’s a difficult starting point but the path is clear,” said Mainz coach Bo Svensson, whose team remains second last.
Midfielder Ridle Baku’s 35th-minute header was enough for Wolfsburg.
The win saw Wolfsburg break into the top four, leapfrogging both Borussia Dortmund and high-fliers Union Berlin, who fell to their second defeat in a row with a 2-1 loss away to Augsburg.
Florian Niederlechner broke his 16-game goal drought to put Augsburg in front on 17 minutes, before Marcus Ingvartsen drew Union level with a precise finish. Niederlechner restored the lead just after half-time.
Union’s defeat allowed in-form Eintracht Frankfurt to jump to sixth with their 5-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld.
Andre Silva put Frankfurt ahead on 25 minutes, Filip Kostic doubled the lead with a sumptuous long-range effort two minutes later, and Kostic set up Silva for Frankfurt’s third.
Bielefeld hit back through a Sergio Cordova header, but an own goal from Joakim Nilsson and a goal from Real Madrid loanee Luka Jovic sealed the win for Frankfurt in the second half.
Elsewhere, Freiburg came from behind to beat local rivals VfB Stuttgart 2-1 at home, while a 4-1 home defeat to Werder Bremen plunged Hertha Berlin further into trouble.
Congolese winger Silas Wamangituka bundled in an early opener for Stuttgart, but goals from Ermedin Demirovic and Jeong Woo-yeong turned the game on its head.
Defeat to Bremen left Hertha just two points above Cologne in the relegation zone.
Former Hertha striker Davie Selke gave Werder an early lead from the penalty spot, while Bremen keeper Jiri Pavlenka saved a Matheus Cunha penalty at the other end.
Omer Toprak headed in Bremen’s second from a corner, but Jhon Cordoba pulled one back for Hertha on the stroke of half-time.
The capital club came out fighting, but were sunk by two brilliant second-half goals from Leonardo Bittencourt and US international Josh Sargent.
Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2021
