BERLIN: Second-placed RB Leipzig slipped up with a 3-1 loss at Union Berlin on Friday for their third Bundesliga defeat of the season and missed the chance to close the gap on leaders Bayern Munich.

Leipzig stay on 29 points, eight behind Bayern who can extend their advantage with a home win over bottom side Mainz 05 on Sunday when Borussia Dortmund, third on 28, visit Freiburg.

Leipzig never really found their footing in the first half and Union had the best chance on the stroke of halftime when Janik Haberer’s effort with his knee sailed narrowly wide.

Oliver Burke, however, did not miss as he unleashed a left-foot shot into the top corner that left goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi frozen on the spot in the 57th to put the hosts in front.

Leipzig’s Tidiam Gomis, who came on in the 59th, drew the visitors level a minute later, scoring with a powerful low shot but their joy only lasted three minutes as Union went back in front with Ilyas Ansah’s close-range header.

Tim Skarke sealed the home side’s win in stoppage time to lift Union to eighth place on 18 points.

“This shouldn’t happen to us. It’s very bitter and disappointing. Unfortu­nately, the defeat is deserved,” Leipzig’s sporting director Marcel Schaefer told Sky Germany. “If we want to be a top team, we have to be fully focused in every game. We didn’t play well in some phases. Union ruthlessly exploited that.”

On Saturday, a brilliant solo goal from Ritsu Doan took Eintracht Frankfurt to a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Augsburg.

The victory lifted Frankfurt, who have struggled to manage domestic and European commitments this season in just their second Champions League campaign, to fifth spot.

Augsburg had two strikes chalked off by VAR early against a shaky Frankfurt defence who had conceded 15 goals in their past five games.

Midway through the second-half, Japan international Doan weaved through four Augsburg defenders before hitting a deflected shot past Finn Dahmen.

Elsewhere, Hoffenheim climbed into the top four, two points above Frankfurt, thanks to a commanding 4-1 home win over Hamburg, their sixth victory in their past eight league games.

Goals from Grischa Proemel, Ozan Kabak, Tim Lemperle and Fisnik Asllani took Hoffenheim to victory, while Hamburg’s Rayan Philippe scored a late consolation goal before missing a stoppage time penalty.

The wins for Frankfurt and Hoffenheim pushed Bayer Leverkusen down to sixth but the 2023-24 league winners can reclaim fourth with a victory when they host derby rivals Cologne later on Saturday.

Christian Eriksen sparked VfL Wolfsburg to a 3-1 win away at Borussia Moenchengladbach to continue the Wolves’ recent resurgence.

The former Manchester United and Tottenham midfielder guided in an expert cross which led to a Mohammed Amoura goal and created Patrick Wimmer’s second with a no-look pass inside four minutes midway through the first half.

Dangling near the relegation spots for much of the season, Wolfsburg have claimed seven points in their last three matches to climb to 13th.

St Pauli won for the first time since September with a 2-1 home victory over Heidenheim, despite going down to 10 men just before halftime.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2025