How do you stop Bayern? Ask Mainz coach Thomas Tuchel, who has won the last three against them

Bayern added over 50% to their goals against column against Mainz. Meanwhile, the Borussia sides take advantage on derby day.

KOLN 0-3 BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH

In the last couple of years, the Rheinland derby has done funny things to the Cathedral City sides’ defenders. Despite how poor Mӧnchengladbach were last year, they still won on derby day 4-0 and 5-1.

On this occasion it was only three, however, after playing all 13 games without a goal, Mike Hanke was somehow able to get two in Kӧln. As a result, Mӧnchengladbach would go top for Friday night at least, the first time they have been there in over a quarter of a century.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2-0 SCHALKE

There is no sight more wonderful in the Bundesliga than a full house at Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion (Signal Iduna Park). A derby with their fiercest rivals on a day where they would go top, for 24 hours at least, was always going to deliver a wonderful atmosphere, particularly if you add eight thousand Schalke fans hoping to see their side leapfrog Dortmund with a win and put themselves just a point behind Mӧnchengladbach.

After a quarter of an hour, Robert Lewandowski delivered as well, turning home Marcel Schmelzer’s beautiful in swinging free-kick. It was a terrific first-half performance by Dortmund, the perfect reaction to having their Champions League hopes squashed at the Emirates in midweek.

It was not until after the break that Schalke worked their way into the game. In their desperation for an equaliser they flew forward on the hour mark after half-clearing a corner, but the ball was then put back into the penalty area with Felipe Santana taking advantage to make it 2-0. Game, set and match Dortmund.

MAINZ 3-2 BAYERN MUNICH

Well, Dortmund were only meant to have gone top for 24 hours. Mainz and their coach Thomas Tuchel, however, have found the formula to break down the Bayern defence that had only conceded five all season. They scored three and should have had plenty more, having 23 days without a game before playing them is not something that will happen very often though.

When Daniel Van Buyten headed home ten minutes after half time, cancelling out Andreas Ivanschitz’s opener, it looked like Mainz were going to pay for missing countless chances while the game was 1-0. Maybe it was the extra rest that helped them, but somehow Mainz managed to come again, and a 30-yard belter from Marco Caligiuri was then followed up by a header by Niko Bungert and suddenly it was 3-1.

You never get it easy against Bayern though and Van Buyten got his second to create a hellishly nervy last ten minutes for the hosts. Munich were pummeling the Mainz goal and were always going to get one chance and it came to Van Buyten. The centre-half probably has not got a hat-trick since he was a youth team striker and there is a reason he was moved to centre-half though, and he missed an open goal.

HANNOVER 1-1 HAMBURG

With the excitement of the other two derby games, the north German clash was largely disappointing in comparison. It did become much livelier in the second half, with the goals being two of the best from corners that will happen anywhere in Europe all season.

Firstly Jeffrey Bruma came storming in from nowhere to connect at the near post to give Hamburg the lead. Then, with ten minutes left and the away fans looking at a win that would have taken them up to eleventh, Sergio Pinto pulled a corner behind everyone and out towards the D where the balding magician Jan Schlaudraff, who has been relatively quiet all season, volleyed superbly into the top corner.

WERDER BREMEN 2-0 STUTTGART

Coming off the back of an incredible 5-0 reverse to Borussia Mӧnchengladbach last week, another loss here could well have killed off all hope of a Bremen title tilt. With Claudio Pizarro out and Stuttgart in good form it seemed a possibility too. Tim Wiese was called upon to make a great save just before the break to avoid Stuttgart taking the lead and increasing that possibility.

Werder then took advantage, with Aaron Hunt nutmegging Khalid Boulahrouz and then keeper Sven Ulreich in a space in which it looked impossible to do either, let alone both - 1-0 Bremen.

Boulahrouz looked particularly stunned and responded by giving away a penalty ten minutes later, well it looked like a penalty but was given as a free-kick inches outside the area. It looked too close for a direct shot on goal, so centre half Naldo decided to hit it as hard as it is possible to hit the football, straight into the back of the net, killing off any hope of a Stuttgart revival.

HERTHA BERLIN 3-3 BAYER LEVERKUSEN

A win here and the improvement in Leverkusen’s form will have them thinking about pushing right up into the top four. But from the time they gave away a penalty within the first five minutes, you sensed that it wasn’t to be their day.

Hertha did not capitalise but that was because the fates had decried that just a couple of minutes later, Pierre-Michel Lasogga, the young 19-year-old striker who was never given a chance anywhere near Leverkusen’s first team before leaving for Berlin, would be the man to open the scoring.

When a free-kick deflected off Ӧmer Toprak for an own goal, things looked really bad for Bayer. Enter Eren Derdiyok, a one man show-stopping hat trick turned things around to give the visitors the lead with ten minutes to go. That disappeared just two minutes later and it does not take a genius to work out who got it. Lasogga says “remember me?” and slots home the equaliser that keeps both stuck in mid-table.

AUGSBURG 2-0 WOLFSBURG

The fact that Augsburg had not recorded a home win is a big reason why a gap was developing between them and everyone else. Also, remember how Sascha Mӧlders was on fire in front of goal for Augsburg at the start of the season? Well over 1,000 minutes without a goal is the other reason they are bottom.

Judging by this game, he must have been wondering what he had done to deserve the sort of luck that saw him have a good penalty shout denied, a goal disallowed and hitting the post – all in the first half. Eventually, he gave up and passed to Daniel Brinkmann, who did find the net. Augsburg added a second due to desperate ‘throw everyone forward’ injury-time antics by the Wolves. Augsburg now find themselves back in touch with those above them.

NURNBURG 1-0 KAISERSLAUTERN

In the last eight games, Nürnburg have recorded just three draws. As a result, they find themselves in the relegation play-off spot. By breaking that winless run here, they leapfrogged Kaiserslautern and put them in that play-off position.

Once USA international Timmy Chandler had given the hosts the lead there seemed no way back as Kaiserslautern have scored the least number of goals in the league, hence why they find themselves down at the bottom. The score should have easily been at least three or four though, the missed chances showing that Nürnburg will probably continue to stay near the bottom.

HOFFENHEIM 1-1 FREIBURG

Freiburg are down there and considering how their defence seem unable to account for the opposition attackers it is easy to see why. Having half cleared a corner, they jogged en masse out of the area, only to see the ball chipped back over the top with Roberto Firmino running through them from an onside position to make it 1-0.

Further chances were gifted to Firmino and Ryan Babel throughout this game, but were squandered. The truth is, Freiburg were always this bad defensively but carved out enough chances for Papiss Demba Cisse to keep them out of trouble. His goals have now dried up, but in injury-time, Hoffenheim were made to pay for the chances they had missed as Garra Dembele salvaged a point for the visitors.