Bundesliga Matchday 32
April 30, 2016
Bayern Munich 1-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
(Müller 5' - Hahn 71')
On a sunny afternoon in Munich, Bayern were strolling towards the win they needed to seal a record fourth consecutive Bundesliga title (their third under Pep Guardiola). That was until Andre Hahn postponed the home side's title party with a strong strike, adding to Gladbach's fine record against the Bavarians.
Thomas Müller took his Bundesliga tally to 20 for the season, despite Serdar Tasci's best effort to claim the goal for himself as Bayern appeared to be strolling towards the title. But having been denied last weekend by Dortmund's win, Bayern undid themselves this weekend and are left with the unwanted distraction of having not won the title before Tuesday's Champions League second leg against Atletico Madrid.
Borussia Dortmund 5-1 Wolfsburg
(Kagawa 7', Ramos 9', Reus 60', Aubameyang 76', 77' - Schürrle 86')
After Mats Hummels' announcement this week, there was no surprise to hear a mixed response from Dortmund's fans. Whatever the mood in the stands was though, Dortmund's players showed no signs of being distracted as they dismantled the side they lost to in last season's German Cup final.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan's volley was so poorly hit that it assisted Shinji Kagawa for Dortmund's opener and a blink of an eye later, BVB were two goals to the good. A long ball by Sven Bender left Wolfsburg's defense floundering, and Kagawa's neat touch put in Adrian Ramos who smashed home with his newly-found confidence.
Daniel Caligiuri hit the bar, but otherwise Wolfsburg's woeful Bundesliga form continued. Marco Reus tucked away a third in the second half, before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang returned to action and scored two headers in the space of a minute. Dortmund not only sent a timely reminder of their quality, but also showed just how close their current group is.
Hannover 1-3 Schalke
(Sobiech 19' - Choupo-Moting 12', Huntelaar 44', Schöpf 80')
Head coach Andre Breitenreiter said last weekend that losing to Leverkusen wasn't the end of the world, and three points against Hannover certainly proves that Schalke's European ambitions are still alive.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored a neat opener after a superb assist by Leon Goretzka, but Schalke wouldn't have been themselves without a wobble. Hannover's Iver Fossum started a swift counterattack that Artur Sobiech finished off and suddenly Schalke were dropping points against a side that had already been relegated. Thankfully, Leroy Sane decided otherwise and his great piece of skill and pass set up Klaas-Jan Huntelaar for an easy tap-in.
Although Hannover hit the post, Schalke held on and added a third to stay within one point of fourth-placed Gladbach.
Hoffenheim 2-1 Ingolstadt
(Uth 37', Amiri 84' - Lex 16')
Julian Nagelsmann's team loves playing at home, even in the face of a ferocious relegation battle. The home side's defense was left looking silly early on though, and Stefan Lex took advantage with a smart touch and finish into the far corner. Mark Uth's seventh of the season - a neatly curled finish - hauled the home side level before the break.
Andrej Kramaric missed a chance from the spot to put Hoffenheim ahead - Örjan Nyland made a good save diving to his left - as the home side's chance appeared to have gone. Moritz Hartmann curled wide as the full-blooded affair, but with the result looking like a draw, Nadiem Amiri came off the bench to secure three points that put Hoffenheim four clear of relegation.
Darmstadt 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
(Vrancic 12' - Hasebe 57', Aigner 83')
If Frankfurt's win last weekend was ugly, this one was gritty. Some uncharacteristically gorgeous wing play for the home side was finished off in familiar fashion when Mario Vrancic bundled home Marcel Heller's low cross with his shin.
Darmstadt appeared to be heading towards three points that would have all but kept them in the Bundesliga, but Sandro Wagner spoiled the party when he failed to convert his poorly-struck penalty.
Frankfurt missed their chance to equalize when Haris Seferovic couldn't score at the back post, but Makoto Hasebe's deflected strike made up for it shortly before the hour mark. With the game heading into the final ten minutes, Stefan Aigner scrambled in at the back post to push Werder Bremen into a relegation spot and leave their opponents on the day just two points from safety.
Mainz 0-0 Hamburg
Both sides are stumbling towards the end of their respective seasons, although Hamburg might have won this one had it not been for Loris Karius' outstanding second-half save that denied Sven Schipplock.