Bundesliga Bulletin: Bayern and Dortmund chasing top two

Good midweek for: Timo Werner, Jadon Sancho, Mainz, Jürgen Klinsmann, Cologne, Philipp Max

Bad midweek for: Roman Bürki, Florian Kohfeldt, Freiburg, Düsseldorf

The lowdown:

 — Borussia Mönchengladbach got the job done against Paderborn, which meant both they and RB Leipzig are the only two clubs capable of being crowned Herbstmeister (autumn champions). More intriguingly, it took a stoppage-time winner for Bayern Munich to overcome a stubborn Freiburg side that deserved a point. Dutch teenage striker Joshua Zirkzee came off the bench to put the visitors ahead with his first touch on his debut (sounds very Bayern doesn't it?). Serge Gnabry added some gloss even deeper into added time, but the three points means both Bayern and Dortmund are four points off the leaders with one game to go before the break.

— The headline game of the Englische Woche between Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig managed to sum up the first half of the season in microcosm. A wild night at the Westfalenstadion saw the sides share six goals (with four coming in 20 minutes either side of the break) and many more mistakes. Timo Werner's brace was ably assisted by Dortmund pair Roman Bürki and Julian Brandt after Dortmund imploded following a brilliant first half. In the end, no-one was able to exert full control, a suddenly familiar tale in Germany's top-flight this term.

— Werner's double made it 12 in seven games and put him one behind Robert Lewandowski (who scored once in Freiburg) in the goalscoring chart, a remarkable feat considering the German was six goals behind his Polish counterpart by matchday eight. After a difficult World Cup and a patchy 2018-19, Werner has been revitalized by the arrival of Julian Nagelsmann and signing a new contract. According to Transfermarkt, his value has risen above Lewandowski's for the first time. But will that be enough to ward off the vultures circling around the 23-year-old?

 — The ZeroFivers well and truly lived up to their nickname, as Mainz 05 hammered free-falling Werder Bremen 0-5 at the Weserstadion, a new Bundesliga record away win for Mainz. Robin Quaison scored only the second hat trick of his career, and last season's top scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta, 22, continued his comeback from a long-term absence with torn meniscus with a goal in his second cameo from the bench in three days. After being sacked by Cologne, Achim Beierlorzer has picked up nine points from his first five games with his new club. 

— And Cologne, to their credit, seem to have turned a corner. Following on from their surprising derby win, Markus Gisdol's men celebrated a special comeback away at Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring four straight goals after being 2-0 down inside the opening 30 minutes. The win takes them out of the relegation zone, and they'll face Werder Bremen in the final game before the break.

The stats:

— Timo Werner's 18 goals and five assists mean he's been involved in 51 percent of Leipzig's goals this year. He's also now scored against every Bundesliga team he's faced.

— Yet another record for Jadon Sancho, who is now the youngest player to score 22 Bundesliga goals. The previous holder of that title, Horst Köppels, reached the tally in 1968 but was two days older than the 19-year-old Englishman.

— Gladbach will finish 2019 with 7 straight home wins in the league. Championship form, you might say.

— Joshua Zirkzee's goal made him the youngest Dutchman to score in the Bundesliga (18 years, 210 days).

— Robin Quaison's 38-minute hat trick for Mainz was the Swede's first treble in eight years, his last coming in the Swedish third division in 2011. 

The quotes:

"Unfortunately, Timo Werner is too smart, doesn't like to track back and then found himself in the right place to make it 2-2."
Marco Reus manages the compliment/backhanded compliment double when discussing Werner's interception of Julian Brandt's pass.

"It was a catastrophic performance from us...There is no explanation for what happened today."
Werder Bremen boss Florian Kohfeldt. His side have won one of their last 12 and conceded 11 in the last two games. Saturday's trip to Cologne looks make or break for him.

"I'm not doing anything different to what I was doing before, but when things are going well, then they're going well."
Philipp Max on his recent fine form for Augsburg

"Today we helped Gladbach win. That lights my fuse, but tomorrow I'll put my arms around the lads."
Paderborn head coach Steffen Baumgart

"To begin with I thought they'd shoot us out of the stadium. That we were in a position to play more freely and create chance was not something I thought was possible."
Christian Streich on Freiburg's defeat to Bayern

"We have to be ashamed."
Werder Bremen captain Niklas Moisander after Bremen's five-goal defeat to Mainz

The fans:

Sometimes, there are more important things than football. We send our condolences to the family and those affected.

"A huge compliment to everyone in the stadium for how they dealt with the situation. It just shows that it doesn't matter which team you support. If someone dies, it's time to hold together. I want to send my condolences to the family."
Wolfsburg head coach Oliver Glasner

"On evenings like this it's tough to talk about football. First things first, my thoughts are with the family of the deceased. It shows that football is not the most important thing."
Schalke head coach David Wanger