Bundesliga matchday eight: Whose on top?

Another Bundesliga matchday and another round of surprises and more confluence at the top. Sloppy results, blow outs, and of course surprise performances.

FC Augsburg has been a side that can when called get the big time results. Against a Bayern Munich you’d figure a late 2-2 draw wouldn’t be in the cards. Stats usually tell the tale but then again that isn’t on on display.

For the hosts from outside the Bavarian capital, a first minute goal placed the match in peril. Goals to equalize and take the lead came from Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry with many other attacks not seeing paydirt. Yet for little Augsburg to have a goal from Alfred Finnbogason in the final minute turned what seemed a normal win for the Bayern into a moment in which the word crisis is on the lips around the fan base.

Eintracht Frankfurt looked to take Bayer Leverkusen to the woodshed as everything seemed to go in for their 3-0 win at home before each resumed European competition.

Frankfurt, with two goals from Goncalo Paciencia and one from Bas Dost, looked lethal despite lacking domination in posession. For Leverkusen, they will be frustrated that back up keeper Frederik Ronnow looked just as good as number one Kevin Trapp. Leverkusen now needs to pick themselves off the floor home to Atletico Madrid while Eintracht host Standard Liege.

In the Battle of the Borussias, Dortmund benefited from some luck to a 1-0 win over table topping Monchengladbach at the Westfalenstadion.

A solitary goal from former Gladbach man Marco Reus was all that was needed here. Multiple goals were marked off by the referee otherwise much and more would have been made of the performance by the hosts. The Foals will still feel that points were left on the table and due to sheer luck still stay atop the Bundesliga. Dortmund now go south to visit Inter Milan in the Champions League while Gladbach visit Roma for their own Italian experience in the Europa League.

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga

American Josh Sargent was on the scoreboard as his Werder Bremen side played out a 1-1 draw with a resurgent Hertha Berlin.

FC Koln hasn’t had a good start to the season but 3-0 over cellar dweller Paderborn moves them to 15th and restores belief in staying up this season.

Hoffenheim was left for dead, then they beat Bayern and now Schalke 2-0. Funny how two matches can change the season outlook.

Union Berlin used the home support to great effect as they came away 2-0 winners over Feiburg two weeks before the Berlin derby.

Fortuna Dusseldorf looked stagnant recently but a 1-0 win over Mainz might keep their heads above the relegation zone, for now.

RB Leipzig and Wolfsburg played out a 1-1 draw which due to their strong starts to the season will help nobody.

Player of the Week

Frederik Ronnow – not very often that a keeper finds themselves out to dry and keeps a clean sheet, his highlight reel will keep him the number one beyond the New Year.

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