Three things we learnt from Bundesliga Matchday 23 Konferenz – Bayern Munich hold on, Bayer Leverkusen stutter and Ragnar Ache’s goal of the season | OneFootball

Bundesliga matchday 23 kicked off with an important game at the bottom of the table between Mainz and Hamburg, which ended 1-1. 

The highlight game was Bayern Munich vs Eintracht Frankfurt, while elsewhere Bayer Leverkusen travelled to Union Berlin, 1.FC Köln played Hoffenheim, and Wolfsburg faced Augsburg.

Here are the three things we learnt:

Bayern Munich (temporarily) open the gap to nine points:

The build-up to Bayern vs Frankfurt had very little to do with what was going to happen on the pitch. Friday began with Vincent Kompany’s speech about racism and his experiences during his press conference (which you can watch here), then later on Friday, Frankfurt called out Bild for their question towards Albert Riera about criticism from Max Kruse and Martin Harnik. 

It led with this headline:

On the pitch, Bayern took a commanding lead in the first half thanks to goals from Aleksander Pavlovic and Harry Kane, and it looked as if the game was more or less over. Just after half-time, Kane made it 3-0. 

However, Frankfurt rallied, and in the final 15 minutes, a Jonathan Burkardt penalty (which Kane caused) and an Arnaud Kalimuendo strike made it 3-2 and led to a nervy ending at the Allianz Arena, but more importantly, Bayern were able to hold on.

The win means that temporarily, their lead at the top of the Bundesliga has been extended to nine points, with Borussia Dortmund set to play RB Leipzig later today. 

It is a potential warning sign that Bayern allowed a rather toothless Frankfurt side to get back into the game, especially as we approach the business end of the season. 

But, over to Dortmund (both in terms of closing the gap and Der Klassiker next week). 

Bayer Leverkusen stutter:

After a strong performance in midweek against Olympiacos, Leverkusen struggled against Steffan Baumgart’s Union Berlin as they succumbed to a 1-0 loss, due to a first-half strike from Rani Khedira. 

It was a poor performance from die Werkself. Via FotMob, they only managed one shot on target the whole game, and they also only registered an open play xG of 0.58. Depending on the results tomorrow, they could then find themselves six points off the Bundesliga top four. 

Leverkusen need to make sure they do not have a similar performance in midweek, as it could result in an embrassing slipping up.

Ragnar Ache’s Bundesliga goal of the season?

We have had a fair share of great goals this season in the Bundesliga, Luka Vuskovic’s scorpion kick against Werder Bremen, and Luis Diaz’s shot from an impossible angle against Union, to name a few.

However, Ragnar Ache’s opener in 1.FC Köln’s 2-2 draw with Hoffenheim may be up there with one of the best of the season. 

The 27-year-old connected with Said El Mala’s cross with a bicycle kick that went into the top corner of Oliver Baumann’s goal. In terms of bicycle kicks, it is up there with one of the better ones, solely due to the fact that it did not bounce on the ground or lose air due to the angle it was hit from. 

Considering Diaz’s goal won ARD goal of the year for 2025, it will be tough competition for Ache to win goal of the season. However, considering Kane won the award for recreating the Bundesliga logo before scoring a tap-in, there is also a chance he wins it. 

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga:

The only other Saturday afternoon game was between Wolfsburg and Augsburg, which ended 3-2 to the visitors as the Függerstader scored twice in the final six minutes of the game to send them into 10th. While, Wolfsburg are at risk of dropping into the bottom three depending on tomorrow’s results. 

GGFN | Jack Meenan