Three things we learnt from the Bundesliga MD 12 Konferenz – Bayern leave it late, Heidenheim give themselves hope and Hoffenheim rise into the Champions League places | OneFootball

Following a mixed week for German teams in Europe, the Bundesliga returned with Borussia Mönchengladbach and RB Leipzig playing out a 0-0 draw on Friday night. 

Saturday afternoon saw Bayern Munich host St.Pauli, Hoffenheim play Augsburg, Heidenheim travel to Union Berlin, and Werder Bremen face 1.FC Köln.

Here are the three things we learnt from the Bundesliga Konferenz: 

Bayern Munich struggles to beat St.Pauli:

The scoreline of 3-1 will suggest that this was an easy result for Bayern. It was far from it.

St.Pauli took the lead early on but parked the bus for 87 minutes as the hosts struggled to actually get a shot on goal, until Luis Diaz’s goal in the 93rd minute. Bayern only had one shot on target, which was their previous goal. They had also hit the woodwork twice before taking the lead. Their third shot on target came when Nicolas Jackson made it 3-1. 

The Hamburg side was also let down by their goalkeeper. For most of the game, Nikola Vasilj was not called upon, but the one time he was needed, he failed to deliver. In fact, he made one save the whole game (via FotMob). 

For Bayern, this is the third week in a row in the Bundesliga that they have conceded first. Each time they have come from behind to rescue at least a point, but this is not sustainable, and today was a close call. 

Heidenheim give themselves hope of Bundesliga survival:

To make matters worse for St.Pauli, Heidenheim leapfrogged them with a late winner against Union Berlin to move up to 16th in the table. 

Frank Schmidt’s side looked to be heading for another loss was up until the 90th minute, when they were 1-0 down thanks to a Rani Khedira goal in the first half. However, Stefan Schimmer made it 1-1 and then in the 95th minute, with more or less the last kick of the game, Jan Schöppner made it 2-1. 

With Heidenheim scraping at the bottom of the table, every point will matter, especially if St.Pauli continue to slide backwards. 

(If you want to watch the highlights of this game, I advise you not to.)

Hoffenheim enter the Champions League places:

With their 3-0 win over Augsburg, Hoffenheim move up to fourth in the Bundesliga table, meaning they are in the Champions League spot (at least for now). 

It is a testament to the work that head coach Christian Ilzer has done, especially when you consider they were terrible last season and one poor result away from getting relegated. 

Hoffenheim were never troubled by Augsburg, and it was another standout performance from Bazoumana Touré, who scored his second goal of the season. While TSG’s midfield trio is also very strong, with Wouter Burger scoring and assisting, Leon Avdullahu and Grischa Prömel also continue to impress. Add to this Fisnik Asllani, who, despite being quiet today, is also having a good season and is attracting interest from other Bundesliga sides. 

Ilzer’s side more than likely not good enough to stay in this position (and they will drop out of the top four if Borussia Dortmund get at least a point later), but they are well on their way to finish in a European spot at the end of the season, despite the chaos that has engulfed the club off the pitch in recent weeks. 

Elsewhere around the Bundesliga:

GGFN | Jack Meenan