Three things we learnt from the Bundesliga Matchday 31 afternoon kick-offs – Heidenheim shake up the relegation fight, Bayern send a warning to PSG and Leverkusen keep UCL hopes alive | OneFootball

With only a handful of games left to play in the Bundesliga this season, every game matters now, especially if you are fighting for Europe or to avoid relegation.

RB Leipzig improved their chances of qualifying for Europe with a 3-1 win against Union Berlin on Friday evening. 

The Saturday afternoon Bundesliga games were: Mainz vs Bayern Munich, 1.FC Köln vs Bayer Leverkusen, Heidenheim vs St.Pauli, Wolfsburg vs Borussia Mönchengladbach and Augsburg vs Eintracht Frankfurt. 

Here are the three things we learnt:

What happened in Mainz?

The biggest surprise of the weekend was at the MEWA Arena, where Bayern Munich came back from 3-0 down to beat Mainz 4-3.

In the first half, Mainz stormed into a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Dominik Kohr, Paul Nebel and Sheraldo Becker. 

In the second half, Bayern subbed on the big guns with Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala being subbed on, and the Bundesliga champions began to mount a comeback with Nicolas Jackson and Michael Olise scoring to make it 3-2. Then Musiala and Kane would score within three minutes to not only complete the comeback but also give them the lead. 

For Bayern, their focus was obviously on Tuesday, where they will play PSG in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, hence the changed squad. However, the fact that they were able to come back from 3-0 down will send warnings to the Parisians.

Heidenheim delay the inevitable:

In a big day for relegation fighters, Heidenheim avoided confirming they would be relegated today after beating St.Pauli 2-0. What this also means is that there is a chance that Frank Schmidt’s side could make the relegation playoff.

For St.Pauli, things also get worse as Wolfsburg drew 0-0 with Borussia Mönchengladbach, meaning the gap between the two is now only one point with three games remaining. It is also worth mentioning that the Hamburg side does play Wolfsburg on the final game of the season, in what will be a relegation shootout. 

The fight to avoid relegation from the Bundesliga keeps on getting more and more intense.

Bayer Leverkusen keep their Champions League hopes alive:

Finally, Bayer Leverkusen faced 1.FC Köln in a Rhein derby this afternoon and were able to put their poor performance against Bayern Munich in midweek aside, as they won 2-1 at the Rhein Energie Stadion, which means they are only one point behind Stuttgart, who are currently fourth in the Bundesliga.

Two goals from Patrik Schick, either side of half-time, were enough for die Werkself. However, it was not totally deserved, as via FotMob, they only managed three shots on target in the whole game, while Effzeh were able to register 10 of their 25 shots on target, requiring Janis Blaswich to make eight saves.

With it still on the cards that the Bundesliga gets a fifth Champions League spot, even if Leverkusen do not end up finishing fourth, there is still a chance they play in the UCL next season. 

GGFN | Jack Meenan