After dwelling in the relegation zone for the majority of the season, a four-match league win streak not only has Borussia Dortmund five points clear of complete safety, but eight points back of the UEFA Champions League.
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That’s the headline story from a big weekend in Germany’s Bundesliga, which is making its case among the best top-to-bottom flights in Europe.
Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Schalke
Three goals in eight minutes put the exclamation point on a dominant derby performance, as Jurgen Klopp’s BVB continued its ascent from the bottom of the Bundesliga.
Borussia Dortmund won this edition of the Rivierderby, but needed 78 minutes to find an opener. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tapped home a ball before breaking out a bag of costume gear from behind the Schalke goal. Enter Batman Aubameyang and Robin Reus.
Reus later scored by taking advantage of an audacious dribbling choice by Schalke keeper Timon Wellenreuther. Watch it here.
Bayern Munich 4-1 Koln
The stars shone in Munich, as Arjen Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery and Robert Lewandowski helped the league leaders hammer down on their relegation-scrapping visitors.
Bayern out-attempted Koln 23-9, won 14-5 in corners, and won the passing attack by 717-140.
Yes, that’s 577 more passes than the visitors. Bananas.
Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 Hamburger SV
USMNT back Timothy Chandler went 90 minutes and completed the second-most passes (31) in the match as Eintracht pulled into eighth place, ahead of Werder Bremen for at least a day.
Veteran striker Alexander Meier (right) scored his 15th and 16th goals of the season in the win. He’s one shy of Bayern’s Arjen Robben for the Bundesliga lead.
Elsewhere
Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Freiburg — Simon Rolfes’ 33rd minute goal stands up.
Hannover 1-1 Stuttgart — Lars Stindl and Christian Genter trade goals.
Hoffenheim 2-0 Mainz — Eugen Polanski and Kevin Volland score to lift hosts.
Hertha Berlin 1-0 Augsburg — USMNT’s Brooks goes 90, Salomon Kalou scores in win.
Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Paderborn — 930 am ET Sunday
Werder Bremen vs. Wolfsburg — 1130 am ET Sunday
Standings |
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS |
| Bayern Munich | 23 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 63 | 10 | 53 | 11-1-0 | 7-3-1 | 58 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 22 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 48 | 24 | 24 | 10-2-0 | 4-3-3 | 47 |
| Mönchen | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 29 | 18 | 11 | 7-3-1 | 3-4-4 | 37 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 23 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 37 | 29 | 8 | 5-6-1 | 4-3-4 | 36 |
| FC Schalke 04 | 23 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 32 | 27 | 5 | 7-4-1 | 3-1-7 | 35 |
| FC Augsburg | 23 | 11 | 2 | 10 | 32 | 30 | 2 | 7-2-2 | 4-0-8 | 35 |
| 1899 Hoffenheim | 23 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 36 | 35 | 1 | 7-2-3 | 2-4-5 | 33 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 23 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 42 | 45 | -3 | 6-3-3 | 2-4-5 | 31 |
| Werder Bremen | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 36 | 44 | -8 | 6-3-2 | 2-3-6 | 30 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 23 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 5-2-4 | 3-2-7 | 28 |
| Hannover 96 | 23 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 26 | 34 | -8 | 5-2-4 | 2-4-6 | 27 |
| FSV Mainz 05 | 23 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 30 | 33 | -3 | 4-4-3 | 1-6-5 | 25 |
| 1. FC Köln | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 21 | 29 | -8 | 1-6-4 | 5-1-6 | 25 |
| Hertha BSC Berlin | 23 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 28 | 42 | -14 | 5-1-6 | 2-2-7 | 24 |
| Hamburger SV | 23 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 33 | -17 | 4-3-4 | 2-3-7 | 24 |
| SC Paderborn | 22 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 23 | 41 | -18 | 3-4-4 | 2-4-5 | 23 |
| SC Freiburg | 23 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 24 | 32 | -8 | 2-6-3 | 2-4-6 | 22 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 23 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 24 | 41 | -17 | 1-2-8 | 3-5-4 | 19 |
