Dortmund drop points as relegation battle heats up

If there was any faint hope of a Bundesliga title race this season, it's surely over now after Borussia Dortmund were held to a 1-1 draw away at Cologne on Sunday evening, meaning Bayern Munich now have a six-point leadwith seven games to play.

Erling Haaland returned to the starting line-up for Dortmund but it was lookalike both in appearance and goalscoring style who put the Black and Yellows ahead.

After scoring a typical poacher's goal against Bielefeld last week, Marius Wolf, a wing-back by trade, produced a perfectly timed run and finish which the Norwegian himself would have been proud of. But Sebastian Andersson deservedly drew the hosts level before half-time.

"The last 30 minutes of the first half were all Cologne," admitted BVB coach Marco Rose. "We created chance after chance down the wings, they do that so well with their wide men and crosses, and we didn't deal with them. It was a fair result."

Dortmund remain nine points clear of Bayer Leverkusen and third and 12 points ahead of RB Leipzig in fourth, where the battle for the remaining two Champions League places is taking shape.

Leverkusen and Leipzig in the top four

After a nightmare week which started with a derby defeat to Cologne and continued with a Europa League exit at the hands of Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen bounced back to winning ways in Wolfsburg on Sunday.

Gerardo Seoane's team – minus the injured Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Patrik Schick – left it late in the Autostadt but ultimately saw off the Wolves thanks to a late brace from super-sub Paulinho, the 2-0 win seeing them tighten their grip on third place.

"I'm pleased for Paulinho most of all," said goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky of his young Brazilian teammate who has struggled to make a mark with the Werkself. "He runs and creates space for the team, and now his ketchup bottle has finally burst open."

Earlier in the day, top four rivals RB Leipzig were held to a goalless draw by Eintracht Frankfurt. Domenico Tedesco's side were the better team but were frustrated by Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, defender Martin Hinteregger and the woodwork (twice). Substitute Yussuf Poulsen missed a golden chance late on after opting to dribble rather than shoot.

"We are disappointed because of the huge chances we had," Tedesco told DAZN. "Normally we take them, but Trapp did a good job."

Nevertheless, a point was enough to see RB return to the top four, after Freiburg were also held to a goalless draw by minnows Fürth. The Red Bull backed side have only lost twice in 17 games under Tedesco and have Champions League qualification in their own hands.

Stuttgart and Hertha show signs of life

At the other end, a four-way fight to stay in the Bundesliga is developing with Arminia Bielefeld, Hertha Berlin, Augsburg and Stuttgart all separated by just one point – but it's Stuttgart who are finally coming to life.

Two weeks ago, the Swabians recorded their first win of 2022 after coming from 0-2 down to beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-2. And this week's 3-2 win over Augsburg was just as spectacular, as they came from 1-2 down for a vital three points, coach Pellegrino Matarazzo sprinting down the touchline to join his players in an ecstatic celebration.

Sporting director Sven Mislintat put the win down to "sticking together on all levels, standing behind the coach, and a team with an outstanding attitude and work rate."

If observers had always suspected that Stuttgart had the quality somewhere, the same could not be said of Hertha Berlin, whose 3-0 win over in-form Hoffenheim on Saturday was the shock of the weekend.

Despite investor Lars Windhorst lavishing almost €400m on the squad, Hertha have turned into the Bundesliga's perennial club, with even new coach Felix Magath being immediately struck down with COVID-19.

His place on the touchline this weekend taken by Scottish assistant coach Mark Fotheringham, who oversaw a surprising victory thanks to goals from Niklas Stark, Ishak Belfodil and Lucas Tousart.

They've left it late but, if Hertha are to survive this season, late is better than never.