Bundesliga: Dortmund, Leverkusen and Schalke win
January 30, 2016
Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Ingolstadt
(Aubameyang 78', 86')
Having avoided defeat courtesy of a remarkable own goal, Dortmund sneaked past Ingolstadt thanks to the African player of the year. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang headed home the winner in the final quarter of an hour (despite being slightly offside). He gobbled up Gonzalo Castro's lovely through ball not long after to score his second of the game and 20th of the league season.
With Marco Reus and Ilkay Gündogan rested, Dortmund's starting XI was all about squad rotation. Erik Durm, Adrian Ramos and Matthias Ginter all started, but it was Ingolstadt who mustered the first chance. Dario Lezcano forced a good save from Roman Bürki, and later Lezcano got around Roman Bürki, but couldn't escape the attention of Mats Hummels and then Lukas Piszczek did enough to clear.
Dortmund escaped an embarrassing moment when Mats Hummels' own goal was pulled back after a foul from Leczano. Ingolstadt were furious, and Dortmund took advantage. Also of note was American talent Christian Pulisic, who made his debut for Dortmund in the final twenty minutes, showing some nice touches in the process.
Leverkusen 3-0 Hannover
(Kiessling 43', Chicharito 63', 88')
A pair of goals from Leverkusen's strikers saw Roger Schmidt's men pick up their first league win in 2016. After hitting the post early on, Stefan Kiessling scored a classic Kiessling goal, glancing home a great corner from Hakan Calhanoglu. Hannover had impressed but couldn't convert, leaving Leverkusen needing to take just one of their chances. Fortune favored them when Kiessling ran into Hiroki Sakai and the referee pointed to the spot. Chicharito converted - his 20th in all competitions for Leverkusen this season - and Leverkusen strolled to victory. There was even time for Chicharito to take his tally to 21 with a smart finish, as Hannover went unrewarded once again.
Stuttgart 2-1 Hamburg
(Hunt OG 66', Kravets 88' - Rudnevs 75')
With filthy jerseys and water logged boots, Stuttgart nearly let their second striaght victory in 2016 wash away in the rain. Tremendous chances passed both teams by, but Daniel Didavi finally headed in the opener off of Aaron Hunt on the goal line. Hamburg came flying back, Artom Rudnevs scoring a diving header to equalize against the run of play. New man Artem Kravets became the hero, channeling his European experience with Dynamo Kiev to score the late winner off the bench. With three straight Bundesliga wins, Stuttgart moves further out of the relegation zone.
Darmstadt 0-2 Schalke
(Meyer 42',Sane 52')
Whether he's under pressure or not, Andre Breitenreiter was a happy man on Saturday evening, and his young stars were the reasons why. Johannes Geis whipped a free kick off the post early on as Schalke looked the better team on a poor pitch. Before the break, Leroy Sane put the ball in the box from the byline, Darmstadt scrambled to clear but Max Meyer stayed cool to convert. Meyer turned provider in the second half, slipping through Sane who applied an equally composed finish. Darmstadt's home form - only one win - is beginning to be a concern.
Werder Bremen 3-3 Hertha Berlin
(Bartels 67', Pizarro pen. 75', Garcia 77' - Darida 29', Plattenhardt 41', Kalou 71')
Werder Bremen continued to show their comeback qualities against Hertha Berlin, in the most thrilling game of matchday 19. Vladimir Darida's fourth goal of the season was a swerving stunner of a strike that deserved to win any game, but teammate Marvin Plattenhardt had something to say about it when he scored from a gorgeous free kick. Rune Jarstein kept Bremen out before the break, clawing away Papy Djilobodji's free kick. With the contest seemingly over, Fin Bartels scored a superb solo goal to spark Werder's 10-minute comeback. After a momentary lapse allowed Salomon Kalou to score, Werder got their act together. Anthony Ujah was fouled in the area, and Claudio Pizarro scored before Sergio Garcia headed home the equalizer from a corner minutes later. There was no more drama left, but the point - one the home side will be happier about - pulls Werder out of the drop zone.
Augsburg 0-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
Marwin Hitz was the main reason Eintracht Frankfurt didn't come away with more than the one point in Augsburg. The keeper made three outstanding saves to make it two consecutive scoreless draws for Augsburg in 2016.