Bundesliga Bulletin: Bayern capitalize on Dortmund defeat

Good week for: Bayern Munich, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Wolfsburg

Bad week for: Borussia Dortmund (finally), Schalke (again) 

The lowdown: 

Borussia Dortmund suffered their first defeat of the season as they slipped to a shock 2-1 defeat away at newly-promoted Fortuna Düsseldorf. Watford loanee Dodi Lukebakiowas the star of the show, putting Fortuna ahead and troubling Dortmund's high back line with his pace, although Jean Zimmer also made headlines with a candidate for goal of the season. Lucien Favre admitted that his team had been unable to cope with Düsseldorf's pace and they will have to do better against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday.

Bayern Munich took their time against RasenBallsport Leipzig but eventually capitalized on Dortmund's slip-up thanks to Franck Ribery's 83rd-minute winner. In a scrappy game in which both teams struggled to create chances, Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano and goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi stood out, keeping the blunt Bavarian attack at bay, but neither could do anything about Ribery's cooly-taken winner. The title race is well and truly on. 

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Borussia Mönchengladbach maintained their unbeaten home record with an ultimately comfortable 2-0 win over struggling Nuremberg. But, just as in their home games against Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Mainz, Foals fans had to wait until the second half for their team to really turn on the style. With no European or domestic cup commitments to worry out going into the new year, could Gladbach mount a surprise title challenge of their own? Friday's trip to Dortmund will tell us more... 

Eintracht Frankfurt missed the chance to move into the top four as they were held to a 2-2 draw away at neighbors Mainz. Twice the hosts took the lead through Robin Quaison and twice the Eagles struck back through the unstoppable Luka Jovic, who has now scored 12 goals already this season. The game calmed down in the second half as both teams settled for a well-deserved draw. 

Two of the Bundesliga's big underperformers met in Gelsenkirchen as Schalke welcomed Bayer Leverkusen - but it was Heiko Herrlich's Werkself who took all three points thanks to first-half goals from Aleksandar Dragovic and Lucas Alario. Schalke pulled one back just before half-time through American striker Haji Wright but the Royal Blues were once again all too harmless in the second half. They're now four league games without a win and are hovering just one point above the relegation zone. Leverkusen, on the other hand, are up to tenth. 

VfL Wolfsburg are on an impressive run of form and are up to sixth after a 2-0 win over Stuttgart made it four wins from five for Bruno Labbadia's men. With Frankfurt playing Bayern at the weekend, a win away at Augsburg could even see the Wolves go fifth. 

The quotes

“When you play for RB Leipzig and you want to stay in Germany, there’s only one club you can move to.”
- Timo Werner hinting at a possible move to the club he just played against. 

“He was there when we needed him.”
- Thomas Müller praises Franck Ribery after he got the winner for Bayern Munich against Leipzig.

“Our game plan was similar to the one in Munich.”
- Fortuna Düsseldorf coach Friedhelm Funkel says his team tried to mimic their tactics that got them a 3-3 draw at the Allianz Arena during the game against Borussia Dortmund, which they won 2-1.

“Unfortunately, the winter break is not yet here.”
- Wolfsburg striker Daniel Ginczek really wants some time off. 

“We could play consistently during the first round because Dieter Hecking had healthy players. Unfortunately, in every single closing phase there are a few problems. Hopefully we’ll make it until we get to the Christmas tree.”
- Borussia Mönchengladbach’s board member Hans Meyer shows optimism ahead of his team’s trip to league leaders Borussia Dortmund. 

The stats

Borussia Dortmund striker Paco Alcacer is the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 12 goals, alongside Eintracht Frankfurt’s Luka Jovic, despite only starting in two games.

Luka Jovic has scored a goal every 88 minutes in the current Bundesliga this season. 

Ralf Rangnick has lost his last five matches in all competitions as a coach against Bayern Munich. His last win: 1-0 at home with Schalke in 2005.

Haji Wright’s goal for Schalke against Leverkusen, set up by Weston McKennie, was the first ever Bundesliga goal to be scored and assisted by American players. 

Hoffenheim are unbeaten in nine Bundesliga games in a row, but their last five matches ended in a draw. 

The fans 

Schalke supporters played a big role in their club's commemorations after the closure of Germany's last remaining operational coal mine, the Prosper-Haniel Bottrop pit in the local Ruhr area, which will close for the final time on Friday. Schalke was founded by miners in 1904 and the club is proud of its mining heritage: the players' tunnel resembles a mine shaft and the famous German mining song, the Steigerlied, is played before every game. Ahead of kick-off against Leverkusen, club chairman Clemens Tönnnies joined a miners' choir to sing the Steigerlied on the pitch, while the Schalke ultras unveiled a huge choreography featuring a mine cart full of coal and a Schalke logo, traveling along a railway across the Nordkurve.

An eternal flame inside a miner's lantern will keep the memory of the pits alive at Schalke, even after the last shaft has closed. 

Rest in peace 

It's been a terrible few days for Stuttgart striker Christian Gentner, who learnt that his father had passed away inside the stadium immediately after his team's 2-1 win over Hertha Berlin at the weekend. But Gentner decided he still wanted to play on Tuesday night away at his former club Wolfsburg, where fans welcomed him with a banner reading: "Stay strong during this difficult time, Gente!"