Bundesliga Bulletin: Bayern beat Dortmund, Union win big
November 8, 2020
Bundesliga Matchday 7 headlines:
- Bundesliga boost in Berlin
- Bayern still number one
- Drama all weekend
Bundesliga boost in Berlin
Union Berlin's dismantling of newly-promoted Arminia Bielefeld in the first half was hardly unexpected, but it did show, if it wasn't clear already, that Urs Fischer's side are already a settled Bundesliga team. Sheraldo Becker was excellent, but it was Max Kruse who stole the show in a big win that put neighbors Hertha's victory over Augsburg in the shade. Union are in the top six, have scored the third most in the league (16) and scored the most goals from open play. The blue side of Berlin meanwhile, have just seven points from their first seven games.
Bayern still number one
In another thrilling Klassiker, Bayern just about got the better of Dortmund. Having Leroy Sané to bring off the bench proved the difference in a game that saw two disallowed goals, some crazy misses and tough tackling. With the number of chances they had Lucien Favre's side will be disappointed to have come away with no points.
Drama all weekend long
Bremen salvaged a point against Cologne but exposed their failings in the process, while Mainz and Schalke played out a wild 2-2 draw that left neither side happy but fittingly displayed both sides' season in a game.
Hoffenheim could have secured an undeserved draw against Wolfsburg but missed the chance to do so at the end of a wild finale that saw the visitors miss a penalty in stoppage time following Wout Weghorst's own misplaced spot kick earlier on. The Dutchman's miss brought a league-wide run of 34 consecutive penalties scored to an end.
The biggest drama of the weekend though came in Leverkusen, who got the better of Gladbach in a seven-goal thriller that included penalties, multiple VAR interventions and a goal of the season contender.
Player of the week: Max Kruse (Union)
With two assists and a penalty to his name, Max Kruse played a big part in Union Berlin's win against Bielefeld. He was elusive, composed and showed just how integral he is to a team's success. Werder Bremen missed him on Friday night and, like many other teams, will have watched Kruse on Saturday thinking how much they'd love to have him in their team.
Young player of the week: Ibrahima Konate (RB Leipzig)
With Dayot Upamecano out for RB Leipzig, there is a chance for another of the club's excellent defenders to impress. Konate did just that in the win against Freiburg, regularly winning the ball in the air, making life difficult for the visitor's attack and even scoring the first himself.
Coach of the week: Bruno Labbadia (Hertha Berlin)
It hasn't been an easy start to life in the capital for Bruno Labbadia, and after a summer of spending the expectations to finish in a European spot has only grown. After some up and down form though, Labbadia set his team up perfectly to subdue surprise starters Augsburg. In doing so, he also reached a personal milestone. A good week for Bruno.