Bayern Munich began the final Bundesliga matchday before the international break with a 7-0 thrashing of Union Berlin , with Harry Kane and Michael Olise both staking their claims for the Ballon d'Or.
Saturday afternoon in the Bundesliga saw eight teams in action, with crisis team Borussia Mönchengladbach hosting Mainz, Eintracht Frankfurt playing Freiburg , Hamburg facing Köln, and Augsburg travelling to Werder Bremen
After last weekend's 5-0 loss to Freiburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach made the decision to part ways with head coach Eugen Polanski, and with one game left before the international break, they were still working on who would be his successor.
However, against Mainz, with Gladbach already in a bad situation, it would get worse.
With Florian Neuhaus in the starting 11, the midfielder would open the scoring for Gladbach. However, not soon after, Philipp Tietz would level it. Just before the break, Sheraldo Becker would then make it 2-1. Luck then seemed to be on die Fohlen's side when they won a penalty; however, this would be missed. But minutes later, Isac Lidberg would make it 2-2.
Then Eric Martel and Danny Da Cost would make it 4-2 for the 05ers, and a Shuto Machino penalty would make it 4-3, but it would be a mere consolation. For the second time this season, Gladbach have lost 4-3 at home, and they have the second-worst defence in the league.
This means, after four games, Gladbach are the only team in the Bundesliga to not register a point, as they sit dead last.
With die Fohlen expected to appoint their new head coach, they will have a big task ahead of them to turn the fortunes of this team around, especially because of how poor their defence is, and how ineffective they can be in attack at times too.
As things stand, Gladbach very much look like a team who will be spending next season in the 2.Bundesliga
Last weekend, Mitchell Weiser made his return for Werder Bremen after 14 months on the sidelines following an ACL injury .
When the right-back found himself subbed on today, Bremen were 2-1 down against Augsburg. However, Daniel Thioune's side were able to mount a comeback, first when Niclas Füllkrug equalised in the 86th minute; then in the 93rd minute, Weiser would step up and score the winner for Bremen to hand Augsburg their first loss of the Bundesliga season.
Weiser's winner was his first goal for Bremen in 518 days, with his last goal coming against Bochum on the 19th April 2025. Despite how early in the season we still are, this will definitely be one of the stories of the season.
The win means Bremen now find themselves in eighth place.
Along with Gladbach, Hamburg were the only other team in the Bundesliga yet to register a point, and despite successive 5-0 defeats, earlier this week they announced the extension of the contract of Merlin Polzin .
They followed that up with a 2-1 win against Köln to secure their first three points of the season. Goals from Nicolas Capalado and Yussf Poulsen either side of half-time would be enough for HSV, despite a late goal from Ragnar Ache giving a nerve-wracking end to the game.
Considering how much Hamburg had invested in the squad in the summer, there would naturally be question marks surrounding their start to the season. But, this afternoon, they put in a strong defensive performance to see off Effzeh.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
