Keep that stunning boot shiny, Borussia Mönchengladbach - it's one of the few potent weapons you have right now. Juan Arango continued his bid to make the Bundesliga's "Goal of the Season" competition a one-man highlight reel, smashing in a running volley to open the scoring against Wolfsburg. Gladbach won the game 2-0, despite looking less than impressive.
Bayern Munich have already sealed the "Herbstmeister" title, the name given to teams that lead the league at the Bundesliga's winter break. With a 10-point lead in the table, they have secured the honor earlier than any side in Bundesliga history - with three games to spare. Bayern won 2-0 in Freiburg, courtesy of a penalty from Thomas Müller and an unlikely goal from sub Anatoliy Tymoshchuk.
After Schalke, Borussia Dortmund, and Eintracht Frankfurt dropped points on Tuesday, Bayer Leverkusen jumped them all to go second. Leverkusen, who have now won five of their last six in the Bundesliga, beat Werder Bremen 4-1 away from home. Gonzalo Castro bagged a brace, with Jens Hegeler and Simon Rolfes finding the net. Andre Schürrle shone again after a patchy start to the season.
Borussia Dortmund took an early lead against underdogs Düsseldorf, courtesy of the piggy-back-providing Jakub Blaszczykowski. (No word on why fellow Pole Piszczek isn't carrying him!) Düsseldorf tied the score at 1-1 though, leaving Dortmund to rue a pair of missed points. The defending champs drop to third, a rather frightening 11 points adrift of Bayern as they seek a Bundesliga hat-trick.
Rafael van der who? Hamburg surprisingly beat a depleted Schalke side on Tuesday, even without star Dutch returnee van der Vaart. The final score stood at 3-1 - with Croat Milan Badelj and Latvian Artjoms Rudnevs among the scorers. But German youngster Maximilian Beister grabbed the headlines with his first ever Bundesliga goal - struck with real venom. Slow-starting Hamburg are up in eighth now.
Mainz handed Cinderella side Frankfurt their first home defeat of the season, and by a 3-1 margin. Mainz's teen striker Shawn Parker, a German despite the anglophone moniker, stole the show. He scored one, set up another and rattled the Frankfurt crossbar in a comfy away win. Frankfurt's goal only fell when Mainz forward Adam Szalai scored on their behalf.
There weren't many fireworks when Hannover faced Greuther Fürth, but the clear favorites were able to recover from the 5-0 rout against Bayern Munich to score three points. Striker Mame Biriam Diouf and defensive mainstay Mario Eggimann scored the goals to restore Hannover's place in the European qualification spots. Fürth, meanwhile, are second from bottom.
Ibrahima Traore (center of the shot, trying to stay upright to celebrate his goal) pulled out a man-of-the-match performance against his old club Augsburg - securing a rather nervy 2-1 win for Stuttgart. He provided the assist for Stuttgart's second, a fierce Vedad Ibisevic header. Augsburg's Ja-Cheol Koo scored the goal of the game though, a left-footed ripper from well outside the box.
Nuremberg aren't the most enjoyable team in the Bundesliga to watch, but they have at least hired one of the league's more exciting players. Hiroshi Kiyotake scored a pair in their 4-2 win over rudderless Hoffenheim. Both were pretty, but not compared to the one that got away. After dancing down the left, he skinned keeper Koen Casteels as well, only to have the finish cleared off the line.
Some fans have disputed police reports on stadium violence last season that could lead to major changes in the stands. The 12:12 group, which held 12 minutes and 12 seconds of silence to point out their "without a voice, there's no atmosphere" motto - is also planning a club conference on December 12, 2012. They say fewer away tickets and an end to standing-only sections may be on the horizon.
The 14th round of Bundesliga fixtures this season were unusually played out mid-week. A trio of teams seeking to keep in touch with leaders Bayern Munich all tripped up, while another leapfrogged the lot of them.
The 14th round of Bundesliga fixtures this season were unusually played out mid-week. A trio of teams seeking to keep in touch with leaders Bayern Munich all tripped up, while another leapfrogged the lot of them.
