Bundesliga matchday 17 recap: Kiel stun Dortmund, Wolfsburg push for Europe, Bayern maintain lead, and more
The English Woche continued in the Bundesliga as we were treated to a midweek matchday. There were a total of xx goals, with 18 of them all coming on Tuesday evening. From relegation six-pointers to 5-1 thrashing, and so much more; here is your Bundesliga matchday 17 recap and talking points.
Kiel Stun Dortmund
In the early game on Tuesday, Holstein Kiel secured a famous victory and much-needed three points as they inflicted more misery on Borussia Dortmund, beating them 4-2.
Despite having only 25% possession, Kiel were in absolute dreamland when they found themselves 3-0 up at halftime. Shuto Machino gave the hosts the lead with his 7th of the season before Phil Harres and Bernhardsson scored late on to send the home crowd into euphoria.
For each of the goals, Dortmund made mistakes all over the pitch. Too slow to get back and close down the counter, halfhearted defender in the box, the list goes on and just mounts more pressure on Nuri Şahin.
BVB did respond in the second before with two goals in two minutes from Gio Reyna and Jamie Gittens but it was too little too late. Kiel’s Lewis Holtby was sent off late on but the icing on the cake was provided by Jann-Fiete Arp in the 8th minute of injury when he scored from just inside the Dortmund half. With everyone up for the corner, Arp broke away and managed to guide the ball into the empty net from distance.
The win offers hope for Kiel’s survival hopes while further damaging Dortmund’s Champions League hopes.
There are many wondering just how long Şahin has to turn this around. Particularly as former Man United and Ajax manager Erik ten Hag has been spotted watching Dortmund games in recent weeks.
Wolfsburg Serious About Europe
Wolfsburg enjoyed their strongest win of the season on Tuesday evening as they swept aside Borussia Monchengladbach 5-1.
The Wolves have looked a solid outfit for the majority of this season under Ralph Hasenhüttl. The Austrian’s side often play in a classic 4-4-2 formation with attacking wing-backs when on the break.
Moreover, Wolfsburg aren’t just reliant on one man for their goals. Their top three scorers are all closing in on 10 for the season: Jonas Wind (7), Mohamed Amoura (6), and Tiago Tomas (5). To make matters even more impressive, Wind and Amoura share 21 assists this season, 12 and 9 respectively.
Wolfsburg have two wins on the bounce to kickstart 2025, but the ultimate test will come on the weekend when they travel to Bayern Munich.
Regardless of the result this coming weekend, it’s fair to say that Wolfsburg are serious about competing in Europe next season.
Around The Grounds
Elsewhere, Frankfurt bolstered their European hopes with a convincing 4-1 victory against fellow European hopefuls SC Freiburg. Omar Marmoush was on the score sheet once again for The Eagles, possibly the last for the club if he is to sign for Manchester City.
Bayer Leverkusen kept up the pressure on Bayern Munich with a slender 1-0 home win against Mainz 05.
Bayern Munich eased past a timid TSG Hoffenheim 5-0 at the Allianz Arena.
Bochum secured a massive 3 points by beating St. Pauli 1-0 and have further enhanced their chances of a great escape. Bochum hadn’t won a game until just before the winter break. They’ve now won 3 of their last 5 Bundesliga matches.
VfB Stuttgart came from 0-1 goal to beat RB Leipzig 2-1. Nick Woltemade once again provided the winning goal for The Swabians. The Bulls saw red not once but twice late on as Benjamin Šeško and Löis Openda were sent off in the 85th and 88th, respectively.
Heidenheim ensured they left Bremen with a point thanks to a 95th-minute equaliser, which tied the game at 3-3. The point keeps Heidenheim just outside the relegation places.
Steffen Baumgart is still searching for his first win as Union Berlin manager, as his first home game ended in a 0-2 defeat at the hands of FC Augsburg.
GGFN | Jamie Allen
