This was the weekend Bundesliga fans have been waiting for!  Nearly a half million fans filled the seats to see 26 goals scored, and a first place finally settled by points.

Let’s start with this weekend’s most exciting game.

Hamburger SV 2 – 3 Borussia Monchengladbach

HSV has been on an incredible run this season, already claiming the title of “Best Team at Home.”  They hoped to add to their accolades with 3 points to take them to the top of the Bundesliga table.  Going against 15th place Borussia M’gladbach seemed to suggest it would be an easy task.

Piotr Trochowski blasted a shot from ten yards out to give HSV the lead after just 13 minutes.  1-0 was not going to be enough to secure the points in this game though.  Borussia’s Marco Reus beat Frank Rost with a looping shot just before the half to bring the teams level. Ze Roberto knocked in a 20 yard free kick in the 47th minute, and they almost had the game sealed up in the 72nd, but thanks to an incredible save  by Gladbach’s Logan Bailly, the game remained at 2-1.

For the second time in the game, Borussia leveled the score with a 76th minute header from Dante.  In the 82nd minute, HSV saw their First Place quest end when the ball rolled into the net past Frank Rost.  Gladbach’s Rob Friend scored to give Borussia the come from behind goal, and a remarkable victory.

Attendance: 57,000

Bayer Leverkusen 2 – 2 FC Schalke

Bayer officially took over First Place this weekend by claiming a hard-fought point at Veltins Arena.  They started the game emphatically with a very high-paced offense.  Schalke’s Daniel Schwaab tried to slow down Bayer’s attack early, and was handed a yellow card in just the 3rd minute.

Bayer’s Simon Rolfes was out of the line-up this week due to an injury, but that made room for Toni Kroos to get the start.  Getting the start proved to be a very wise decision when he scored a remarkable goal in the 29th minute to open up the game’s scoring.  Schalke failed to clear their lines after a corner kick, and Kroos capitalized with a shot to the bottom corner.  Stefan Kiessling, who was just named to the German National Squad for their upcoming friendlies, continued his excellent form with a goal just before half to see Bayer take a 2-0 lead.

Bayer turned down the heat a bit in the second half and played as if a 2 point lead would be all they needed to break away from Hamburger SV at the top of the table.  Schalke made them pay for it when Kevin Kuranyi brought them close with a goal in the 83rd minute.  Vicente Sanchez then headed the ball into the net in the 88th minute  to cap off a stunning recovery, and walk away with a draw for the second week in a row.

Both sides claimed a point from the match, and that was all Bayer Leverkusen needed to move to the top of the table and take 1st Place officially with 23 points.

Attendance: 61,673

Injury News:

Werder Bremen Midfielder Torsten Frings tore muscle fibers in the 2 – 2 draw against Nurnberg over the weekend.  Werder coach Thomas Schaaf hopes that he can recover during the upcoming International Break, but stated “He is going to be out for a significant time.”  Many may remember him fondly from past caps with the German National Squad, and as the player that played in every Bremen game so far this season.  Let’s hope he heals quickly.

All of the Results from Week 11

Borussia Dortmund 2 – 0 Hertha Berlin

VfB Stuttgart 0 – 0 Bayern München

Hamburger SV 2 – 3 Borussia Monchengladbach

Nürnberg 2 – 2 Werder Bremen

FC Köln 0 – 1 Hannover 96

VfL Wolfsburg 3 – 3 Mainz

FC Schalke 04 2 – 2 Bayer Leverkusen

SC Freiburg 0 – 1 TSG Hoffenheim

Eintracht Frankfurt 2 – 1 VfL Bochum

Changes to the Table

1. Bayer Leverkusen – Settled into 1st Place – 23 points

2. Werder Bremen – up from 3rd Place – 22 points

3. Hamburger SV – down from 2nd Place – 22 points

4. FC Schalke 04 – no movement from last week – 21 points

5. TSG Hoffenheim – up from 6th Place – 20 points

6. FC Bayern Munchen – down from 5th Place – 19 points

7. VfL Wolfsburg – no movement from last week – 18 points

8. FSV Mainz 05 – no movement from last week – 18 points

9. Eintracht Frankfurt – no movement from last week – 16 points

10. Borussia Dortmund – no movement from last week – 16 points

11. Hannover 96 – no movement from last week – 15 points

12. Borussia M’gladbach – up from 15th Place – 11 points

13. SC Freiburg – down from 12th Place – 10 points

14. VfB Stuttgart – no movement from last week – 9 points

15. FC Koln – down from 13th Place – 9 points

16. FC Nurnberg – no movement from last week – 9 points

17. VfL Bochum – no movement from last week – 8 points

18. Hertha BSC – no movement from last week – 4 points

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