Bundesliga: Bayern Pulls Away at the Top, Leverkusen Falters Again

Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of the German Bundesliga, now 6 points ahead of second-placed RB Leipzig, after a 1-0 win against newly promoted St. Pauli on Saturday in the 10th round of the competition.

Bayern owed their victory to the in-form midfielder Jamal Musiala, who scored the only goal of the match in the 22nd minute.

With the win, Bayern’s points tally increased to 26, leading Leipzig by 6 points, as Leipzig faces Borussia Mönchengladbach later in the evening to complete the round.

This was Bayern’s fourth consecutive win in the league, a streak that began with a 4-0 victory over Stuttgart in round 7. They have also won their last 5 matches across all competitions since their 1-4 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League group stage on October 23.

The Bavarian giant has maintained an undefeated record in the league this season, dropping only 4 points in 10 matches (8 wins and 2 draws). This comes after they failed to win any titles last season, marking the first time since 2012 that Bayern ended a season trophyless.

Bayern’s last visit to St. Pauli in May 2011 was a historic one, as they won 8-1, their biggest ever away victory in the Bundesliga.

Despite their dominance in the Bundesliga, Bayern’s performance in the Champions League has been inconsistent, with 2 wins and 2 losses, making headlines especially as the final of the European competition will be held at their Allianz Arena in Munich this year.

Defending champions Bayer Leverkusen failed to win for the third consecutive match across all competitions, drawing 1-1 against Bochum away.

Leverkusen took the lead through Czech striker Patrik Schick, who broke the offside trap and fired a shot that hit the bottom of the post and found the net in the 18th minute.

Bochum equalized just before the final whistle with a goal from Japanese forward Koji Miyoshi in the 89th minute.

Leverkusen, who had drawn 0-0 with Stuttgart in the league and lost 4-0 to Liverpool in the Champions League before their draw with Bochum, is in 5th place with 16 points.

Borussia Dortmund suffered their first loss after two consecutive victories in domestic and European competitions, losing 3-1 to Mainz while playing most of the match with 10 men after captain Emre Can was sent off with a red card in the 27th minute.

Mainz’s goals came from South Korean forward Jae-Sung Lee (36′), Jonathan Burkardt (45+3′), and Paul Nebel (54′). Dortmund’s lone goal came from Guinea’s Serhou Guirassy with a penalty in the 40th minute.

Dortmund, who suffered their 4th loss of the season, dropped to 7th place with 16 points, just a point ahead of Werder Bremen, who won 2-1 at home against Holstein Kiel, and 3 points ahead of 10th-place Mainz.

The round concludes on Sunday, with Augsburg facing Hoffenheim, Stuttgart hosting Eintracht Frankfurt, and Heidenheim playing Wolfsburg.