Three Key Takeaways from Bundesliga Matchday 13: Bayern Munich’s Dominance over Stuttgart, Late Drama, and Victories for Coachless Teams

After Borussia Mönchengladbach maintained their five-game unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga with a 1-0 victory over Mainz, 10 other teams took to the field this afternoon.

The highlight match featured VfB Stuttgart vs Bayern Munich, while Augsburg played Bayer Leverkusen, 1.FC Köln welcomed St.Pauli, Heidenheim faced Freiburg, and Union Berlin visited Wolfsburg.

Here are the key takeaways from the Bundesliga Konferenz:

Managerless teams secure vital wins:

While it appears Mainz will appoint a new head coach next weekend, Wolfsburg and Augsburg remain under interim management and both secured victories today.

Augsburg’s triumph under Manuel Baum was particularly unexpected, as they defeated Bayer Leverkusen 2-0, benefiting from an own goal by Ernest Poku and a goal from Anton Kade in the first half. The Fuggerstadt side had their fair share of fortune, as Leverkusen struck the woodwork four times.

Despite their win, the threat of relegation is still looming (we’ll elaborate on that).

Wolfsburg also claimed their first victory since late October, defeating Union Berlin 3-1. Their performance was sharp, with only four shots taken during the match, three of which found the net. Christian Eriksen notched the second assist of his Wolfsburg tenure.

As noted, there were further shifts at the bottom of the table.

Late drama from Heidenheim and St.Pauli shakes up the bottom of the Bundesliga:

Last week, Heidenheim conjured two late goals to defeat Union Berlin, rekindling their hopes of survival, and they replicated that feat this week, scoring in the 94th minute to come from behind and win 2-1 against Freiburg.

This victory saw Frank Schmidt’s men climb to 16th place, now just one point shy of safety.

St.Pauli also managed to score in the 94th minute, halting their nine-game losing streak in the Bundesliga. It seemed their run would continue as Said El Mala found the net on a counter, but substitute Ricky Jade-Jones, on his debut, salvaged a point.

The 23-year-old joined from Peterborough this summer on a free transfer but had been sidelined due to a shoulder injury.

Bayern Munich rout VfB Stuttgart:

A recurring theme in recent Bundesliga matches is Bayern appearing vulnerable until a turning point leads to an opponent's capitulation, and this encounter was no different.

Bayern opened the scoring with a well-crafted move finished expertly by Konrad Laimer. Stuttgart seemed to have equalized just before halftime through Nikolas Nartey (who has his own intriguing narrative), but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Then, Harry Kane entered the fray in the 60th minute.

In the 66th minute, the Englishman doubled the lead, marking the start of Stuttgart's downfall. By the 78th minute, Josip Stanisic’s shot trickled in after Alexander Nübel fumbled it into the net – 3-0. Kane converted a penalty in the 82nd minute – 4-0. He capped off the scoring with a fifth goal in the 88th minute.

Bayern now holds an 11-point advantage over RB Leipzig, who are set to face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Saturday evening match.

GGFN | Jack Meenan