Hertha Berlin - Bochum 1-1
Amidst a backdrop of financial struggles described as “the worst case we’ve ever had” by the DFL, Hertha’s miserable campaign on the pitch continued to plumb new depths after a heavy defeat to Cologne last time out. That result left Pal Dardai’s side on the brink of relegation, with anything less than three points against fellow strugglers Bochum enough to mark the end of Hertha’s ten-year stay in the German top-flight.
Given the magnitude of the contest for both sides, the early stages were surprisingly open, as Philipp Hofmann headed wide from close range, while Dodi Lukebakio saw a strike disallowed for the hosts following a VAR review. After a closely-fought opening half-hour, Bochum looked to up the ante before half-time, but wasteful finishing from Takuma Asano and Philipp Forster kept the scores level going into the interval.
Grateful for the visitors’ profligacy in front of goal, Hertha emerged after the restart with renewed focus, and came close to finding the breakthrough when Stevan Jovetic headed narrowly over from inside the six-yard box. Undeterred by that miss, the hosts continued to search for an opener, and their persistence was duly rewarded in the 63rd minute, as Lucas Tousart rose highest to direct Marco Richter’s superb corner into the bottom corner.
Stunned by Hertha’s’ improvement after the break, the visitors looked to regain some semblance of composure going into the final 15 minutes as they searched for an equaliser. It seemed like time had run out for Bochum as the match progressed deep into stoppage time, but in a dramatic twist of fate for the hosts, Schlotterbeck found the net with a clinical header to break Hertha hearts, ending the Old Lady’s 10-year stay in the German top-flight.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Lucas Tousart (Hertha Berlin)
Hoffenheim - Union Berlin 4-2
Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side were fast out of the traps and eventually broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute. A catastrophic breakdown in communication between Diogo Leite and Frederik Ronnow allowed Ihlas Bebou to skip around the stranded Union goalkeeper, before slotting the ball into the back of the net through the legs of one of the retreating defenders on the line.
Having seen Freiburg already win and close the gap to the top-four, Union were under pressure for their position but things went from bad to worse for the Berlin side when an already-shaken Leite clumsily brought down Christoph Baumgartner. Andrej Kramaric confidently stepped up to fire the ball into the far corner to hand Hoffenheim a two-goal lead with the interval approaching.
However, the hosts inexplicably let their concentration slip in the fourth minute of first half stoppage time, as in a carbon copy from January’s reserve fixture, Union defender Danilho Doekhi once again authoritatively rose above the Hoffenheim defence to head Christopher Trimmel’s corner past Oliver Baumann and set up an intriguing second period.
With confidence partially restored in the Union ranks, the visitors ought to have been level within 10 minutes of the restart, only for top-scorer Sheraldo Becker to somehow blaze his close-range effort over the top after finding space at the back-post. In stark contrast to the opening exchanges of the contest, it was one-way traffic towards Baumann’s goal as the second half continued, as Hoffenheim’s number one kept out the goal-hungry Becker with a sublime save.
Hoffenheim had done well to stem the Union tide, and in the 90th minute, Kramaric put the seal on the three points as he tapped in from close-range to mark his 100th goal in the Bundesliga after brilliant build-up play from substitute Munas Dabbur. Union are famous for their gritty determination though and even with a two-goal deficit in stoppage time, they were determined not to give in, as Aissa Laidouni displayed with a consolation that ultimately arrived too late for the visitors.
The hosts held their nerve and remarkably made it 4-2 in the 99th minute through Dabbur to wrap up their most significant victory of the season - and a first head-to-head win since June 2020. More importantly, with Schalke and Bochum both failing to win, they moved to the brink of securing their top-flight survival.
Meanwhile, Union Berlin's aspirations of a first-ever appearance in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) suffered another blow, but their destiny still remains in their own hands, knowing a victory over Werder Bremen in a week's time will all-but guarantee a famous top-four finish.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim)
Schalke - Eintracht Frankfurt 2-2
Simon Terrode’s final home game couldn’t begin on a better note, as the veteran centre-forward, who announced his farewell earlier last month, rose high to plant a header past Kevin Trapp with less than a minute on the clock. While Schalke treated themselves to a dreamy start, Frankfurt were left reeling, but nevertheless stood up to the task and struck the leveller midway through the half. Fortunately for them, the goal arrived thanks largely to Alexander Schwolow, whose poor attempt at saving saw Daichi Kamada’s shot slip past him into the back of the net.
Yet, the leveller seemed to motivate Thomas Reis’ men more so than Frankfurt, with the hosts eager to squeeze maximum points from their final two games to avoid a second drop in three seasons. But it was the visitors who almost took the lead, after Kamada failed to double his side’s tally from point-blank range following a cross, sending his touch inches wide of the post five minutes from half-time.
Carrying their momentum into the second half, The Eagles convincingly struck on the hour mark via Brazilian centre-back Tuta, who appeared out of nowhere to meet Almamy Toure’s pass inside the box. Having conceded at least thrice on the road in their last three Bundesliga outings, Oliver Glasner perhaps knew the victory was not his side’s yet, and his worst fears came true in the 85th minute, when Schalke responded with the equaliser from Sebastian Polter’s tap-in following a defensive error.
Despite the draw, Frankfurt could still end their season on a positive note, although the chance to play in Europe next season is not in their hands anymore. They will end the league season as the only side without an away clean sheet, whereas Schalke remain in the relegation mix despite jumping one place above the drop zone, leaving everything to play for when they visit RB Leipzig next week.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Daichi Kamada (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Werder Bremen - FC Koln 1-1
With the visitors having little to play for, the game started in a timid fashion with neither side going all-out for a fast start. Marvin Ducksch forced two good saves from Koln keeper Marvin Schwabe, while former Werder Bremen midfielder Florian Kainz had an excellent chance to open the scoring but his fiercely struck effort was straight at Jiri Pavlenka.
Just when it looked like the first half would finish goalless, Kainz produced an outstanding cross and Steffen Tigges was on hand to hold off his defender and bundle the ball home.
Despite knowing that a win would secure survival, Werder Bremen continued to look subdued after the break, while Koln looked like a team with little to play for so the game lacked intensity and goalmouth action. The visitors did have a chance to kill the game on 66 minutes when substitute Dimitrios Limnios was played through on goal, but he hesitated and his eventual attempt to pick out a team-mate was cleared.
Werder finally created a huge chance to score on 70 minutes, but Jens Stage lacked conviction with his effort. The Danish midfielder was picked out with a clever flick and found himself all alone in the penalty box with just Schwabe to beat, but he appeared to be indecisive and could only shoot at the goalkeeper. That miss did spark his teammates into life though, as the equaliser came just moments later when a flicked header was turned home at the back post by Romano Schmid.
The draw coupled with results elsewhere ensures that Werder have secured their Bundesliga status for next year, while FC Koln now look set to fall short of a top-half finish.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Florian Kainz (FC Koln)
