So, the Bundesliga rounds off the calendar year 2024 with a familiar look: Bayern Munich, champions in 11 of the past 12 seasons, at the summit with a four point advantage.
After going down to a 2-1 defeat at Mainz, their first league loss of the campaign, the big question ahead of their Friday night encounter with RB Leipzig was, how would they respond.
The answer was emphatic as they, eventually, wiped the floor with their opponents and ran out comprehensive 5-1 winners.
The match began with an unprecedented burst of action. Jamal Musiala opened the scoring for the hosts after just one minute, capitalising on a swift attack. However, Leipzig’s response was immediate as Benjamin Šeško equalised within a minute.
As the first half progressed though, Bayern began to assert their dominance and underlined why they are clear title favourites with Bundesliga 2024 betting.
To prove the point I have made previously about the Bavarians’ capacity to swoop for the best players from many of their domestic rivals, Konrad Laimer restored Bayern’s lead against his former club midway through the half before Joshua Kimmich added a third with a spectacular long-range effort.
Leroy Sané further extended that advantage 15 minutes from time and the romp was completed when Alphonso Davies added his name to the scoresheet with a back-post header.
Perhaps the doubts of this SBOTOP reporter, outlined last week, are just bumpkin – after all they have only lost one league game and had a few under par European performances.
Bayern may be ending the year in top spot but the side which delivered the majority of Bundesliga 2024 highlights remain on their tail.
Champions Bayer Leverkusen have been the team of the year in Europe.
Remember, this is a side which went unbeaten domestically throughout the whole of last season and lost only one match at home and abroad out of a total of 52 contests.
Despite some critics saying they have fallen well below that form so far this tern, they have still only lost one of their 15 league contests heading into the winter break and are in second place, four points back on Bayern.
And if Bayern have the chique, Leverkusen have the Schick – Patrik Schick to be precise.
After scoring on the stroke of half-time against Freiburg, the Czech striker scored three second-half goals in the space of 10 minutes to take his tally to four for the contest in a stellar performance. He also notched the ‘perfect’ hat-trick along the way, left-foot strike, right-foot finish and header.
To put Leverkusen’s 2024 into context, just one league defeat all year and a league and cup double as Xabi Alonso’s side finished 17 points clear of runners-up Stuttgart after recording 28 wins and six draws to become the first Bundesliga side to go through an entire campaign unbeaten. Their title charge is certainly back on. The side they vanquished on Friday, Freiburg, drop to eighth, although are only three points behind third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt who sent my prediction for a burton as Mainz gained arguably the result of the weekend.
The clash between these two Euro hopefuls was always likely to be keenly contested but the home side were expected to prevail, especially as they faced opponents reduced to 10 men after just 20 minutes.
Mainz led through a 15th minute own goal but, within six minutes, captain Nadiem Amiri received a straight red card for a reckless challenge.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, they doubled their lead when man of the match Paul Nebel unleashed a powerful left-footed strike from outside the box that took a slight deflection.
Frankfurt tried to respond when Rasmus Kristensen struck the crossbar from a corner, but Mainz’s resolute defence held firm and, after a shot from man of the moment Jae-sung Lee shot was spilled, Nebel swept home the rebound to make the game safe.
Kristensen’s late header was a mere consolation
The final stand-outs of the weekend for me belong to two of the strugglers.
Rock bottom Bochum finally had something to smile about as they gained a first league win of the season to end a club-record 16-game winless streak.
A first-half blitz did the damage as Moritz Broschinski produced a clinical finish after just six minutes, a lead that was extended seven minutes before the break through Matúš Bero.
Although Heidenheim improved in the second period, there was no way past an inspired home goalkeeper Patrick Drewes.
The result leaves Bochum on six points but still bottom after newly promoted Holstein Kiel earned only their second league win of the campaign by putting five past Augsburg.
Alexis Claude-Maurice had put the visitors ahead early on but Kiel’s response was swift and decisive as Shuto Machino scored twice and assisted twice in a match that saw the home side overturn an early deficit, with Phil Harres also hitting a brace.
The bottom two have belief. Happy Christmas!
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