Leverkusen-Bound Schuerrle Made The Difference For Mainz.

In an exciting day of Bundesliga action, Stuttgart dug themselves out of relegation, Mainz returned to the top of the Bundesliga table, and Dortmund stuttered at home to Hoffenheim.

Borussia Dortmund 1 – 1 TSG Hoffenheim

In a game that Dortmund would have been expected to win, only a late Antonio Da Silva goal saved them from what could have been their second defeat of the season. Demba Ba put Die Hoffe ahead after just nine minutes, but Nuri Sahin had the chance to put his side back on level terms from the penalty spot just five minutes later. Isaac Vorsah handled the ball in the area, and Nuri Sahin stepped up to take. Sahin dispatched the penalty, but was made to take it again after the 18-yard box was wrongfully flooded by players before Sahin took the shot. Sahin’s second try was much less convincing, and Tom Starke saved confidently. Dortmund had another goal chalked off after the ball was rightly deemed to have gone out before Grosskreutz crossed it back into the area. With the game nearing it’s end, substitute Antonio Da Silva smashed in a free kick to snatch a point for Dortmund. Not the result Dortmund would have wanted, but it’s a lot better than it could have been. Next weekend, Dortmund travel to Mainz, while Hoffenheim host Hannover.

Bayer Leverkusen 0 – 1 Mainz

The Mainz fairytale continues with a very impressive 0-1 win over Leverkusen. Last weekend, Mainz were defeated at the death at the hands of Hamburg and Jose Guerrero, but they have responded in excellent fashion against one of the in-form teams in the Bundesliga. Andreas Ivanschitz got the winner after a cross from Andre Schuerrle with twenty minutes left on the clock, and Thomas Tuchel’s men live on to fight another day. The Bundesliga table, for Mainz, now takes on a very comfortable shape with their latest win. Mainz sit two points ahead of second place, eight points ahead of third, and an incredible twelve points ahead of Bayern Munich. Can they win this thing? We’re not even a third of the way through the season, but Mainz are making things very interesting. If they can remain consistent and bounce back from the odd defeat, they will find themselves in a very positive position at the end of the season. Next weekend, Leverkusen visit Schalke, while Mainz host Borussia Dortmund.

VfB Stuttgart 2 – 0 St. Pauli

Finally, some good news for Stuttgart. Goals from Georg Niedermeier and Zdravko Kuzmanovic claimed a solid three points for Stuttgart, and most importantly catapulted them out of that six-foot relegation hole they had dug themselves earlier on this season. St. Pauli, on the other hand, who have done very well on the road this season, will be disappointed that they couldn’t get anything from the match. Next weekend, Stuttgart travel to Wolfsburg, and St. Pauli host Frankfurt.