Germany U21 international Thilo Kehrer’s first Bundesliga goal earned FC Schalke 04 a point in the Ruhrderby against Borussia Dortmund on matchday 26. Kehrer levelled in the 77th minute after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had given Dortmund the lead in Gelsenkirchen. Meanwhile, FC Bayern cruised to a 6-0 home thrashing of FC Augsburg, with World Cup winner Thomas Müller on target twice. Bayern still lead the standings by 13 points ahead of RB Leipzig, who managed a 4-0 victory over Darmstadt 98.
Werder Bremen took three points from Freiburg courtesy of a 5-2 victory and Hamburger SV earned a late 2-1 victory against 1. FC Köln.
Goretzka with the assist for Kehrer’s equaliser
Thilo Kehrer could hardly have picked a better moment for his first Bundesliga goal. Leon Goretzka supplied the assist and Kehrer’s late equaliser prompted exuberant cheers and celebrations in the sold-out arena. After a goalless first half, Dortmund had taken the lead following a perfectly-executed counter attack which saw Shinji Kagawa selflessly tee-up Aubameyang for the easy tap-in. Schalke looked stunned but were able to find the perfect response with Kehrer’s low strike in the 77th minute.
In Munich, Bayern controlled their game with Augsburg from the start. Without Germany No.1 Manuel Neuer, the record champions took an early lead through Robert Lewandowski and World Cup winner Müller added a second before half-time. The floodgates opened after the break, with Lewandowski grabbing two more goals to take his tally to 24 goals for the campaign, while Thiago capped an impressive performance with a goal of his own, before Müller completed a brace to round up the 6-0 victory.
Leipzig keep pace with Bayern
Leipzig got off to a quick start in their game, taking the lead after 12 minutes thanks to Naby Keita’s strike. Darmstadt fought bravely and refused to concede defeat, ensuring an even encounter for the rest of the first half. There were chances at both ends, but the visitors lacked a clinical touch. This allowed Leipzig to pull away in the second half, when Emil Forsberg struck home after 67 minutes. Darmstadt were reduced to ten men when Sandro Sirigu was sent off a few minutes later and Willi Orban and again Keita took advantage to fire Leipzig to a 4-0 home victory.
Holtby scores last-minute winner for HSV
Hamburger SV earned a vital victory against 1. FC Köln in their bid to distance themselves from the danger zone. Nicolai Müller scored from close range to give HSV the lead after 13 minutes, but Köln were level just twelve minutes later through Milos Jojic. Just as the game looked like it was destined to end a draw, the ball suddenly landed at Lewis Holtby’s feet and the midfielder didn’t hesitate to fire in from close range, sending Hamburg up to 13th place in the table.
Bremen extended their unbeaten streak to six games with a 5-2 win at Freiburg. Bremen now have 16 from 18 possible points under new head coach Alexander Nouri. Former Freiburg player Max Kruse scored the opener 21 minutes into the game. Thomas Delaney bagged his first Bundesliga hat-trick, while Fin Bartels also added his name to the score-sheet. Ex-Bremen striker Nils Petersen and Vincenzo Grifo scored consolation goals for the hosts in the second half.