Bundesliga Highlights: Matchday 15 Recap

The Bundesliga delivered an action-packed weekend with crucial relegation battles, a thrilling seven-goal match, and a significant top-four clash. Here are the key highlights from Matchday 15.

Bayer Leverkusen emerged victorious with a 3-1 win over RB Leipzig on Saturday evening in Saxony. Both teams faced challenges due to the Africa Cup of Nations, as Leverkusen lost influential players Ibrahim Maza and Edmond Tapsoba, while Leipzig’s standout performer, Yan Diomande, also departed for Morocco.

Leipzig initially took the lead in the 35th minute, capitalizing on a careless throw-in by Aleix Garcia. Xaver Schlager received the throw-in, maneuvered past several Leverkusen defenders, and curled a shot into the net to make it 1-0.

However, Leverkusen responded quickly. Martin Terrier scored a looping header in the 40th minute, marking his second goal in as many games, leveling the score at 1-1. Just four minutes later, Patrik Schick was played through and skillfully converted to give Leverkusen a 2-1 lead.

The match was sealed late on when substitute Montrell Culbreath scored on his debut, bringing the final score to 3-1. With this win, Leverkusen climbed to third place in the standings, overtaking Leipzig, who fell to fourth.

In another thrilling encounter, SC Freiburg edged VfL Wolfsburg 4-3 in a seven-goal spectacle. Despite being pegged back twice, Freiburg secured the win with a goal from substitute Derry Scherhant in the 78th minute, marking his third goal of the season.

Wolfsburg’s Dženan Pejčinović made headlines by scoring his first-ever hat-trick for the club, becoming the youngest German player in over 15 years to achieve this feat since Thomas Müller. With the absence of Algerian Mohamed Amoura (due to AFCON), Pejčinović is set to receive more playing time, benefitting from the service of Christian Eriksen.

As the year ends, Wolfsburg sits in 14th place, while Freiburg rises to 9th, aiming for a European spot.

Bayern Munich maintained their dominance with a commanding 4-0 victory over FC Heidenheim, extending their lead at the top of the table to nine points. The match began with Bayern taking the lead from a corner in the 14th minute, as Jonathan Tah’s header was converted by Josip Stanišić for his second Bundesliga goal of the season.

Bayern doubled their advantage at the half-hour mark, with a goalmouth scramble leading to Michael Olise’s seventh goal of the season. They secured the win with a header from Luis Diaz in the 85th minute, followed by Harry Kane’s impressive goal in stoppage time, maintaining Bayern’s unbeaten season and pushing Heidenheim closer to relegation.

In other matches, Borussia Dortmund secured a 2-0 win over Monchengladbach, propelled by goals from Julian Brandt and Max Beier, which keeps Dortmund firmly in second place. FC Köln’s Steffen Baumgart returned to earn Union Berlin a critical win with a last-minute goal, propelling them to 8th position.

Hamburger SV continued to impress, finishing the year in 13th after a solid 1-1 draw against Frankfurt. Meanwhile, three matches ended in goalless draws, marking a rare occurrence in this season’s Bundesliga.

As we close the chapter on 2025, the next matchday is scheduled to commence on January 9th, featuring Eintracht Frankfurt hosting Borussia Dortmund.