The Bundesliga keeps delivering the goods one day after Dortmund and Leipzig’s 3-3 thriller.
Late heroics from a teenage debutant gave Bayern Munich a place four points back of the table lead in a midweek Bundesliga match day with plenty of goals.
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Elsewhere, Gladbach rejoined RB Leipzig on a league-best point total, while Schalke made it five teams within five points of the top with a draw at Wolfsburg.
Bayer Leverkusen 0-1 Hertha Berlin
Jurgen Klinsmann scored his best result yet of a very young tenure with Hertha Berlin, surprising the hosts through Karim Rekik’s 64th minute goal.
Bayer had 71 percent of the ball, but the visitors won’t care one bit.
Hertha is 2-1-1 since Klinsmann took the reins ahead of a daunting run of fixtures versus Borussia Dortmund (loss), Eintracht Frankfurt (draw), Freiburg (win), and now Bayer.
Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0 Paderborn
Gladbach scored an expected win over its last place visitors to climb level on points with leaders RB Leipzig. Lars Stindl had a goal and an assist, setting up Alassane Plea for the opener just after halftime. USMNT veteran Fabian Johnson came off the bench late for Gladbach.
Wolfsburg 1-1 Schalke
Former Newcastle man Kevin Mbabu scored an 82nd minute equalizer as the hosts claimed a point against David Wagner’s visitors. Schalke’s goal came in the 50th minute through Ozan Kabak.
USMNT center back John Brooks went the distance again for Wolfsburg, with one shot, four interceptions, and 37-of-50 passing out of the back.
Freiburg 1-3 Bayern Munich
Welcome to the show, Joshua Zirkzee.
Bayern’s 18-year-old Dutch prospect made his Bundesliga debut in the 90th minute and scored the match winner in the third minute of stoppage.
What a moment for Joshua Zirkzee!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 18, 2019
The 18-year-old becomes the 3rd-youngest player ever to score a @Bundesliga_EN goal for @FCBayernUS. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/nb6oLhZAPT
He entered the day with four senior minutes, all coming in the Champions League versus Spurs.
Serge Gnabry set up the goal and scored one of his own in the fifth minute of stoppage time to erase any doubt of three points.
The opener comes with an especially nice highlight for Canada’s brightest product, as Alphonso Davies flew down the wing to set up some Polish striker for his 30th goal of the season. It’s December.
1. Gerd Müller: 365
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 18, 2019
2. Klaus Fischer: 268
3. Robert Lewandowski: 221 🔺
4. Jupp Heynckes: 220@FCBayernUS' No. 9 keeps moving up the all-time @Bundesliga_EN scoring charts! ⚽ pic.twitter.com/UuG88i3AQm
Eintracht Frankfurt 2-4 Koln
A 2-0 lead for the hosts after 30 minutes is a thing of the past thanks to goals from four different scorers, two set up by second half sub Florian Kainz.
Filip Kostic set up both of Eintracht’s goals, while USMNT wide man Timothy Chandler saw a yellow card on a fairly rough day.
STANDINGS
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Home | Away | PTS |
| RB Leipzig | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 45 | 19 | 26 | 4-2-1 | 6-2-1 | 34 |
| Mönchengladbach | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 33 | 18 | 15 | 7-1-1 | 4-0-3 | 34 |
| Bayern Munich | 16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 44 | 22 | 22 | 5-1-2 | 4-2-2 | 30 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 40 | 22 | 18 | 5-3-0 | 3-3-2 | 30 |
| FC Schalke 04 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 27 | 19 | 8 | 4-3-1 | 4-2-2 | 29 |
| SC Freiburg | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 25 | 21 | 4 | 4-2-2 | 3-2-3 | 25 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 21 | 1 | 3-4-2 | 4-0-3 | 25 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 16 | 2 | 3-4-2 | 3-2-2 | 24 |
| 1899 Hoffenheim | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 23 | 27 | -4 | 3-1-4 | 4-2-2 | 24 |
| FC Augsburg | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 27 | 28 | -1 | 4-2-2 | 2-3-3 | 23 |
| 1. FC Union Berlin | 16 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 19 | 22 | -3 | 5-0-4 | 1-2-4 | 20 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 26 | 27 | -1 | 4-3-2 | 1-0-6 | 18 |
| Hertha BSC Berlin | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 22 | 29 | -7 | 3-0-4 | 2-3-4 | 18 |
| FSV Mainz 05 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 25 | 38 | -13 | 3-0-4 | 3-0-6 | 18 |
| 1. FC Köln | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 32 | -14 | 2-1-4 | 2-1-6 | 14 |
| Werder Bremen | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 40 | -17 | 1-2-5 | 2-3-3 | 14 |
| Fortuna Düsseldorf | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 35 | -19 | 2-1-4 | 1-2-6 | 12 |
| SC Paderborn | 16 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 18 | 35 | -17 | 1-1-6 | 1-2-5 | 9 |