Bundesliga matchday 16 recap: Bayern confirmed as herbstmeister, Leverkusen go 9-in-a-row, the relegation battle heats up & more | OneFootball

The Bundesliga is back after the winter break and it did not disappoint! From five-goal thrillers, to relegation six pointers, and so much more – there are plenty of talking points as 2025 in the Bundesliga begins.

Here is your review from matchday 16 in the Bundesliga.

Bayern Confirmed as Herbstmeister

After a 0-1 win on Saturday evening away at Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayern Munich were confirmed as Herbstmeister for the 27th time.

Herbstmeister is the German word given to the team that are top of the league at the midway point of the season.

Harry Kane’s second half penalty was enough to give Bayern all three points and maintain their four point lead at the summit.

Bayern struggled to break down a rigid Gladbach defence in the first half and perhaps missed the absent Jamal Musiala.

In the second half, Gladbach opened up and forged a handful of good chances themselves – Tim Kleindienst with the best of the chances but his close range header failed to test Manuel Neuer.

Once ahead, Bayern could have killed the game off but always looked in control.

Gladbach goalkeeper, Moritz Nicolas, was the standout performer for the hosts.

Dortmund & Leverkusen Thriller

Borussia Dortmund hosted Bayer Leverkusen in the Friday night game and got the weekend off to a sensational start.

A much changed BVB side saw two debuts in defence for Yannik Lührs (21) and Almugera Kabar (18). The duo have spent most of the season playing for Dortmund U23s but were given their chance due to several injuries to Nuri Şahin’s side.

The only experienced defender in the starting 11 was full-back Julian Ryerson who had to take the role of centreback.

The game got off to a frantic start with three goals in the 11 minutes to give B04 a 1-2 lead – the first of B04’s goals came after just 25 seconds.

Leverkusen went into the break 1-3 to the good with Czech international Patrik Schick grabbing a brace. The inexperienced BVB defence simply couldn’t live with Leverkusen’s counter-attack and speed.

The game was made even more interesting when BVB were awarded a rather soft penalty 15 minutes from time which Serhou Guirassy converted.

B04 ran out 2-3 winners and continued their pursuit of Bayern. Meanwhile, BVB have slipped down to 8th with just one win in their previous five Bundesliga matches.

No Fairytale Start For Steffen Baumgart

Life as Union Berlin coach for Steffen Baumgart got off to the worst possible start as they got dragged further into a relegation battle.

Union succumbed to a 2-0 defeat away at fellow-strugglers FC Heidenheim and also played most of the game with ten men.

Union started the brighter of the two teams but a quick counter-attack gave Heidenheim the lead thanks to a debut goal from Bayern-loanee Frans Krätzig (21).

With ten minutes until the break, Union defender Tom Rothe was shown a straight red card for a clumsy challenge while being the last man.

Heidenheim wrapped up the three points late on, giving the hosts a huge boost at the start of the year.

Heidenheim stay in 16th but close the gap to Union in 12th to four points.

Currently, four points just separate five clubs from 12th to the relegation play-off.

Around The Grounds

Elsewhere, Mainz moved up to 5th and just two points off 4th thanks to an impressive 2-0 win against VfL Bochum. Jonathan Burkhardt’s brace means he has now scored 6 goals in his last 6 matches. Up next is Leverkusen away on Tuesday evening.

There were also wins for RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart, SC Freiburg, VfL Wolfsburg, and Eintracht Frankfurt.

GGFN | Jamie Allen