And the persistent struggle continues in the German national championship - Saturday was successful for all Bundesliga leaders, so almost at the end of the first round of matches, no team has gained a clearer advantage.
The nerves of their fans were stretched the longest this season as the "Stuttgart" club returned to the leaders' ranks, and only at the very end of the match was they able to snatch a victory against the underdogs "Bochum". The only goal of the match was scored by M. Streller after coming on as a substitute, taking advantage of the uncertain play of the "Bochum" goalkeeper in the 87th minute and sending the ball into the net.
After Stuttgart's victory, the team occupies second place, trailing the leader "Werder" by points. The Bremen club poured out all their anger in Saturday's match after an unsuccessful Champions League game and "blasted" the hosts' Frankfurt "Eintracht" team 6-2. It is worth noting that even three goals in this match were scored by defender from Brazil, Naldo. The impressive victory allowed the most productive German club to become the sole leaders of the league again, but on Sunday, the "Schalke" club could catch up with them.
The defending champions, Bayern Munich, had to work much harder, defeating the newcomers "Cottbus" 2-1 in the last home match of the year. The Munich club gained an advantage just before halftime - the visitors' goalkeeper Tomislav Piplica unsuccessfully tried to punch away B. Schweinsteiger's shot with his fist and redirected the ball into their own goal.
Shortly after halftime, "Cottbus" equalized, but "Bayern" took the lead again a minute later when defender D. van Buyten scored a header goal after B. Schweinsteiger's penalty shot. This year, the "Bavarians" club faces tough competition for the title, trailing the leaders "Werder" by three points.
"Nurnberg" extended their impressive streak of draws, this time playing a peaceful 0-0 with the underdogs "Hamburger" and sharing a point. "Mainz" players, occupying the last place, also earned a point, finishing their away match with "Gladbach" 1-1.