Bundesliga 2012, Week 16: Bayern lead now 11 points as Leverkusen lose

Things started brilliantly for Leverkusen as Gonzalo Castro scored just two minutes into the match. Andre Schürrle fed the ball wide to Lars Bender, and the midfielder crossed it in to Castro who beat Ron-Robert Zieler to make it 1-0.

Hannover grabbed an equalizer at the 20 minute mark through Szabolcs Huszti. He was fouled in the area by Manuel Friedrich to earn a penalty. He stepped up himself and converted the penalty himself to level the score.

The first half was mostly about Mainz’s inability to beat Gladbach’s Marc Andre Ter Stegen. The goalkeeper came up with huge saves stonewalling Andreas Ivanschitz, Adam Szalai, and Shawn Parker. Szalai almost sneaked a goal just before the half, but his header was wide of the post.

Gladbach waited until the second half, but they scored with their first real attempt of the game. In the 58th minute, Tony Jantschke whipped in a cross that Mike Hanke struck first time into the back of the net. Gladbach doubled their lead in the 63rd minute with Juan Arango scoring a stunning goal. Müller came out of his box to the right to make a clearance, but it only went as far as Juan Arango. The midfielder scored a sliding 45 yarder to make it 2-0 and seal the victory.

Bayern Munich stretched their lead atop the Bundesliga table to 11 points with a 2-0 victory over Augsburg in the Bavarian Derby.

Augsburg pushed into the Bayern half in the first half showing no fear, but it allowed the visitors more space in the attack. Mario Mandzukic had the first real opportunity of the match, but Mohamed Amsif made a great save to keep him out. Bayern took the lead on a penalty just before halftime after Gibril Sankoh was judged to have handled the ball in the area. Thomas Müller stepped up and converted the penalty for the 1-0 lead.

Bayern are coming off of a midweek match where they smashed BATE Borisov on their way to winning their Champions League group and solidifying a place in the knockout rounds. Last weekend they hosted Borussia Dortmund in a massive Bundesliga match and came away with a share of the points. At the moment, they’re a full eight points ahead of second place Bayer Leverkusen.

Augsburg picked up their eighth point of the season last weekend in a 1-1 draw with Freiburg. They’re currently on an eight match winless streak, and the likelihood of that being snapped against Bayern are slim and none.

Artjoms Rudnevs scored twice, and Hamburg eased to a 2-0 victory over Hoffenheim on Friday evening.

Hoffenheim started brightly pushing forward and pressuring their hosts, forcing them to play deep, and making them uncomfortable. Hamburg began to assert themselves more after the early proceedings, and they were soon in control of the general play. By the end of the half, Hamburg would be looking at two-thirds of the possession and 100 more completed passes than Hoffenheim.

Seven Bundesliga clubs entered European competition at the beginning of the season, and all seven will continue in Europe after the winter break. The league put on a masterful performance in the Champions League where Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and Schalke won their groups. After this weekend, there will be only one more match before the winter break.

Hamburg vs Hoffenheim - 20:30 CET / 2:30 PM