Winner: RB Leipzig
In Friday’s opening match of Bundesliga round 27, Ole Werner’s side showed their strength with a resounding win that could prove crucial in their bid to qualify for next season’s prestigious Champions League. The race behind Bayern and Dortmund is extremely tight in the top half of the table.
Leipzig made no mistake against Hoffenheim, cruising to a 5-0 victory and effectively settling the match in the first half.
Before the break, Brajan Gruda and Christoph Baumgartner - scoring against his former club - both found the net twice. After the interval, Benjamin Henrichs scored for the first time since returning from an Achilles injury, his first goal since August 2023.
The Bulls responded to their slip-up against Stuttgart in the best possible way. Fridays seem to suit them, as they are now unbeaten at home in 10 consecutive Friday matches. Leipzig also managed to beat a top-five opponent for only the second time this league season.
Loser: Dukla Banska Bystrica
There’s plenty of drama in Slovakia’s second division. Banska Bystrica went unbeaten through the autumn, looking dominant and dropping points only in three draws. But since football resumed in the spring, Dukla seem to still be in hibernation.
The record for the promotion favourites is worrying - four games played, three defeats. After the break, Dukla first lost to Liptovsky Mikulas, then beat Povazska Bystrica, but followed that up with slip-ups against Slovan Bratislava’s B team and, most recently, Malzenice, who came from 1-0 down to win 3-1.
There’s no need to panic just yet in Bystrica, as the club still holds a comfortable 12-point lead at the top of the table. However, with nine rounds left, if they don’t wake up soon, who knows who will be celebrating promotion to the Nike Liga at the end of the season...
Winner: Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest’s players came through a crucial 'six-pointer' in the battle to stay in the Premier League, storming Tottenham’s stadium and winning 3-0 in convincing fashion. Igor Jesus opened the scoring late in the first half, netting his third goal of the current league campaign.
Remarkably, this was the first time under Vitor Pereira that Nottingham had led in a Premier League match.
After an hour, Forest’s top scorer, Morgan Gibbs-White, made it nine goals for the season, putting Tottenham in a dire situation. The result was sealed three minutes from time by Taiwo Awoniyi. This marked Forest’s first Premier League win under Pereira, while Tottenham are now on their longest winless run since 1935 - five draws and eight defeats.
Spurs can thank Aston Villa, who beat West Ham in a simultaneous fixture. As a result, Tottenham remain just above the drop zone in 17th, but their lead over the Hammers is only one point. Nottingham move up to 16th with 32 points.
Loser: SC Cambuur
Friday’s action in the Dutch second division produced a wild match. Cambuur, sitting comfortably in second place, had a chance to secure promotion to the Eredivisie against AZ Alkmaar’s reserves.
In the 86th minute, they were leading 3-2 at home, when midfielder Remco Balk prevented a goal from a corner by using his hands, evoking memories of Luis Suarez’s infamous handball against Ghana at the 2010 World Cup. Unsurprisingly, he was shown a red card.
Penalty taker Yoel van den Ban slipped, but still managed to score despite touching the ball twice. Cambuur’s players protested, but the referee allowed the goal to stand - there’s no VAR in the Dutch second tier.
Home fans then began throwing objects onto the pitch, prompting the referee to halt the match. After play resumed, Alkmaar’s reserves scored a winner in the third minute of stoppage time, which led to a home supporter storming the field and trying to fight the celebrating players. The match was interrupted again, but eventually finished.
Cambuur can still clinch promotion on Monday if they beat FC Emmen.
Winner: Manchester City
Manchester City are celebrating a record ninth English League Cup title, clinched with a win over Arsenal, who failed to score in the final. The hero of the match was Nico O'Reilly, who netted twice. Mikel Arteta’s side saw their quadruple dream vanish.
The Cityzens bounced back from their Champions League exit with this victory. The blue side of Manchester lifted the EFL Cup for the first time in five years and can now focus on chasing the Gunners in the Premier League. They currently trail by nine points, but have a game in hand.
Loser: Wolfsburg
Liverpool were also a candidate for the losers’ section, as Arne Slot’s men suffered their 10th defeat of the season at Brighton on Saturday - their worst record since 2015/2016. But Wolfsburg’s situation is even more dire.
The German club has played in the Bundesliga continuously since 1997/1998 - 29 years - without ever being relegated.
But this season, disaster is looming, especially after Saturday’s 1-0 home loss to Bremen. The Wolves are winless in 10 league matches, have dropped to 17th (second from bottom), and face tough games against Leverkusen and Bayern in the next seven rounds.
