More than 40 years since Borussia Mönchengladbach were champions, rising hopes for them are a boost for the Bundesliga
This, the more gnarled of Bundesliga followers would tell you, is the real Klassiker. Years of mere intermittent threats to Bayern Munich’s dominance have made Borussia Dortmund, Germany’s most visible other club and the champions’ most frequent irritants, the default opposition for a showpiece. More than 40 years have passed since Borussia Mönchengladbach were champions for a fifth and as yet final time, an era in which the mantle of top dogs was a real back-and-forth. In the 1970s, Gladbach’s first two titles and last three were split by a Bayern run of three in succession.
It may be way too early to declare a similar state of suspense but something has changed, and not only because the last time Gladbach were top for this long was that 1976-77 season in which Jupp Heynckes, Rainer Bonhof, Allen Simonsen and company swept Die Fohlen to the Meisterschale. Bayern were here and worse at this time last year, trailing Dortmund by nine points. It does, however, feel “different” this time around, as Joshua Kimmich remarked in the corridors of Borussia-Park as Saturday evening drew in.
Related: European roundup: Juventus beaten for first time; Gladbach defeat Bayern
Eintracht Frankfurt 2-2 Hertha Berlin, Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Schalke, Freiburg 1-0 Wolfsburg, Leipzig 3-1 Hoffenheim, Mönchengladbach 2-1 Bayern Munich, Augsburg 2-1 Mainz, Borussia Dortmund 5-0 Fortuna Düsseldorf, Werder Bremen 0-1 Paderborn, Union Berlin 2-0 Cologne
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