Football. ua sums up the 17th round of the championship of Germany and the first half of the season.

The Bundesliga of the 2019/20 season has reached equator, the teams have gone for the Christmas holidays, and we can take stock of the last round this year and summarize the overall results of the half year. Leipzig managed to finish first, bypassing Borussia M, Bavaria finishes third year, Werder will celebrate the new year in the relegation zone and much more.

17th round:.

21:30 Hoffenheim 2: 1 Borussia DECEMBER 21, 2019 16:30 Bavaria 2: 0 Wolfsburg 16:30 RB Leipzig 3: 1 Augsburg 16:30 Mainz 0: 1 Bayer 16:30 Schalke 2: 2 Freiburg 16:30 Cologne 1. “Bulls” were able to finish Borussia M, and we can safely say that the Nagelsmann team went the distance more confidently than the competitor, because Leipzig played with dignity against the strongest German teams and, most importantly, seldom sinned by losing points in matches against teams weaker, which is not.

It is logical that in the home match against Augsburg, few doubted that the hosts would bring the matter to the end and take the championship podium. However, the “fuggers”, who are also in good shape, managed to create problems for the “bulls” by minimally beating Leitzpig in the first half. The wards of Nagelsmann improved their mood only in the 68th minute, and Patrick Schik, who had an excellent move, managed to take the team ahead in the 80th minute.

Statistically, the hosts destroyed their opponent - 75 percent of the possession, 22 strokes, seven of which are on target. The final point in the match was put in the 89th minute by the efforts of Poulsen. Leipzig won, single-handedly leading the table, and Augsburg quite comfortably finished the year in 10th place.

We dare to predict that the “bulls” will be able to maintain the entire distance, having celebrated the full championship at the end of the season.

Gladbach for a long time did not let anyone to the top, but at the end of the year he exposed the weak spot of the Rose team - away games. And if it is not an easy task to take points from Borussia in the native walls, then in the away meetings the “stallions” are very difficult to get the result, and the team’s game is frankly different in quality. In the last five away matches Gladbach got only one victory, while he lost three times. It would be extremely difficult to maintain first place under such circumstances, given such an unstable competitor as Leipzig. Yes, and Bavaria has already crept close to the "

The final match of the year was the game against Hertha, which in recent games has gained a good pace, having improved its position in the standings. However, Gladbach played his best game in the past month and a half.. If in the first half the teams played openly on equal terms, then in the second half Borussia still remembered that she was the favorite of the pair and one of the leaders of the Bundesliga.

Guests had at least five excellent chances to open an account and win such an important victory. Three points would allow the “stallions” to be equal in points with the “bulls”, having established dual power in the standings. Nevertheless, Gladbach is having a great season - the club has definitely guessed with the coach, had an excellent and low-cost transfer campaign, and the team is showing attractive football. It is difficult to assess how much Borussia is a real candidate for victory in the Bundesliga, but the team will fight for the Champions League zone to the end.

Bavaria won the victory against Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim ruined the festive mood of Dortmund. Bavaria spent the first half of the season very difficult and ambiguous. Yes, the Reds won their group in the Champions League without any problems, and on the equator of the Bundesliga they managed to finish in third place, only four points behind the top of the table. On the other hand, the Munich team was in a fever from the start of the championship, and the result was the dismissal of Nico Kovacs. Hansi Flick succeeding him, although not without misfires, but managed to correct the results. Management evaluated the work of the temporary mentor, leaving him at the helm of the team until the end of the season.

The Reds had a good close to the end of the year - the club managed to recover after the recent defeat from Gladbach, giving a series of three consecutive victories in the championship. Separately, it is worth mentioning the 18-year-old Bavarian midfielder Joshua Zirksee, who spent only two matches at the official level and scored two goals. In addition, in the match against Freiburg and against Wolfsburg, the scheme was the same - Zirkzee saved the victory for Bavaria, and Gnabry put the final point.

The final match of the year fell against Wolfsburg, which, although it does not differ in stability, but plays rather viscously and stubbornly. “Wolves” scored only 18 goals - the worst indicator, along with Fortuna, but also missed 18 - the best, along with Borussia M. The guests dried up the game at the Alliance Arena, but they didn’t have enough green power for the entire 90 minutes, and at the end of the meeting the Munich team scored two goals.

Dortmund - one of the most fun teams in the first half of the year. You can always expect open football from the Favre team, but guessing with the result is a thankless task. “Bumblebees” score a lot, but the team misses quite stably. And, it would seem, Borussia scored a cruising move in recent matches, winning three games and scoring a combat draw against Leipzig (3: 3). Fans naturally expected a successful end to the year in a duel against troubled Hoffenheim.

The Dortmund team started the match, and Mario Gotze remembered his golden years, scoring a goal already in the 17th minute. The guests quite calmly and confidently completed the first half, and they decided not to develop success in the second half of the “bumblebee”. It was then " Hoffe began to put pressure on the opponent, logically leveling the score in the 79th minute. Borussia made an attempt to join the game, but the hosts on the courage finished off the opponent with the efforts of Kramarich in the 87th minute.

Of course, Dortmund complicated his task from the point of view of the fight for the championship - the distance to the first place had already increased by seven points, but the club had a fruitful transfer campaign, and it can be expected that in the second half of the season investments can give their result. Be that as it may, in the Champions League zone, “bumblebees” are simply obliged to finish.

Freiburg could not resist in the top 6, Bayer gave a surprise to the fans As expected, the form of Freiburg began to decline and the team failed to finish the year in top 6. Streich's team should be given their due - “vultures” kept their place near the top of 16 rounds in a row, but several failures in the last matches did stagger. “Briggsau” got only one victory in the last six meetings, and the last three matches ended in two defeats. To end the year in sixth place, Freiburg needed to beat Schalke away. And they were close to this goal.

“Cobalt” - a very serious opponent. Wagner wards theoretically fight for victory in the Bundesliga, and quite realistically claim a place in the Champions League zone. In addition, in his native walls, Schalke lost only at the very start of the championship, losing 0-3 to Bavaria. However, the result of the team is getting pretty hard. In the last home games, the “cobalt” won victories against Eintracht and Union, and did not commit a misfire against teams such as Fortuna and Cologne.

Schalke successfully started the match, scoring in the middle of the first half, but Freiburg found the strength to seize the initiative, equalizing the score at the start of the second with a penalty. Then the scenario of the match didn’t go according to the plan of the hosts - the second one is 11 meters and the guests come forward. But, frankly, the match was equal, but managed to equalize with “blue”. The final whistle recorded the score 2: 2 - fairly and naturally.

Bayer pleasantly surprised. It would seem that the Leverkusenians are not in the most favorable shape, but on the eve of the match against Mainz the team completely lost to the modest Hertha and Cologne. Mainz, who is far from being a favorite, but the team is quite strong, considering the good results in recent matches. “Carnival” could well count on a victory against the problematic “pharmacists" Especially considering that the first half was completely dictated by Mainz.

The second half turned out to be somewhat controversial. The guests joined the game, and the game switched to oncoming courses. Both teams were close to open an account, but luck in the middle of the inning decided to smile at Mainz - Bayer defender Bayer Wendell got a second yellow and left the field. Only now the assault “carnival” completely failed, on the contrary, ran into a counterattack in the last minute of the game, which ended with Bayer's goal. Leverkusenians, although somewhat unexpectedly, but cheered up their fans.

One line:.

Cologne minimally defeated Werder Bremen. The fall of Bremen continues, and the “greens” finish the year in the penultimate place in the table, and the “goats” managed to celebrate their third victory in a row, having strengthened in 15th place.

Fortune snatched victory from Union. Dusseldorf gained important three points in terms of the struggle for survival. They managed to overtake Werder and finish in the transitional zone.

And Union as it was in the middle of the table, so it stayed there.

Paderborn beat Eintracht. Another outsider who managed to please his fans on the eve of the holidays. “Eagles” are in deep crisis, from which the victory of the “black and blue” does not seem so surprising.

Table:.

1 RB Leipzig 17 37 2 Borussia M 17 35 3 Bavaria 17 33 4 Borussia D 17 30 5 Schalke 17 30 6 Bayer 17 28 7 Hoffenheim 17 27 8 Freiburg 17 26 9 Wolfsburg 17 24 10 Augsburg 17 23 11 Union Berlin 17 20 12 Hertha.