Despite clear superiority and being outnumbered for around 70 minutes, Eintracht Frankfurt suffered a bitter home defeat against FSV Mainz 05 at the end of the year. In the 3-1 defeat in the Rhine-Main derby, Frankfurt's substitute goalkeeper Kaua Santos became the unlucky player for the Hessians with a slapstick own goal (16th minute) and other serious mistakes, who nevertheless go into the short winter break in third place in the Bundesliga.
For Mainz, who had to play outnumbered for a long time after Nadiem Amiri (21') was sent off early, Paul Nebel (27/58') also scored a brace in front of 58,000 fans. The Rheinhessen, who had recently defeated Borussia Dortmund and leaders Bayern Munich, have now moved up to two points on their rivals with 25 points. Rasmus Kristensen's goal (75th) wasn't enough for Frankfurt. Nati player Silvan Widmer came on as a substitute for Mainz in the 76th minute.
VfB Stuttgart says goodbye to the winter break with a nasty surprise. After winning four competitive games in a row, the Champions League participants lost 0-1 against newly promoted FC St. Pauli in the last game before Christmas.
The Swabians thus missed the victory that coach Sebastian Hoeness had hoped for as an “outstanding” conclusion to a remarkable year with the runner-up and long-awaited premier class evenings. Stuttgart will start the new year in a midfield position. With a win they would have moved into the top four of the Bundesliga. Fabian Rieder came on in the 66th minute but couldn't deliver the desired effect.
With an exhilarating goal festival and three goals in seven minutes, Holstein Kiel stopped its negative streak and said goodbye to the winter break with its own Bundesliga record. The newcomer won 5-1 against FC Augsburg thanks to an impressive first half, but remains in a relegation zone despite the biggest win in the elite league. Kiel recently suffered five defeats in a row.
Before the turn of the year, the spectacle is a glimmer of hope for the club. The Kiel team now has eight points in the table and has initially reduced the gap to the relegation zone to two points. On Sunday, Kiel's direct competitors Bochum and Heidenheim will compete against each other. Augsburg is still waiting for its first away win this season. Nati star Ruben Vargas came on as a substitute in the 59th minute. The 26-year-old tried hard, but didn't have a major influence on Augsburg's game.
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