Bundesliga Round 8 in Pictures
Leno secures Leverkusen draw with Bayern
There was no question who was the man of the match in the top game of Round 8. Leverkusen keeper Bernd Leno succeeded in keeping Bayern Munich (almost) completely at bay. The final score was 1-1 despite the Bavarians dominating from the opening to the final whistle. The result takes Bayern top of the table, but they still regarded it as two points dropped.
Gladbach's Kruse brings down Dortmund
It's no secret that Max Kruse is one of Germany's top strikers. That's why he's been called up to the German national team. Against Dortmund, the 25-year-old drew and converted the penalty that changed the course of the match. Gladbach ran out 2-0 surprise winners and moved up to fourth in the table.
Schalke sprint past Augsburg
Tiny Augsburg came into Gelsenkirchen as one of the Bundesliga's hottest teams and got off to a good start when they grabbed an early lead. But a sending-off and a penalty changed the complexion of the match, and the Royal Blues ended up with a comfortable 4-1 victory.
Bellarabi and Braunschweig notch novel win
One point in seven matches - that was Eintracht Braunschweig's disastrous record coming into their away game against local rivals Wolfsburg. But the underdogs put the worst-ever start in Bundesliga history behind them with a 2-0 upset win. Karim Bellarabi scored the match-winner in one of the most surprising results this season.
Mainz and Hoffenheim share the points
Ahead of their home match against Hoffenheim, Mainz had lost five on the trot, and things didn't look good when they fell behind 2-0 in the first half. But a pair of late goals - the equalizer came in injury time - gave the likeable small southern German club a 2-2 draw. Meanwhile Hoffenheim will be scratching their heads over this one.
Stuttgart and Bremen neutralize one another
Neither good nor terrible - that's the story for both Stuttgart and Bremen this season, so a 1-1 draw was perhaps a fitting end to their clash on Saturday. Stuttgart grabbed an early lead, Bremen equalized, and there were no goals in the second half. Enough said.
Ronny earns point for Hertha Berlin
His first touch of the ball was all substitute midfielder Ronny needed to equalize for Hertha Berlin against Wolfsburg. A free kick that was clocked at 119 kilometers an hour was more than anyone could handle. The 1-1 draw ends what had been Hanover's perfect home record, although they do remain just ahead of Hertha in the table.
Lasogga leads Hamburg thrash-fest in Nuremberg
Hat-tricks don't come much quicker than the one Hamburg's Pierre-Michel Lasogga pulled off in Nuremberg on Sunday. Seven minutes was all the bullish striker needed to find the net three times. Nuremberg never got into this match and meekly suffered a 5-0 beating by the Northern Germans.
Freiburg still looking for first season win
This is proving to be a trying season for Freiburg coach Christian Streich. Last year's surprise packages are finding it hard to deal with personnel changes and playing in two competitions. On Sunday, they were undone by an own goal and could only manage a 1-1 win at home against Frankfurt.