Heidenheim Stun Union Berlin with Last-Gasp Winner, Deepening Mainz’s Relegation Concerns
Heidenheim secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Union Berlin with a goal in the 96th minute, compounding Union’s woes and simultaneously increasing the pressure on Mainz, who remain in a precarious position near the Bundesliga relegation zone. The result sees Dortmund leapfrog Leverkusen into third place after a 2-1 win, secured by a late goal from Karim Adeyemi following a Fábio Silva assist.
The late drama in both matches significantly shifts the landscape at both ends of the table. Bayern Munich further solidified their lead, now eight points clear after a late victory, while Leipzig dropped points in a 0-0 draw against borussia Mönchengladbach. Heidenheim’s win, however, is particularly impactful, dragging Mainz closer to the drop as the season progresses.
A post-match incident involving Borussia Dortmund’s Sébastien Haller and coach Edin Terzić highlighted the intensity of the competition. haller’s substitution was met with visible frustration, prompting a discussion between the player and coach on the pitch. “After the game,” said Terzić, “[myself and Guirassy] talked things thru on the pitch.Or rather,I explained it to him.”
Elsewhere, a potential winning goal for Borussia Mönchengladbach against Leipzig was disallowed for offside, a decision Eugen polanski, Gladbach’s coach, questioned. “Unfortunately, we develop football in such a way that we wont to see more goals,” Polanski stated, “and then we whistle for things like this. I’m also not entirely sure when the exact moment of the ball being released is, whether it’s accurate to the hundredth of a second.”
Off the pitch, fan protests continued across German stadiums, targeting Hamburg’s interior senator Andy Grote and expressing concerns over potential restrictions on ultra groups. Bayern Munich’s Uli Hoeness also faced criticism from the club’s ultras for his stance on the 50+1 rule, reiterating his position at a recent event. “[The ultras] want to control football themselves,” Hoeness said, “and they haven’t even realised that all the clubs where ultras have the say have become second-rate – Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Schalke.”
