Leipzig-Dortmund thriller exemplifies excitement of this season’s Bundesliga race

A six-goal thriller from title challengers Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig confirmed one thing: this Bundesliga season is one you can’t take your eyes off of.

The stage was set for a heavyweight collision on Tuesday between two teams positioned in first and third in the Bundesliga table.

RB Leipzig, the league leaders, came into the match boasting the league’s best attack – 42 goals in 15 matches, an average of 2.8 – and defense – 16 goals conceded in that time. They also traveled to Borussia Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion with the best away record in the division, winning 6 out of 8 and smashing in 22 goals on their travels. Julian Nagelsmann’s side were a nightmare to play against and looked like the most complete team in Germany.

And then the game started.

Dortmund, to their credit, boasted the second-best home record in the division: unbeaten with wins in five of seven matches, conceding just six goals. The 3-4-3 formation implemented by Lucien Favre had Leipzig pinned and scratching for answers. It got worse when Julian Weigl smashed in the 23rd-minute opener that surprised Leipzig keeper Peter Gulacsi.

With the hosts enjoying the momentum, they pressed the league leaders into creating very few chances. And so, Dortmund doubled their advantage via Jadon Sancho’s darting run and feed to the feet of Julian Brandt whose spin and shot past the keeper was a beautiful sight to behold.

At that point, it looked like a big wake-up call for Leipzig, trailing by two goals at halftime in a difficult place earn a result. When all seemed lost for the visitors, the next 45 minutes served as a reminder of what has been the overall story of this Bundesliga season: expect the unexpected.

Within 90 seconds of the restart, Roman Burki’s headed clearance went wayward onto the path of Timo Werner who cut the deficit in half.

A few minutes later Brandt’s boneheaded back pass met the feet of Werner who went around Burki to level the scores.

Sancho scored just two minutes later, giving Dortmund the lead again.

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However, in the 78th minute, Leipzig loan signing Patrik Schick made it 3-3 from a rebound to give the league leaders a valuable away point.

Six goals, two title contenders, one incredible game: expect the unexpected.

Although, you could argue this was to be expected from Dortmund. They entertain and frustrate their fans in the same match, their mental fragility has previously cost them in big games.

“We didn’t play well in the second half,” Marco Reus said after the match. “All three goals they scored were preventable, but it was a good game from both sides. For us, one point was not enough.”

Dortmund now sit four points behind Leipzig.

Earlier in the season, they were thrashed 4-0 at Bayern Munich, and had to come back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 at home against current bottom-side Paderborn. This kind of stuff leaves people wondering whether this bright squad with a mix of veterans and talent galore will make the leap forward. Favre may not survive another season after falling two points short of a winnable title last campaign.

As for Leipzig, they’re looking more and more the real deal. It took some real spirit to fight back when other teams could’ve laid down. The three second-half goals and salvaged point have them three points above Borussia Monchengladbach, who can go level on points with Leipzig should they defeat Paderborn on Wednesday.

“We knew we had to up our game in the second half and that’s exactly what we did, said Yussuf Poulsen after the game. “We’ve gained a really valuable point!”

Leipzig have not lost in all competitions since late October, and now the question is: are they the team to finally dethrone Bayern Munich’s domestic dominance? It’s looking likely.

One last bit of intrigue from this game: this isn’t the only contest these two teams are having, they’re currently engaged in a battle off the field. Both clubs are vying for the signature of Erling Haaland, the fine young striker of RB Salzburg, as noted by Manuel Veth on Twitter.

After Tuesday’s six-goal, title-race thriller, looking ahead to Wednesday’s matches demonstrates just how compelling the Bundesliga is this season.

Bayern Munich play Freiburg with the pair separated by two points in fifth and sixth respectively. Bayern can go level on points with Dortmund with a win, while rivals Schalke can go up to second if they beat Wolfsburg. Elsewhere, Koln can get out of the relegation zone if they beat Eintracht Frankfurt, and just six points separate Frankfurt from the relegation-playoff place occupied by Fortuna Dusseldorf.

This entire midweek slate encapsulates just how wacky, wild and downright fun this Bundesliga season has been so far. Enjoy the ride, there is likely to be so many more twists and turns to come.