Bundesliga Bulletin: Der Klassiker no contest, Gnabry shines

Good week for: Robert Lewandowski, Schalke, Serge Gnabry, Florian Kohfeldt

Bad week for: Peter Stöger, Cologne, Nils Petersen, Leverkusen's European hopes, Lukas Hradecky

The Lowdown

- When tennis players lose a set to love, they're said to be 'bageled'. Two of Germany's most storied teams suffered that particular ignomony on Saturday, when Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim dished up 6-0 beatings to Borussia Dortmund and Cologne. Game, set and match.

Read more: This edition of Der Klassiker was no classic

Bayern Munich hammer Dortmund 6-0 with Lewandowski hat-trick 

- If that wasn't bad enough for Cologne fans, the day got even worse when one of their flags was stolen from the front of the away end - considered a humiliation in ultra circles. The flag was stolen by rival Borussia Mönchengladbach ultras who had positioned themselves next to the Cologne end and was an act of revenge after Cologne fans stole one of their flags at the Rhine Derby back in January.

- Hoffenheim's improved form was emphasized with that big win but among the joy, Julian Nagelsmann must be a bit concerned that two of Saturday's star men won't be with him next season. Serge Gnabry and Mark Uth got four goals and two assists between them but Gnabry will return to Bayern after his loan period and Uth has agreed a free transfer to Schalke. Another rebuilding job for the young coach, if he decides to stick around.

- Lukas Hradecky continued the Bundesliga's recent run of goalkeeping gaffes with an utterly baffling blunder on Sunday that cost his team a point. The Eintracht Frankfurt keeper allowed a looping header from a teammate to slip through his hands under no pressure, handing in-form Werder Bremen a 2-1 win. Bremen have now taken 13 points from the last 15 and are now closer to the Champions League spots than relegation.

- Hamburg enjoyed the unfamiliar sensation of winning, for 26 minutes, before limping to a 1-1 draw with Stuttgart. They are now winless in 15, their longest such run in their Bundesliga history, which is likely to end - at least temporarily - sometime in the next few weeks.

The Stats

- Wolfsburg's goalless draw in Berlin on Saturday night means they haven't scored in three consecutive games for the first time in more than six years. They've scored just two in Bruno Labaddia's five games in charge and are yet to record a win under their new boss. They also have the most draws (14) of all the teams in the league.

- Bayern's resounding victory over Dortmund was the club's 1800th Bundesliga game and 900th at home in the competition.

- Schalke broke their club record for consecutive league wins with their 2-0 win over Freiburg on Saturday. They have now won six in a row.

The Quotes

"If you concede one or two at the Allianz Arena you might be in for a thrashing. We eased off a bit in the second half." Thomas Müller suggests Dortmund were lucky to get away with six.

"They played cat and mouse with us." Borussia Dortmund captain Marcel Schmelzer's latest mea culpa.

"In the end, we were lucky that Bayern have a big game in the week and have escaped with one and a half black eyes." Peter Stöger is thankful for small mercies.

"Nils Petersen hadn't seen the first yellow card; he's not got eyes in the back of his head. But I'm not allowed to say anything. It's unbelievable." Freiburg coach Christian Streich on the strange dismissal of Nils Petersen (see 'The Weird' below).

"It's the first time this season that a decision against us has been withdrawn after VAR. That makes it about 1-10." RB Leipzig head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl on Hannover's third goal that was disallowed due to a controversial offside.

The News

Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Sky on Saturday that the club will have a new coach in place "by the end of April" and it will be a German speaker. Thomas Tuchel is out of the frame, according to Rummenigge, who says the former Dortmund coach has agreed terms with another club, thought to be Paris Saint-Germain. 

The Weird

Freiburg skipper Nils Petersen lost his rag at the decision to award Schalke the penalty that broke the deadlock on Saturday and probably would have expected a yellow card to come his way. It did, but Petersen didn't notice, primarily because the referee showed it to his back. The striker continued to remonstrate and, much to his surprise, was then shown a second yellow and dismissed - without knowing where the first came from. As he departed, his boss, Christian Streich took up the fight and had to be restrained from approaching the official before being sent off himself.