Leipzig ends Bayern, Dortmund streak by topping Bundesliga at Christmas

Either Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund have led the Bundesliga at Christmas in each of the last nine seasons, but not this time around.

Published : Dec 22, 2019 12:44 IST

Julian Nagelsmann shows his delight after RB Leipzig's victory over Augsburg.
Julian Nagelsmann shows his delight after RB Leipzig's victory over Augsburg.
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Julian Nagelsmann shows his delight after RB Leipzig's victory over Augsburg.

For the first time since 2010, neither Bayern Munich nor Borussia Dortmund is top of the table at the halfway stage of a Bundesliga season, with RB Leipzig the team to catch after the winter break.

A 3-1 win over Augsburg on Saturday secured the informal 'herbstmeisterschaft' (autumn championship) for Leipzig and it holds a two-point lead at the summit after Borussia Monchengladbach were held to a 0-0 draw at Hertha Berlin.

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Defending champion Bayern is four points off the pace in third, with Dortmund and Schalke a further three points back.

Bayer Leverkusen was top midway through the 2009-10 campaign, a season that ended with Bayern as champion. Since that campaign, Bayern has led the way at Christmas in seven seasons, while Dortmund was the front-runner in 2010-11 and 2018-19.

Julian Nagelsmann's Leipzig scored three goals in the final 22 minutes to come from behind and beat Augsburg.

Striker Timo Werner said: "It was looking like one of those games for a long time. We had lots of chances but the ball just didn't want to cross the line. But we managed to turn it around. It shows how far we have come as a team."

Discussing Leipzig's position at the top of the table, Werner added: "Our league standing is just a snapshot and it ultimately doesn't count for much. Nevertheless, we're proud to go into the winter break top of the table."

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