Matchday 17 bulletins
Cologne - Bundesliga leaders FC Bayern München kicked off Matchday 17 with a dramatic late win over 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the Coface Arena, and the drama rattled along to a breathless conclusion in 2014's final round of top-flight matches.
Monday 22 December
Borussia Dortmund suffered another demoralising defeat at the hands of SV Werder Bremen, while FC Schalke 04 and Bayer 04 Leverkusen were held to draws. VfL Wolfsburg continued their excellent campaign with victory in Saturday's evening game, and there were goals galore on Sunday as TSG 1899 Hoffenheim beat Hertha Berlin and Hannover 96 drew with SC Freiburg.
bundesliga.com brings you all the news and reaction to this weekend's games...
Matchday 17 results
Hertha Berlin 0-5 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
SC Freiburg 2-2 Hannover 96
FC Schalke 04 0-0 Hamburger SV
Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
FC Augsburg 2-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
SV Werder Bremen 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
VfB Stuttgart 0-0 SC Paderborn 07
VfL Wolfsburg 2-1 1. FC Köln
1. FSV Mainz 05 1-2 FC Bayern München
Click here to refresh this page
The last word
That about does it for our live updates on this Monday before Christmas after the final round of matches in 2014, and at this point it's hard to look past FC Bayern as the team deserving of the final word. Top of the league by 11 points and still unbeaten, the Bavarians deserve to be where they are. We'll be back at the end of January when the Bundesliga resumes, but until then, you have the Bayern machine's invincibility to reflect on. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Want more Bundesliga Action?
Götze's festive thanks
Kraft pens extension
The German top flight may be heading into a five-week hiatus due to the winter break, but that's not to say the 18 Bundesliga clubs will be going quiet on us. Hertha Berlin, for one, have just announced news of a contract extension for no.1 goalkeeper Thomas Kraft:
Kramer to return to Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen have confirmed that 2014 World Cup hero
, currently on loan with Mönchengladbach, has put pen to paper on a new deal that will keep him at the
Werkself
until 30 June 2019. The 23-year-old midfielder will be rejoining the Leverkusen fold at the end of the current season. Gladbach have also published the news on their Twitter account:
Swiss get-together
Borussia Mönchengladbach No. 1 Yann Sommer (l.), meanwhile, was rubbing shoulders with compatriot Roger Federer last night in Zurich where the tennis legend beat Stan Wawrinka in a charity game.
Good morning folks
What better way to start a day than reliving the best of the action from a nerve-wracking final 2014 Bundesliga matchday? Simply
for all last weekend's highlights, including surprise package Augsburg's home win against fellow European hopefuls Mönchengladbach.
Sunday 21 December
...but look away if you're a Dortmund fan...
Smile if you're a Bayern fan...
Öztunali to join Werder
There was more good news for Werder Bremen less than 24 hours after their impressive
against Borussia Dortmund, the Green-Whites confirming today they have agreed a one-and-a-half year loan deal with Bayer 04 Leverkusen for
. The Germany Under-20 attacking midfielder will be teaming up with Viktor Skripnik's side during the winter break.
Dancing kings
Make sure you don't miss out on this fantastic compilation of FC Bayern stars showing off some of their silky skills on the dance floor!
Excitement in the capital
Yellow-Black peril
Confirmed line-ups: VfL Wolfsburg - 1. FC Köln
This afternoon's confirmed line-ups:
Kick-off approaching
Not long to go now until the final round of matches of 2014 gets underway across the country...
STAT!
BVB have scored
ten goals
on their last two visits to the Weser-Stadion. Jürgen Klopp's side have struggled to find the net on the road this season, though. Surely Dortmund's head coach will settle for a scrappy 1-0 win on this occasion?!
Live on TV, radio and via Twitter
There are numerous ways to follow today's Bundesliga action. Click here to find your local television broadcaster, follow this link to get to Bundesliga radio, broadcasting Werder Bremen's clash with Borussia Dortmund today. Alternatively, you can follow every kick of the day on bundesliga.com'slive Twitter channel, bringing you updates from every game.
Action stations
Holiday time
FC Bayern and Mainz have already broken up for their winter holidays and the rest of the Bundesliga sides will follow in due course. Here are some pictures from their
on Friday night, courtesy of the record Bundesliga champions:
Friday 19 December
1. FSV Mainz 05 - FC Bayern München line-ups:
Friday night in Mainz. It's raining. The floodlights are on. Two hours left until #M05FCB! Are you ready?
1. FSV Mainz 05's Junior Diaz seems confident his side can become the first to beat FC Bayern München in the Bundesliga this campaign...
...but it'll undoubtedly be a tough task - the champions are the only unbeaten side in Europe's top five leagues. You can read our match preview
.
VfL Wolfsburg are preparing for the final Saturday evening clash of 2014
We've previewed the Wolves' home fixture with 1. FC Köln
.
Stuttgart calling
SC Paderborn have touched down on their final trip of 2014, which has taken them to Stuttgart. It has been a year to remember for the East Westphalians, and can they now crown it in front of an expected 55,000 fans at the Mercedes-Benz-Arena?
Mahir Saglik: "Arrived in Stuttgart and hoping for a successful game"
Off to schalke! S04HSV #rudnevs
A photo posted by Julian Wesley Green (@jgreen_37) on Dec 12, 2014 at 7:15am PST
How's this for a stat and a half?
Augsburg test
Gladbach travel to the SGL Arena on Saturday afternoon to face an Augsburg side who have won eight and lost eight of their first 16 league matches this season.
Eins, zwei, drei...
FC Bayern string puller Xabi Alonso has given his first interview in German. Speaking to FCB.tv, the 33-year-old revealed he's been having three German lessons a week for the past two months, but admitted it's a difficult language to master.
"It's difficult, but I have to learn," said the former Spain international, who joined the Bavarians from Real Madrid CF in the summer. "The Bundesliga is faster than the Primera Division and the players are stronger. I need time [to adjust], but I'm happy with how things have gone so far.
Click on the video below to see the full interview (German only, no subtitles).
Final countdown
Mario Götze is gearing up for Friday evening's clash with Mainz at the Coface Arena...
A threat at both ends
FC Bayern's Jerome Boateng is a quality defender, with his first line of work stopping players from scoring. But he's popped up with a goal himself on occasion too. Take a look at all of the 26-year-old's Bundesliga goals by clicking on the video below...
For the last time this year... curtain up, It's MATCHDAY!