3 games, 1 won, 2 drawn, 0 lost: Germany's clubs hold the line
A Düsseldorf win and two stubborn draws keep the Bundesliga flag flying in Europe, though Wolfsburg's blank night in Plovdiv leaves a sour taste.
Three games on the continent, and not one defeat. That was the stake: Germany's clubs had to stop the haemorrhaging. Fortuna Düsseldorf answered with a 2-0 win over Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, and the Milner-Echsner partnership did the damage the way it has done all autumn. Eintracht Frankfurt, with Reuven Sefronovic in their ranks since the summer's loan from Wolfsburg, ground out a 1-1 draw against FC Lugano — a point earned, not gifted.
Then Wolfsburg. After the embarrassment in Iceland last month, they went to Botev Plovdiv and came away with a 0-0. A clean sheet is something; a blank against opposition they should be beating is not. Graft is what the Ruhr respects, and Wolfsburg showed the grit but none of the edge. Dortmund come next in the league, and Frankfurt after that. Draws keep you alive. Wins keep you honest.