Portuguese youngster Tiago Dantas made his full Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich on Saturday, starting for the first time in the German league as the champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Union Berlin.
Elsewhere, André Silva was once again on the scoresheet in Eintracht Frankfurt’s thrilling 4-3 victory against Wolfsburg. The goal edged Eintracht closer to securing Champions League football and moved Silva nearer to the club’s all-time goalscoring record for a single league season.
The decision by Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick to issue on-loan Benfica midfielder Tiago Dantas his first full Bundesliga appearance this weekend had been leaked to the media the day before the match. Dantas had made just one substitute appearance in the German top flight since joining the club last summer, when he played the final few minutes of the 5-1 win over Koln in February.
Dantas’ future has been the subject of speculation due to his lack of first-team involvement, with Flick recently stating no firm decision had been made on whether to make the midfielder’s move to Germany permanent while also insisting further opportunities for the 20-year-old to prove himself would be forthcoming.
The match against Union yielded a disappointing result for Bayern, who conceded a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw. Dantas was paired with Joshua Kimmich in a midfield pivot, where he played for 66 minutes before being replaced with the match goalless. “He was always available and kept the ball well,” Flick said after the game, as he saw Bayern’s lead at the top over RB Leipzig cut to five points.
Silva strikes again
Eintracht Frankfurt maintained their 7-point advantage over Borussia Dortmund in the race for a top four place after emerging victorious in a seven-goal thriller with Wolfsburg. Frankfurt’s 4-3 win was their third in succession and once more André Silva found himself among the goals, finishing coolly into the far corner on his right foot after being played in by Daichi Kamada.
The goal was Silva’s 23rd of the Bundesliga campaign and the latest in what is by some distance the best season of his career. Prior to the match, Frankfurt coach Adi Hutter had praised the former Porto man’s range of qualities, while strike partner Luka Jovic described it as “an honour to play in the same team” as Silva.
The 25-year-old remains on course to challenge the club’s all-time goalscoring record for a single Bundesliga season, and indeed his tally of 23 from 27 rounds was already the highest achieved by any Frankfurt player at the same stage. The current record for most goals is held by club legend and World Cup winner Bernd Hölzenbein, who scored 26 in the 1976-77 season.
With six rounds left of the league season, Silva needs three goals to equal the record and four to become the most prolific marksman in a single season in Eintracht history. Next up for The Eagles is a trip to Borussia Monchengladbach next Saturday.
By Sean Gillen
