Dortmund lose, Augsburg win

Dortmund had won the last three encounters with Bremen but the Bundesliga's worst performing away side couldn't get out of their slump in form and lost 2-1 at the Weserstadion.

Things didn't go right from the start. Three minutes in, Mats Hummels was sucked out of position allowing David Selke to be played through. The 19-year-old finished sweetly, chipping over Dortmund keeper Mitch Langerak from the left-hand side of box.

Dortmund were not in the game for the first half, failing to muster even a single shot on target against the Bundesliga's leakiest defense. The hosts were bossing possession but Theodor Gebre Selassie could not convert the best of several good chances.

With the rain falling, so were Dortmund's defenses. Shortly after the hour mark, a ball played in behind a disjointed back line by Selke left Dortmund horribly exposed and Fin Bartels slotted home, unchallenged from ten yards.

Selke had a chance to seal the win before Dortmund pulled one back through a diving header from captain Hummels – Dortmund's first goal on the road in five hours of play.

There was no late rally from Klopp's men though. Instead, Bartels nearly doubled his own tally when Selke put him through, but the post denied him.

The defeat left Dortmund second bottom in the table and having conceded twice in all but one of its away games this season. A welcomed winter break now begins for Klopp and Co.

Esswein guides Augsburg home

Augsburg remain on course for their best ever Bundesliga campaign after their 2-1 home win against Borussia Monchengladbach. Markus Weinzierl's men go into the winter break on 27 points, but were made to work hard for the three points on matchday 17.

The visitors took a second-minute lead - Max Kruse converting from the spot after a clear handball by Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker.

Augsburg recovered to equalise in the 20th minute though. After a sweeping move down the right found Alexander Esswein in space, his deep cross was mis-hit by Halil Altintop but Markus Feulner, the Bayern aMunich cademy product, was on hand to smash in his first of the season off the left upright.

In an end-to-end game, Alex Manninger was called into action to deny Brouwers as the away side pushed forward. The Augsburg stopper was again called into action after the restart, palming a dipping volley from ex-Augsburg Andre Hahn around his right-hand post.

Six minutes after the restart, Augsburg took the lead when a defensive misjudgement allowed Esswein to cross for Raul Bobadilla to slot home. Esswein had a shot saved a minute later as the home side looked to put the game to bed. Sommer produced an incredible reflex save from Hahn to prevent an embarrassing own goal as both goalkeepers continued to impress.

Dominguez stung the palms of Manninger with 15 minutes to go, but it was too little, too late for Gladbach who enter the mid-season break locked on points with Augsburg.

Wolfsburg beat stubborn Cologne

Against heavy favorites Wolfsburg, Cologne started aggressively and were rewarded early on. After Anthony Ujah's shot was blocked, the resulting corner eventually fell to Daniel Halfar on the edge of the box. His delicate ball forward was brilliantly controlled and volleyed home by centre back Dominic Maroh.

The side with the second-best away form in the league weren't ahead for long though. Sebastian Jung had time to cross and Bas Dost beat Maroh in the area to head home the equalizer.

The game remained end-to-end, but with fewer clear cut chances. Halfar clipped the bar and Maroh made a smart challenge to close down Dost as the first half drew to a close.

The second 45 minutes couldn't rediscover the pace and tempo that was on display at the start of the game. Substitute Daniel Caligiuri wanted a penalty after a hand on his shoulder from goalscorer Maroh, but referee Peter Gagelmann said no.

Timo Horn's face saved Cologne's blushes but from the resulting corner, Naldo rose unmarked to head Wolfsburg into the lead with his fifth goal of the season. Dost nearly made it 3-1, but it mattered not as Wolfsburg ran out winners - leaving them six points clear of third place in the table.

Goalkeepers keep it goalless

Frankfurt are the second-highest scorers in the Bundesliga this season after Bayern Munich and once again Thomas Schaaf's team had the league's leading scorer, Alex Meier, to thank in their 1-1 draw at Leverkusen.

Omer Toprak cleared Meier's shot off the line after a quiet opening half an hour, but the Frankfurt striker was not to be denied. Takashi Inui was brought down in the area by Tin Jedvaj and Meier stepped up to convert his fifth penalty of the season, taking his overall goal tally to 13.

Leverkusen left it late to equalise, but Karim Bellarabi secured a point for the home side with a fierce drive into the bottom corner from just outside the box. His strike seven minutes from time was in fact Leverkusen's first shot on target.

The biggest cheer of the day during a 0-0 draw in Gelsenkirchen came before kick-off, when the Veltins-Arena big screen announced that Schalke forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar would be extending his contract until 2017.

Huntelaar and Tranquillo Barnetta both went close for Shalke in a lively first ten minutes for the home side but it was a game of few opportunities. Petr Jiracek fired high and wide from a low cross after half an hour, while Rudnevs spurned a big chance to put the visitors ahead just before half-time. Roman Neustadter's shot against the post for Schalke with five minutes remaining was the closest either side came to scoring.

Paderbon started the stronger away at Stuttgart - Moritz Stoppelkamp went close. Stuttgart midfielder Daniel Didavi saw a free-kick saved by Lukas Kruse, before Daniel Brückner headed against his own post just before half-time. Uwe Hünemeier forced a smart save from Ulreich in the second half, but neither side could break the deadlock as the game finished goalless.