How Buendía Saved Our Saturday (and Maybe Our Season)

Let’s be honest – anyone who cracked open a cold one on Saturday afternoon expecting a fiery Bayer 04 comeback after the Bielefeld embarrassment probably found themselves mowing the lawn by halftime out of sheer frustration. Because what we saw in Heidenheim for most of the match wasn’t exactly “title-challenger energy” – it was more like “let’s hope this ends quickly” energy. And yet… somehow… we won. Because football is weird. And because Emiliano Buendía decided he was done watching us suffer.

It all started – as it so often does with us lately – with high hopes and low output. Xabi Alonso shuffled the starting XI like a man searching for answers in the sock drawer: Boniface was back up front, Aleix Garcia replaced Palacios, and Andrich was suddenly a defender. The good news? The opponent wasn’t Bayern. The bad news? Heidenheim clearly didn’t get the memo that they’re supposed to be in the relegation battle. They came out swinging – pressing high, tackling hard, and looking like a team with something to prove.

And us? Well… if the first half were a dish, it would’ve been a lukewarm potato salad with no dressing. Possession without penetration, build-up without bite, and a vibe that screamed "still traumatized from Tuesday." The few chances we did have barely registered as such. Meanwhile, Heidenheim rattled the crossbar, pinged the post, and made Hradecky look like a man playing roulette with his own goal.

Second half? Slightly better, but not much. We had the ball, but didn’t seem to know what to do with it. Alonso started making changes, throwing on attackers like he was hoping one of them might accidentally stumble into a goal. Spoiler alert: one did.

Enter Emiliano Buendía. On in the 67th, anonymous until the 91st – and then suddenly the main character. Hofmann, also fresh off the bench and determined to justify his haircut, slipped him the ball. One touch, one turn, one perfect curler – and boom. 1-0. Out of nowhere. Heidenheim frozen. Bayer fans erupting. Football, bloody hell.

That goal didn’t just win us the match – it quite possibly kept the title dream alive. It was Buendía’s first Bundesliga goal, and if there’s any justice in the universe, it won’t be his last in red and black. Because sometimes it’s not about playing pretty. Sometimes it’s about showing up, digging deep, and stealing three points when you absolutely don’t deserve them. That’s what champions do. Ugly wins count too.

So here we are – still chasing, still in the hunt, and still somehow standing after a week that nearly broke us. Next up: Union Berlin at home. Maybe we’ll actually play some decent football. Or maybe we’ll just need another last-minute hero. Either way, we’ll be there – with beer in hand, heart in mouth, and hope in our eyes.

Thanks, Emiliano. You beautiful, brilliant, last-minute legend.