1.FC Cologne – Hannover 96 2:1
Friday night Cologne managed to pull out another surprise when beating Hanover. The guests took the early lead and dominated most parts of the game but were not defending well enough during corner kicks. Cologne came back twice out of the blue and managed to defend the win. The fans are excited, especially now that rumours of the return of Podolski spread. Hannover is largely disappointed with the loss and cannot seem to get away from the bottom areas of the league. A red card for Stajner in this game did not help in any way.
Hamburger SV – Borussia Dortmund 2:1
Hamburg recorded a lucky win against Dortmund. The game ended in a 2:1 win for the hosts even though Hamburg could not convince their fans at every point of the match. Most significant for the game was the action after the final whistle. Dortmund’s Kovac saw the red card for insulting the referee and also Dortmund’s coach Klopp was in a rap with the referee. Both are likely to face fines. Hamurg will be happy to preserve their good home record and now need to sharpen up on their away tours.
VfL Wolfsburg – Energie Cottbus 3:0
Cottbus deserved to lose this game but was still very frustrated. The underdogs from the east started off with lots of confidence and scored an offside goal. Just minutes later, a dive was awarded with a penalty against them, the turning point of this game. The complaints about the referee did not help and they found no means to fight back into the game. Wolfsburg’s Grafite was the hero of the day sealing a hattrick for the Volkswagen team. Cottbus is struggling more than ever and Wolfsburg finally concentrates on bringing home the points they need to meet their expectations.
Karlsruher SC – Bayer Leverkusen 3:3
Leverkusen looked like the safest bet to be the new table leader after leading 3:0 in Karlsruhe but the fighting spirit of the KSC team came around the corner and won them a well deserved point! Leverkusen was even lucky to get away with the draw after a game which was so dominated in the beginning by them. Bayer coach Labbadia was angry that the team could not maintain the lead. In the end both teams were contend not having lost. The draw against a top team will make sure that Karlsruhe has a quiet week ahead and Leverkusen is now looking forward to another festival at home.
VfL Bochum – Werder Bremen 0:0
Werder Bremen cannot seem to perform the way they expect. A self named contender for the championship is far behind its expectation and could not win in Bochum either. After the so called black October, Bremen hardly convinced in Bochum and are still struggling to win their matches. Bochum, who played mainly a defensive style, was happy with the result as they were only out on the field to keep the result goalless. Bochum will have to fight hard to get the needed results and Bremen must be careful not to slip into a deeper crisis.
Arminia Bielefeld – Borussia M’Gladbach 0:2
Gladbach’s matchwinner was 19 year old wonderboy Marin who once more performed in a sensational manner. A wonder strike from a direct freekick won Gladbach the early lead. Marin also scored the second goal and is chased by many clubs already. His outstanding performance won Gladbach three major points to fight relegation. The club with huge tradition avoided a deeper valley but made sure that there is little confidence now in Bielefeld. This game proved how close the fight against relegation is this season. Bielefeld missed too many chances and will need a second Wichiniarek to turn more chances into goals.
FC Schalke 04 – Bayern Munich 1:2
It was supposed to be the game of the game on the weekend and it started off with a flyer on both sides. The game was tied 1:1 after less than ten minutes. Schalke took control and created many chances but failed to convert them into goals. A counter attack for Bayern ended in a Ribéry goal which also sealed the winner for the Bavarians. Bayern keeps reaching for the top and underlines its great form in the league. Schalke, who was aware of the importance of the game lost out on major points and suffered a set back.
Eintracht Frankfurt – VfB Stuttgart 2:2
Eintracht Frankfurt gave away a two goal lead at home when Mario Gomez scored the late equalizer for the guests. Gomez who draws a lot of attention from Bayern once more proved that he is Stuttgart’s outstanding goal scorer. Stuttgart had control over the game but Frankfurt provided crucial finishing and great counter attacks. All in all a deserved draw for both sides. Eintracht slowly but surely finds back to old strength from last season and Stuttgart will be happy to have avoided another loss on the road. VfB will need to step it up in order to hit the Uefa Cup qualification spot.
Hertha BSC Berlin – 1899 Hoffenheim 1:0
Hertha BSC has become a good home team and Hoffenheim learnt that this weekend. The guests and surprise team from Hoffenheim hardly created any chances unlike the other games before. Hertha managed to keep the strong offense under control and to deny Hoffenheim a goal while scoring a late goal to keep the points in Germany’s capital. Europe’s best promoted team will now strive to fascinate the fans once more in their next game while Hertha is looking very solid this season despite the rumours of Pantelic leaving at the end of the season. Both teams surprise this year and are ready to come up with more.
