Bundesliga Weekend Review

Hannover 96 – VfL Bochum 1:1

After the loss in Cologne, Hanover was ready to make up to its own fans with a win against struggling Bochum but the guests were a constant challenge and troubled Hanover throughout the game. In the second half, 96 took the lead but Bochum was not shocked and kept playing forward. Their spirit was rewarded by Hanover’s goalie Fromlowitz who put a cross from the right wing with his own hands into the net. A horrible mistake that costs Hanover important points and make the home fans miss number one goalie Robert Enke even more. Bochum will be happy with the display but a little disappointed with the result as they could have come away with three points. By sharing points, none of the two make a big improvement in the table.

VfB Stuttgart – Arminia Bielefeld 0:0

Another disappointing display by Stuttgart at home. The 2007 champion could not convince their critical fans once more. After having lost their last home game against promoted Cologne and lots of boos after the game, Stuttgart could not overcome struggling Bielefeld. The team looks dependant on Gomez and his form. When he has a bad day, as he had on Saturday, the team is not capable to make up and be successful. International competition is getting further out of reach. Arminia was happy to win a deserved point. Summer signing Katongo had the biggest chance to even win the game for his team when Lehmann threw the ball right into his foot but he proved not to be cool enough in a one on one with the former Arsenal goalie. An away win would have spoiled the game and the 0:0 is the perfect result for an unattractive game.

Bayer Leverkusen – FC Schalke 04 2:1

After having lost to Bayern last week, Schalke lost another big point match against direct competition for a top spot in the league. After a nervous start from Bayer, Kuranyi had the biggest chance to put Schalke ahead but he missed on an empty net. Clinical finishing by Kießling and Helmes made the result 2:0 and Bayer put on more preassure afterwards. A red card for Leverkusen brought Schalke back into the game but the late goal by Kuranyi was not enough to avoid another loss. Bayer Leverkusen is looking strong this season while Schalke must watch not to lose more ground to the top teams.

Hertha BSC Berlin – Hamburger SV 2:1

Hamburg have not won in many years in Berlin and their fans were optimistic at halftime when HSV was leading 1:0 through Petric’s wondergoal. Hamburg dominated the first half and the Croatian international put in an overhead kick to bring the guest ahead but Hamburg failed to use further chances. Within 10 minutes after halftime, Hertha turned the game around and never let Hamburg come back into the game anymore until the dying seconds. The winning goal was a controversial one because the defense stopped charging after the linesman put up the flag but the referee did not blow and Hertha had no problem finishing their attack with the 2:1 winning goal. Berlin is very strong, especially at home and Hamburg’s away games become more and more trips that their fans might regret.

Borussia Dortmund – Eintracht Frankfurt 4:0

Borussia Dortmund expected a harder game against Frankfurt. The hosts were the clearly better team and totally deserved their big win against Frankfurt, a team that is battling against relegation this season. Dortmund took an early lead and created more chances throughout the game. Outstanding performer was central defender Subotic who scored two goals in this game and five goals in total this season. The second goal was from an offside position but towards the end a non offside goal was called to be one and their fifth goal was annulled. Eintracht needs to sharpen up quickly while Dortmund will now to seek some points on the road.

Energie Cottbus – Karlsruher SC 1:0

Another big point game against relegation took place in Cottbus. The hosts looked nervous while Karlsruhe played an uninspired game. The fans in the stadium were hardly ever blessed with good football action and had to wait for a corner to decide the game. Karlsruhe’s goalie Miller only fisted the corner right into the middle onto a Cottbus player’s foot who put the ball back into the box where Jelic tried an overhead kick and scored a beautiful goal to the delight of the home fans. Karlsruhe will be in agony as they might have felt that they did not try their very best. Energie has a new glance of hope on the horizon while the pressure for Karlsruhe is piling up in their next home game.

Borussia M’gladbach – Bayern Munich 2:2

Klinsmann’s Bayern gave away another two goal lead in Mönchengladbach. Having controlled most of the game, Bayern looked to be the better team in all areas and lead thegame easily by 2:0 only fifteen minutes away from the final whistle but a strong team spirit on the Gladbach side allowed Borussia to come back into the game and keep a point at home in a game that didn’t look to good. It wasn’t the first time that Bayern gave away a clear lead this season and they will be disappointed with this one as they could have reached for the top with another three points. Gladbach will take the point as a boost of confidence and look to be unbeaten in their next game as well.

1899 Hoffenheim – VfL Wolfsburg 3:2

Both teams had charity campaign “Ein Herz für Kinder” on their shirts but in a very entertaining game, both teams also proved to have a heart for football fans. Both teams are known for attractive football and the fans who came with high expectation did not get disappointed in Mannheim, where Hoffenheim has to play its home games until the new stadium is finished. Ibisevic scored his 14^th goal on day thirteen of the league and is the outstanding scorer this season so far. 1899 will now travel to Cologne and Wolfsburg will hope to convert more chances into goals in their next home fixture. The guests were a wee bit too impressed by Hoffenheim’s offensive power and only came back after falling behind. It worked twice but Hoffenheim’s third lead was too much to compensate for Wolfsburg.

Werder Bremen – 1.FC Cologne 3:1

Bremen played the only Sunday night game. Werder had to cope with many problems this season and that became obvious to everyone in the game against Cologne as well. The guests from the Rhine River played in a very defensive formation with only one striker up front. Bremen took an early lead by a penalty goal but still could not find the confidence. Cologne put on more pressure without creating many dangerous moments in Bremen’s box. The game looked decided right before halftime when Naldo headed the ball into Cologne’s net after a corner kick but after halftime Cologne came back by a goal of its best player Novakovic and while the guests had a lifeline, Werder looked overly nervous and afraid of giving away this match. Almost out of the blue, Portuguese international Almeida set Bremen free with an incredible goal. He fired a powerful drive towards Cologne’s net which was unstoppable for Mondragon. The third goal sealed the game. Cologne’s heads won’t be hanging too low while Bremen needs to find back to old form and confidence.

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