German Bundesliga Weekend Review

December 1, 2008

Hertha BSC Berlin – 1.FC Cologne 2:1

Hertha BSC is one of the biggest surprises this season. By beating Cologne on Friday, the team now mounted the league table up to the third spot. A late winning header by Pantelic secured the team from Germany’s capital a late but deserved win against a hard fighting but rarely well playing Cologne side. The guests managed to keep the ball away from danger most of the times but also did not pose any threat on the Berlin goal. All in all Berlin is delighted with the win and Cologne will have to be careful after having lost the third game in a row.

Werder Bremen – Eintracht Frankfurt 5:0

Werder is a surprise for every fan these days. You either see a huge disappointment or a gala but this Saturday it was gala time again. Pizarro, who joined from Chelsea was the match winner and scored three goals. A strong performance from the midfielders Frings and once more Diego were the basis to this success. Eintracht on the other hand had a bad day and hardly managed to look like a real challenge. Frankfurt will look to collect the needed points at home since they are not very impressive when playing on the road. Bremen will try to improve their away performances and start wining more games which is very much needed if they still want to have a chance for the title this season.

Bayer Leverkusen – Bayern Munich 0:2

It was supposed to be the top match of the day but Munich easily sailed past Leverkusen in this encounter. Only in the first half Bayer managed to cause Bayern trouble but mainly after corner kicks or free kicks. With few highlights and no goals, the fans witnessed an average football game during the first half. Bayern’s physical and individual class shone in the second half when Toni and Klose scored the winning goals while Ribéry played a good game once more. Leverkusen’s star is falling at the moment after two losses in a row. Their title bid will need more points in order to be a serious one. Bayern is in outstanding form and are now fired up to play Hoffenheim next week at home.

Hannover 96 – Karlsruher SC 3:2

The fans in Hanover saw two opposite halves. The first was dominated by Hanover who overran the guests and took a quick lead which grew before halftime to a three goal margin. Karlsruhe showed lots of spirit in the second half and almost came back to a draw when Kennedy had the final chance in the match in the dying seconds. KSC woke up too late and headed home empty handed. The club hit rock bottom and are last in the division. Hanover on the other hand is not out of the crisis yet after a not very convincing second half. They will have to perform better for a full match in order to win more games and get to a higher position.

Borussia M’gladbach – Energie Cottbus 1:3

Gladbach’s crisis is as big as it ever was after a shocking 1:3 defeat to Cottbus. The hosts wanted to use this game to win three big points against a direct competitor against relegation but Borussia never really made an impact in the game. Surprisingly Energie showed lots of courage and class in their counter attacks and fully deserved to take home those vivid points. Energie is over the moon with this win and will want to use the euphoria now to add another win to their record. Gladbach on the other hand is in deep trouble with a shaky defense and an uninspired midfield. Their fans have all reason to worry about the club being able to stay in the top flight after this performance.

1899 Hoffenheim – Arminia Bielefeld 3:0

1899 scored two early goals to take away any kind of doubt that they will win this match. They dominated Bielefeld but the guests fought back and tried to keep the game open and interesting for everyone. Unfortunately for Arminia, they hardly managed to challenge Hoffenheim’s goalie and therefore could not find back into the game. A late goal after a very questionable penalty finally decided the game for the table leaders who are now facing Bayern in the top match of Germany’s highest division. Ibisevic was once more amongst the goalscorers and will be the man to watch for Bayern. Bielefeld was beaten too high and can keep their heads up high and focuse on their next game. Hoffenheim was not a team they had to expect to beat.

VfB Stuttgart – FC Schalke 04 2:0

Caretaker coach Babbel celebrated his first game in his first game in charge of Stuttgart. The former Liverpool right back had to sweat for a long time until two late goals won the game for his Stuttgart side. Schalke was largely disappointed with the result as they easily could have decided and therefore won the match in the beginning moments. Farfan, the biggest summer signing from PSV could have been the man for Schalke but he first missed on an empty net before not being able to convert a penalty against Lehmann only a few minutes later. The smiles have disappeared around Schalke and the atmosphere around the team is soaked in worries and tension. Babbel on the other hand may win a full appointment for Stuttgart if he keeps on winning games.

VfL Bochum – Hamburger SV 1:1

A very even game took place in Bochum. Hamburg was the favorite on paper but their recent performances in away games were a lot of hope for Bochum. In the end the game ended in a draw which was a fair result, even though Bochum managed to convince the fans a little more. Hamburg after all came back to equalize and at least win one point which is better than nothing for them in these days. Bochum now stuck on a play off spot will strive to win more games to escape from the lower regions of the table. They will build on this performance and look to beat teams that are troubled as they are. They proved that they have the quality to survive that battle against relegation but need to be more clinical up front. Hamburg needs a win badly to not lose touch with the top teams. The title looks far away at the moment though.

Borussia Dortmund – VfL Wolfsburg 0:0

Good news for Dortmund, the team remained unbeaten at home but still there were whistles heard after the game. Having played eight games at home they did remain unbeaten but also drew six times with only two wins. No different on Sunday when strong Wolfsburg came to Dortmund and played a very acceptable game considering the side had an UEFA Cup fixture on Thursday in Portugal. All in all the guests seemed to be the better and more dangerous team out of the two. In the end, both teams are still lacking a bit of a winning mentality. With Grafite missing, Wolfsburg lacked another strong force up front while Frei looks completely out of form for Dortmund, also due to the lacking match practice which he won’t win if he keeps being substituted.

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