Bundesliga 2013/14 Matchday 1 Roundup

The Bundesliga has returned after a long summer break and the Friday opener did not disappoint.  Last years treble winner FC Bayern Muenchen hosted the season opener in the Allianz Arena and earned their first three points.  Pep Guardiola played with ten players that were in the Champions League final with one exception.  Toni Kroos replaced Martinez.

FC Bayern Muenchen vs Borussia Moenchen-Gladbach   3-1

While the match was intense, Bayern's offence was clicking with the likes of Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery, who is  up for Europe's "Footballer of the Year" award, Phillip Lahm and David Alaba were back in their usual positions.  Gladbach, unlike the Telekom Cup, during the preparation phase was a worthy opponent.  Bayer connected early in the first half, with goals from Arjen Robben (12th) and Mario Mandzukic (16th).  Dante's own goal on a communication error with Manuel Neuer in the 40th minute, made the match interesting.  Dominguez handball in the 68th minute resulted in a missed penalty by Thomas Mueller, but lo and behold Dominguez touched the ball with his hand again and David Alaba made no mistake on the retake of the penalty putting the record champion ahead 3-1 in the 69th minute.  Full game report

Bayer Leverkusen vs SC Freiburg 3-1

Leverkusen won the contest thanks to a double pack shortly after the half.  Freiburg dropped a penalty kick, which would have been a big opportunity to narrow the score.  Stefan Kiessling score d in the 22nd minute, but Freiburg's Hanke equalized in the just before the break in the 40th minute. Son made it 2-1 in the 46th minute, while Sam got the security with his 3-1 in the 52nd.

Hannover 96 vs VFL Wolfsburg 2-0

 A goal in each half gave Hannover a 2-0 victory in its home opener.  For large stretches of the game, Hannover was dominant.  With the sending off of two Wolfsburg players  (Arnold 22nd and Klose in the 52nd) it made life almost impossible for the Wolves.  Hannover went ahead with Andreasen's goal in the 17th minute and Huszti scrored the assurance goal in the 84th.

1899 Hoffenheim vs 1. FC Nuernberg 2-2

Hoffenheim started the second half with a 1-0 halftime lead, thanks to Abraham.  In the 51st minute it looked as if Modeste's goal put the game out of reach for Nuernmberg.  Not to be outdone, Nuernberg came back as a direct answer to Hoffenheim's goal when Frantz scored in the 54th minute.  Three minutes later, in the 57th minute, Ginczek got the equalizer, capturing the first away point of the new season.  Overall this was an exciting match.

FC Augsburg vs Borussia Dortmund 0-4

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang started his Bundesliga debut with a bang, achieving a hattrick, which contributed to Dortmund's overwhelming success in its Bundeliga opener in Augsburg.  Aubemeyang put the Champions League finalist ahead in the 24th minute and added two more goals in the second half (66th and 79th minute).  Robert Lewandowski scored the fourth on a penalty kick in the 86th minute.  While Augsburg put up a fiesty defence, the side was lacking in the offence.  Dortmund's Juergen Klopp must be thrilled with his new acquistition and the win puts the black yellows in good stead for the season.  Augsburg will have to work on its offensive role, it it doesn't want a repeat of last season.

Hertha BSC Berlin vs Eintracht Frankfurt   6-1

After a nervous start, Berlin took control of the match and had a more than respectable debut in the Bundesliga after a one year absence.  Ramos and Brooks gave the side from the capital a 2:0 lead with their goals in the 18th and 32nd minute.  The Hessen, with a penalty kick by Meier narrowed the score before the half in the 37th minute.  Berlin's Allagui put the game out of reach for the Hessen with goals in the 58th and 60th minute.  Ramos and Ronny scored in the 71st and 89th minute to add insult to injury.   The game was a disaster for the Eintracht side, which qualified for Euro League competition in their debut season last year.  It would appear that Berlin has no intention to return to the second tier.

Eintracht Braunschweig vs Werder Bremen 0-1

After a mediocre performance by both sides in the first half, the teams, particularly Braunschweig returned revitalized.  The second half saw good action on both ends,  with a number of missed opportunities.  In the end Bremen can consider themselves lucky to come out on top, after Januzovic scored in the 82nd minute and Bremen captured the three opening points.  Braunschweig put in a strong performance, especially in the second half.   Both teams have work to do if they are to avoid relegation. 

Mainz 05 vs VFB Stuttgart  3-2

Mainz won their season opener in a close match.  Stuttgart and Mainz exchanged blows during the first 15 minutes, with an opening goal for Mainz (Mueller) in the 14th minute.  Ibisevic equalized in the 16th minute, which was the score at half time.  Mainz pulled ahead Ozakaki's goal in the 65th minute and then doubled the lead in the 78th, Mueller's second of the afternoon.   Stuttgart bounced back in the 82nd when Harnik narrowed the score to 3-2.  In the end it was too little too late for the Schwaben.

Schalke 04 vs Hamburger SV  3-3

Fans in the Veltins-Arena saw an exciting match, where Huntelaar didn't disappoint scoring his first goal of the season in the second minute.  Hamburg's Van der Vaart equalized on a penalty kick in the 12th minute and Hamburg took the lead in the 23rd on a goal from Beister.  Just as it looked as if Hamburg would take a one goal lead into the half, Klaas Jan Huntelaar scored his second in the 45th minute, sending the teams into halftime with a draw.  Incidentally the game marked the highest scoring one in a half for the new season.  Sobiech moved Hamburg once again out in front with his goal in the 49th.  Szalai again got the equalizer in the 72nd.  With a final score of 3-3 the sides shared a point and put on entertaining match for the 62,000 spectators.

Saturday, August 9
   
FC Bayern vs M'gladbach  3-1

Sunday, August 10

Bayer Leverkusen vs SC Freiburg  3-1
Hannover 96 vs VfL Wolfsburg  2-0
1899 Hoffenheim vs Nürnberg   2-2
FC Augsburg vs Borussia Dortmund  0-4
Hertha BSC Berlin vs Eintracht Frankfurt  6-1
Eintracht Braunschweig vs Werder Bremen  0-1

Monday August 11
FSV Mainz 05 vs VfB Stuttgart    3-2
FC Schalke 04 vs Hamburger SV  3-3

Place-----Team-----------------------GP---W---D----L---GF/GA ---Pts

1------- Hertha BSC Berlin------------1----1----0-----0-------6:1--------3
2--------Borussia Dortmund-----------1----1----0-----0-------4:0--------3
3--------Bayer Leverkusen-------------1----1----0-----0------3:1--------3
4--------FC Bayern Muenchen--------1----1----0-----0 ------3:1--------3
5--------Hannover 96-------------------1----1----0-----0-------2:0--------3
6--------Mainz 05------------------------1----1----0-----0------3:2---------3
7--------Werder Bremen----------------1----1----0-----0------1:0---------3
8--------FC Schalke 04-----------------1----0----1-----0-------3:3--------1
8--------Hamburg------------------------1----0----1-----0-------3:3--------1
10-------1. FC Nürnberg----------------1----0----1-----0------2:2---------1
10-------1899 Hoffenheim--------------1----0----1-----0------2:2---------1
12-------VFB Stuttgart------------------1----0----0-----1-------2:3--------0
13-------Eintracht Braunschweig------1----0----0-----1-------0:1--------0
14-------Borussia M'gladbach----------1----0----0-----1------1:3---------0
15-------SC Freiburg---------------------1----0----0-----1------1:3---------0
16-------VFL Wolfsburg-----------------1----0----0-----1------0:2---------0
17--------FC Augsburg-------------------1----0----0-----1-------0:4--------0
18--------Eintracht Frankfurt------------1----0----0-----1-------1:6--------0

Fortuna Duesseldorf Moves to Top Flight After Aggregate Win Over Berlin

 Duesseldorf joins Greuther Furth and Eintracht Frankfurt to be promoted to the Bundesliga.  A 4-3 aggregate win over Hertha BSC Berlin assured the promotion.  Berlin will be playing in the 2. Bundesliga next year.

Fortuna Duesseldorf started the relegation battle with a 2-1 victory in Berlin.  This made it difficult for Berlin to win the second leg by aggregate in Duesseldorf.

It took less than a minute for Fortuna Duesseldorf's Maximillian Beistner to score the first goal after a low pass from Ilsoe. He took the pass went around Roman Hubnik and fired a shot from 23 meters in the lower right corner of the net.  1-0 Duesseldorf (aggregate 3-1).

Berlin gained in composure as the game went on and it finally paid off for the Berliners in the 23rd minute, when Ronny took a freekick from the left side perfectly into the box and Ben-Hatira went up to put a header into the right corner of the net.  1-1 (3-2 Duesseldorf aggregate).

After one half of play, Duesseldorf initially put on the pressure which resulted in the first goal in just 25 seconds, however Berlin got better as the game went on.  It eventually got Berlin the equalizer.  With the pressure placed on Duesseldorf the result could have been much more in favour of the Berliners.

As the second half started Berlin continued to control much of the game.  However a Yellow/Red card,  in the 54th minute, given to Ben Hatira, he fouled Lambertz, gave Duesseldorf a one man advantage.

Just five minutes later Jovanovic's goal in the 59th minute gave Duesseldorf a 2-1 lead, 4-2 aggregate.  Thomas Broeker delivered a pass into the six meter box, where Jovanovic put it away with a header just inside the post. 

Duesseldorf kept the pressure on Berlin and missed a couple of excellent chances.  A lapse in Duesseldorf's defence gave Berlin the opportunity to equalize the the match, when Raffael snatched up the ball from Ramos and placed it in the lower right corner. 2-2.

After an extensive delay, when fans thought the game was over, the game continued for the last 90 seconds.  Duesseldorf managed to hang on for a 4-3 aggregate win and is promoted to the top flight.

Hertha BSC Berlin:  Thomas Kraft - Holland, Hubnik, Janker(Patrick Ebert 72nd( , Lell (Rukavytsya 72nd) - Kobiasshvili, Niedermeyer - Ben Hatira, Raffael, Ebert - Ramos

Fortuna Duesseldorf:   Ratajczak - Van den Bergh, Langeneke, Lukimya-Mulongo, Levels - Lambertz (Juanan 89th), Fink, Bodzek, Broeker - Beister (Matushyk 77th), Ilsoe (Ivanovic 46th)

Bundesliga Relegation First Leg Berlin vs Duesseldorf

The first leg of the Bundesliga relegation match between 16th place Hertha BSC Berlin got underway today in the Olympia Stadion in Berlin in front of 70,000 fans.  Berlin was the favourite, despite the fact that they had to secure 16th place on the last matchday of the Bundesliga.  Duesseldorf had to concede direct promotion to Eintracht Frankfurt on the last matchday of the 2nd flight.

Duesseldorf started the match with a strong performance in the first ten minutes.  After the initial phase Otto Rehagel's side slowly overtook the control of the game and scored in the 20th minute,  after corner from the left side.  Ben-Hatira delivered the ball into the centre of the penalty box, which Roman Hubnik headed into the left corner of the target. For the remainder of the half Duesseldorf was unable to break out of their half.  Berlin missed several chances to increase the lead.  At halftime the teams parted with a 1-0 lead for Berlin.

Berlin continued to dominate during the opening segment of the second half but Duesseldorf came from nowhere and equaled the score.   Broeker moved around three Berliners in the penalty box and was in front of Thomas Kraft with no one to challenge him.  He fired the ball into the short corner for the 1-1 in the 64th minute. 

Things went from good to worse for Berlin when Adrian Ramos put the ball into his own net, giving Duesseldorf a 1-2 lead. 

While Duesseldorf picked up the pace in the final fifteen minutes, both teams had a opportunity to score.  Berlin's biggest chance was in the 88th minute when Ronny fired a free kick straight at the goal from 25 meters.  Bad luck had it that the ball hammered the right goal post.  In the 90th minute, Broker took a shot at Thomas Kraft's goal, but the keeper made a strong save, deflecting the ball around the goal post.

Fortuna Duesseldorf wins the first leg 2-1 and will now host Berlin in Duesseldorf on the 15th for the second leg.  While Berliner's did not get the result they hoped for, they can look forward to the DFB Pokal final on Saturday when FC Bayern battles Borussia Dortmund for the coveted cup.



Hertha BSC Berlin:  Thomas Kraft - Janker, Niemeyer, Hubnik, Holland - Perdedaj (Ronny 70th), Kobiasvili - Ebert (Torun 73rd), Raffael, Ben-Hatira - Ramos


Fortuna Duesseldorf: - Ratajczak - van den Bergh, Laneneke, Lukimya-Mulongoti, Levels -  Bodzek (Juanan 89th) - Lambertz, Fink, Boeker - Fink - Ilso (Matushyk 72nd) - Beister (Jovanovic 57th)

Bundesliga Matchday 32 - Fixtures and Preview

 Nine points are still available during the last three games of the 2011/12 Bundesliga season.  While mathematically FC Bayern could still obtain the top spot, practically this is impossible, without a total collapse of Dortmund.  Dortmund has gone undefeated in the last 25 games.  Dortmund should officially wrap up the league championship this weekend when they host Borussia MoenchenGladbach.  FC Bayern will be concentrating on leg two of the Champions League final next Wednesday in Madrid.  When Bayern plays in Bremen on Saturday don't expect the regulars to play much of the game.  Jupp Heyncke will give them a rest prior to next week's return match.

Gladbach and Schalke are separated by one point and both teams are looking for a direct entry into the Champions League next season.  Gladbach will have the most difficult task in Dortmund, while Augsburg is no pushover either for Schalke.  Augsburg is four points from a relegation spot and will want to  build on that cushion.  The battle to escape relegation continues for Freiburg, Hamburg, Augsburg, Koeln and Berlin.  Kaiserslautern will be playing in 2nd Bundesliga next year and can only hope to have a few good performances prior to its departure.  Kaiserslautern will travel to Berlin.  Hertha needs a win to keep its hopes alive.

Freiburg plays in Hannover, while Koeln host a powerful Stuttgart team.  Hamburg travels to Nuernberg.  The Franken have all but saved their retention in the Bundesliga.

In the 2nd Bundesliga, Greuther Fuerth, which put up a robust fight against Dortmund in the German Cup semi-final, is guaranteed promotion to the top flight, along with Eintracht Frankfurt.  The fight for third spot in the second flight and a relegation qualification game will be fought for by three teams, Paderborn, Duesseldorf and FC St. Pauli.  Former long time Bundesliga club Karlsruher SC is in danger of relegation to the third flight.

The fixtures for this coming weekend and the table are below. 

 20.04.2012, 20.30    FSV Mainz 05 -    VfL Wolfsburg                              0-0 
21.04.2012, 15.30    1. FC Nürnberg -    Hamburger SV                             (-:-)   
21.04.2012, 15.30    Hertha BSC Berlin -    1. FC Kaiserslautern               (-:-)   
21.04.2012, 15.30    1. FC Köln -    VfB Stuttgart                                       (-:-)   
21.04.2012, 15.30    1899 Hoffenheim -    Bayer Leverkusen                     (-:-)   
21.04.2012, 15.30    Werder Bremen -    Bayern München                          (-:-)   
21.04.2012, 18.30    Borussia Dortmund -    Bor. Mönchengladbach          (-:-)   
22.04.2012, 15.30    FC Augsburg -    Schalke 04                                        (-:-)   
22.04.2012, 17.30    Hannover 96 -    SC Freiburg                                       (-:-)

Bundesliga Table
                                                    GP       W    D    L        GF/A        Pts
1Borussia Dortmund                    31      22    6    3         69:23          72
2Bayern München                        31      20   4     7         69:20          64
3Schalke 04                                  31     18   3   10          66:41          57
4Borussia Mönchengladbach       31     16   8     7          46:22          56
5VfB Stuttgart                               31     14   7   10         56:41          49
6Bayer Leverkusen                       31     12   9     9          47:41          45
7Hannover 96                               31     11  11    9           39:43         44
8Hoffenheim                                 31     10  11  10          38:40          42
9Werder Bremen                           31     11    9   11         44:50          42
10Wolfsburg                                 32      12   5   15         42:56          41
11FSV Mainz 05                           32        9  11 12          47:48          38
131. FC Nürnberg                         31      11   5   15         33:42          38
12SC Freiburg                               31        9    9  13         41:56          36
14Hamburger SV                           31        8  10  13         34:55          34
15FC Augsburg                             31         7  12  12         34:48          33
161. FC Köln                                  31         8    5  18        36:65          29
17Hertha BSC Berlin                      31         6  10  15        37:57         28
181. FC Kaiserslautern                  31         3   11  17        19:46          20

Bundesliga Matchday 16 - Schalke Wins in Berlin 2-1 in Friday Opener

Schalke 04 defeated the hosts in Berlin with two goals in the first half.   Despite a gallant effort by Hertha BSC Berlin, Schalke maintained the upper hand.  The match was a nailbiter throughout, but Schalke's offensive players managed to capture three points for Schalke and temporarily the second spot in the Bundesliga.

Berlin put the pressure on Schalke early in the first half, but Klaas-Jan Huntelaar put Schalke ahead in the 20th minute.  Holtby passed to Fuchs on the left side, who delivered a pass into the 16 meter area.  Hubnik extends the pass in front of the net where Huntelaar put it away for the 1:0 Schalke lead.  It was Huntelaar's 14th goal of the season, making him the leading scorer ahead of Mario Gomez.

Just five minutes later Berlin struck back, after a corner kick was executed by Raffael found its way into the five meter area, where Ramos climbed higher than Berlin's Papadopoulos and headed the ball into the net.  Tied at 1 after 25.

In the 44th minute Schalke moved into the lead for a second time.  Raul passed a ball to Pukki just inside the penalty area.  No hesitation by Pukki, who sinks a powerfull ball into the net just under the crossbar.  2-1 for Schalke after 44.



After about 15 minutes into the second half Schalke sat back and waited for counters, giving Berlin more room in the midfield.   Despite Berlin's effort, Schalke was never endangered in the second half.  A good effort by Berlin, but in the end it wasn't enough to overcome Schalke.


The win moves Schalke into second place momentarily one point ahead of Dortmund and Gladbach and and even  with FC Bayern.  Dortmund plays Kaiserslautern tomorrow, while Gladbach is hosted by FC Augsburg.  Munich plays Stuttgart on Sunday.


Berlin temporarily remains in ninth place with 19 points.

 Matchday 16

Matchday 16

09.12.11,20.30 Hertha BSC Berlin - Schalke 04 1-2
10.12.11,15.30 Werder Bremen - VfL Wolfsburg  4-1
10.12.11,15.30 FSV Mainz 05 - Hamburger SV 0-0
10.12.11,15.30 1. FC Nürnberg - 1899 Hoffenheim 0-2
10.12.11,15.30 1. FC Köln - SC Freiburg 4-0
10.12.11,15.30 FC Augsburg - Mönchengladbach  1-0
10.12.11,18.30 Hannover 96 - Bayer Leverkusen  0-0
11.12.11,15.30 Borussia Dortmund - Kaiserslautern  (-:-)
11.12.11,17.30 VfB Stuttgart - Bayern München  (-:-)


Bundelsiga Table Updated 02 December  2011 

                                                         GP      W   D   L   GF/GA    Pts

1    Bayern München                        15      10  1    4        38:9       31
2    Schalke 04                                  16    10    1    5        33-22     31
3    Borussia Dortmund                    15      9    3    3         30:10     30
4   Borussia Mönchengladbach       16      9    3   4          24:11     30
5    Werder Bremen                          16       9    2    5       30-26    29
6    Bayer Leverkusen                      16       7    5    4       22:19    26
7    VfB Stuttgart                              15       6    4   5        22:17     22
8    Hannover 96                               16       5    7    4       22:23     22
9    1899 Hoffenheim                        16       6    3    7       18:18    21
10    1. FC Köln                                 15       6    2    7       26:31    21
11    Hertha BSC Berlin                     15       4    7    4        22:23    19
12   Hamburger SV                           16       4    6    6       20:26    18
13   FSV Mainz 05                            15      4    5    6       21:28    17
14   VfL Wolfsburg                          16      5    2    9        22:34   17
15    1. FC Nürnberg                          16       4    3    9      14:28    15
16    1. FC Kaiserslautern                  15       3    5    7      11:19    14
17    FC Augsburg                              15       3    5    8      14:27    14
18    SC Freiburg                                16       3    4    9      20:35    13