Round 2 Review

Karlsruhe 1 – 2 Hannover 96

K: Franz (37)
H: Hanke (55) Balitsch (75)

Mike Hanke set up and scored a goal as Hannover turned over a deficit, which is something they were unable to do all of last year. In only their second win at Karlsruhe ever, the form of talisman Arnold Bruggink seemed to return as they controlled tempo and possession. However they were given a scare early when Maik Franz was pushed down, but got up, found space and finished a superb Hajnal cross.

Schalke 4 – 1 Dortmund

S: Bordon (11) Pander (31) Asamoah (59) Kuranyi (78)
D: Valdez (66)

It’s not often that a 4-1 loss can be said to flatter to deceive for the team on the losing end, but that was definitely the case of this massive derby match. Schalke dominated the play, possession (53%), shots (20-9) and shots on target (11-4) and even that doesn’t tell a comprehensive enough story about their domination of this match. Thomas Doll must already be feeling pressure, not for losing his first two games comprehensively, but for the fact that his back line is incapable of marking. England might have been wise to view this game and understand Christian Pander’s lethal ability from range.

Werder Bremen 0 – 4 Bayern Munich

BM: Ribéry (pen 31) Toni (51) Altintop (79) Ottl (87)

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Hertha Berlin 3 – 1 Stuttgart

H: Chahed (pen 51) Fathi (65) Okoronkwo (80)
S: Hitzlsperger (15)

Stuttgart was seriously missing striker Mario Gomez and playmaker Cacau for this game. They outshot HSB 20-12 but only 2 of those attempts were on target. Had those two been available their chances would have been better taken. As it was, it was the home side that made half of their dozen opportunities go on target. But they needed a bit of simulation to level the game after Hitzlsperger’s blast in the 15th minute. Lucio blatantly dove in the box after the break to earn a penalty that Chahed finished. Fathi, then, outjumped Stuttgart from a Lucio corner to break their backs and Okoronkwo finished the game on the counter. It’s a poor start to the season for last year’s champions.

Bielefeld 2 -2 Frankfurt

B: Kucera (68) Wichniarek (80)
F: Meier (87) Russ (89)

A forgettable first half was followed by a raucous second. Bielefeld scored in the 68th and 80th, running at Frankfurt’s right flank with Kucera and Wichniarek getting hold of solid crosses from Bohme and Eigler, respectively. They were looking to top the table, when with three minutes to go, Frankfurt scored twice via Meier and Russ. A sudden turn of events saw both teams through with four points on two played.

Hansa Rostock 1 – 2 Nurnberg

R: Orestes (63)
N: Galásek (16) Kluge (25)

Hansa showed susceptibility from long range as Galasek and Kluge scored from 35 and 20 yards each in a first half which Nurnberg thoroughly dominated. Vittek and Christeas could have put the game out of reach, but their inability to finish off Rostock led to a turn in fortunes. Hansa was able to take control of the game for a short time in the second half and scored their first of the season on a header by new centerback Orestes. But Nurnberg closed up the midfield and walked away with the victory.

Duisburg 1 – 3 Wolfsburg

D: Lavric (88)
W: Marcelinho (41) Madlung (52) Radu (72)

Marcelinho was the story of the match as he scored and set up the other two goals as Felix Magath won for the first time at the helm of the Wolves. While Duisburg had control for the early part of the first half, a poorly cleared ball led to a stunning goal by the Wolfsburg captain. After that they took the game to the visitors and scored on two plays orchestrated by Marcelinho: an in-swinger that Madlung got his head to and a beautifully times pass that Radu finished.

Hamburg 1 - 0 Bayer Leverkusen

HSV: van der Vaart (pen 64)

Hamburg dominated their opening home match of the season with Rafael van der Vaart not letting his desire to go to Valencia get in the way of his duties as captain. While he did slot home a penalty in the 64^th minute for the only goal of the match, he was the most dominating presence on the pitch for the entirety of the match. Had it not been for the woodwork and the work of Leverkusen keeper Rene Adler, the final tally could have been much greater. Hamburg keep pace with Bayern Munich, while Leverkusen head to round three as the only team in the Bundesliga not to score.

Energie Cottbus 1 – 2 Bochum

C: Skela (49)
B: Bechmann (14, 42)

Well the good new for Cottbus was that they did manage to score: a long range blast from Ervin Skela. The bad news is that they lost again. It was Danish hitman Tommy Bechman, who now leads the Bundesliga in scoring, with his second and third of the season to get Bochum four points.