RB Leipzig – VfL Wolfsburg 1:5 (0:3), Goals: 0:1 and 0:3 Mohamed Amoura (4th, 16th), 0:2 Tiago Tomas (5th), 0:4 Joakim Maehle (64th), 1:4 Willi Orban (82nd), 1 :5 Kevin Behrens (91.)
“We know what the constellation is, what we can do and where we are not so good at the moment,” said RB coach Marco Rose on the Sky microphone shortly before kick-off – and then conceded three goals within 16 minutes, which almost made his statement made it seem absurd. Because there was no sign of skill at all among Rose’s battered men. Instead, the goals from Amoura (one after a combination via Wimmer and Baku, one from an acute angle with a low shot) and Tomas (deflected long-range attempt after a Geertruida error) revealed the pure insecurity at RB.
Wolfsburg’s offensive seemed almost surprised by all the fun, Leipzig played like an eleven that had hawked its skills in the autumn sales. Five bankruptcies in six games had recently put Rose’s job in serious jeopardy and this time too everything went wrong. It could have been 5-0, 6-0 or even 7-0, but VfL left a lot behind until they developed a passion for scoring goals again: The Dane Maehle completed a header in the penalty area to make it 4-0. Orban then scored the consolation goal before Behrens completed a counterattack to make it 5-1. A result that could have consequences – for Rose the constellation is now incredibly stupid.
1. FC Union Berlin – Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1:2 (1:1), Goals: 0:1 Jeremie Frimpong (2nd), 1:1 Woo-Yeong Jeong (29th), 1:2 Patrik Schick (71st)
When Florian Wirtz sits on the substitute bench, Bayer Leverkusen’s team looks more like a group of sheepheads waiting for their fourth player. Of course, you can also play Schafkopf with three people, with a short hand, but then you won’t really enjoy visiting the tavern. Or just a visit to Berlin in the Alte Försterei.
The Leverkusen kickers played hard for almost an hour on Saturday afternoon, and the score was 1-1 after goals from Bayer’s Jeremie Frimpong (2nd minute) and Berlin’s Woo-Yeong Jeong. Coach Xabi Alonso’s team kept the game going, but this infamous enthusiasm only emerged when the assistant referee raised the board in the 58th minute and flashed the “10”. And the man with this number on his back soon lit up the Leverkusen game.
Wirtz demanded the ball, pulling the whole team along, quick short balls instead of short sheets. And after a good ten minutes it was over for the “Irons”. Wirtz, with too much time and space, sent a delicate cross from the right halffield into the box – and receiver Patrik Schick only had to push the ball into the goal with his chest to make it 2-1 (71st). In the end, Bayer won this game too – and transformed the Alte Försterei into a pub.
SV Werder Bremen – VfB Stuttgart 2:2 (1:1), Goals: 1:0 Justin Njinmah (6th), 1:1 and 2:2 Ermedin Demirovic (20th, 84th), 2:1 Jens Stage (77th)
The Bremen man in the first half is from Hamburg. Justin Njinmah, born in the other Hanseatic city, has never even put on a HSV socks. He ended up at SV Werder via Kiel and Dortmund and was involved in three crucial actions against Stuttgart. There was the lead once, a header after a strong cross from Marvin Ducksch, who dynamically asserted himself on the wing and, for once, hit the ball in and didn’t head it in himself. There was the 29th minute when Harm Osmers whistled for a penalty after an apparent foul on Njinmah, but then rightly took it back because Stuttgart’s Anrie Chase barely touched the Bremen player’s foot. And just before the break, Njinmah hit the post with a well-aimed shot at the far corner.
VfB Stuttgart, plagued by double pressure, injuries and recently a 5-1 defeat in Belgrade, played well despite all the adversity, the 1-1 score at half-time was in line with how the game was going. But by the second half at the latest, the balance of power clearly tipped towards green-white, the statistics showed 10:2 shots on goal for the second half, when it was another cross from Ducksch that brought the success: Jens Stage converted a corner to make it 2: 1. A Stuttgart defeat would not have been undeserved, but Ermedin Demirovic came through robustly after a long ball from Angelo Stiller and lobbed the ball perfectly past Michael Zetterer. A textbook striker’s goal brings VfB a lucky point in the end.
SC Freiburg – Borussia Mönchengladbach 3:1 (1:0), Goals: 1:0 and 3:1 Lucas Höler (41st, 63rd), 2:0 Ritsu Doan (49th), 2:1 Tim Kleindienst (61st)
Uli Hoeneß already knew that the trend is “your friend”. But sometimes he is a false friend, like that day in South Baden. Freiburg, without a win in the league for four games, met Gladbach, unbeaten in five games. And experienced matchday tipsters know: every series ends at some point.
Lucas Höler, SC’s number two striker, came into the starting line-up for the suspended Junior Adamu and was named man of the match. He first took the lead shortly before the break, after Michael Gregoritsch had put himself in a strong position beforehand. Ritsu Doan increased shortly after the restart and thus destroyed Borussia’s good intentions. Tim Kleindienst, whose fan Miroslav Klose identified himself as in the SZ interview, scored the 1:2 with his head, but from the kick-off it was Höler again who scored the goal to make it 3:1 after a pass from Gregoritsch. The statistics of this game, possession, chances, shots on goal – everything is roughly balanced. The difference was made by Höler, who not only scored two goals, but also used his head to prevent a hard-hitting dropkick from Philipp Sander from crossing the goal line.
FC Augsburg – VfL Bochum 1:0 (1:0), Goal: 1-0 Phillip Tietz (38th, penalty kick)
Augsburg is actually traditionally Dieter Hecking country; the 60-year-old football coach only lost twice in 18 games as a coach against FCA. But in the games in question, Hecking wasn’t the coach of a club called VfL Bochum.
Even in the third game under Hecking, the Bochum team were denied their first win of this Bundesliga season. In the away game with the Swabians, after a brisk start, the Bochum team earned a foul penalty at the end of the first half, which Augsburg attacker Phillip Tietz safely converted (38th). From then on, the Hecking team really tried to score an equalizer, they probably gave it their best. But that’s usually not enough so far this Bundesliga season. So it remained 0-1 – and in the end Hecking probably didn’t care about the scratch in Augsburg’s nice statistics.
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