On the second matchday of the Bundesliga, Timo Werner celebrates his return with a goal, but it’s not enough to win. Hertha BSC remains without a win in the third game under coach Sandro Schwarz, FC Augsburg is recovering impressively from a bad slap and TSG Hoffenheim is coming from a big deficit.
RB Leipzig – 1. FC Cologne 2: 2 (1: 1)
Despite a goal by Timo Werner on his comeback, cup winners RB Leipzig were not able to win their first win in the second Bundesliga game of the season. The Saxons had to settle for a performance-related 2:2 (1:1) against 1. FC Köln. Werner put RB ahead after 37 minutes. Florian Dietz (40th) equalized in front of 43,579 spectators before the break. Leipzig had to play the entire second half outnumbered after Dominik Szoboszlai (45.1) saw the red card for assaulting Florian Kainz, but nevertheless took the lead again through Christopher Nkunku (56.). Substitute Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol scored an own goal in the 72nd minute.
RB coach Domenico Tedesco ordered Werner into the starting XI just four days after his commitment. However, the 26-year-old still noticed that he lacked the connection to his team-mates and a good portion of match practice. Nevertheless, he immediately enriched the RB game with his speed. Werner’s comeback was over after 67 minutes, André Silva came in for him.
The Cologne didn’t hide and offered the Saxons defy. They initially had problems with the offensive style of play before they got going. In the 9th minute they supposedly took the lead through Dani Olmo, but in the Cologne basement a handball by David Raum in front of the goal was noticed. The hit didn’t count. Nkunku, who was named Germany’s footballer of the year before the game, was also not allowed to celebrate after putting the ball in the box. He was clearly offside when played.
After the lead that Werner had achieved with the help of Cologne keeper Marvin Schwäbe, Nkunku should have scored the second goal. But this time, Schwäbe reacted brilliantly and initiated the equalizer. The ball came to Kainz via Dejan Ljubicic, who played low to the far post, where the hapless Hugo Novoa slipped past and Dietz only had to put his foot down. It was a deserved goal after both teams had neutralized each other for long stretches by then. Immediately before the break, referee Benjamin Brand was the center of attention again. After Kainz Szoboszlai had saved, the Hungarian pulled away with his arm outstretched and hit Cologne’s neck. The dismissal was a discretionary decision.
Tedesco reacted to the sending off, bringing on two defensive players in Gvardiol and Kevin Kampl for Marcel Halstenberg and Novoa. The Cologne team took over the initiative with one man more and promptly ran into an RB counterattack. Olmo served Nkunku, who shook off his pursuers and expertly shot in. After that, the guests became even more dominant. Again and again they combined in and into the Leipzig penalty area, but did not find the decisive gap. So a standard had to help. Gvardiol unhappily sent a Kainz corner into his own goal. Even after that, FC was closer to the third goal, but it didn’t work anymore.
Hertha BSC – Eintracht Frankfurt 1: 1 (1: 0)
Again no victory, but a point each for troubled football souls: Hertha BSC and Eintracht Frankfurt averted the complete false start with a 1:1 (1:0). But there is a hint of disappointment on both sides about a missed threesome. Suat Serdar gave the Berliners the lead in the third minute on Saturday in front of 44,694 spectators in the Olympic Stadium. Daichi Kamada (48th) saved the Europa League winner from another setback after the 6-1 win against FC Bayern and the 2-0 loss against Real Madrid three days ago in the UEFA Supercup.
The emotional highlight was a tricky penalty decision. Referee Frank Willenborg gave Frankfurt a penalty two minutes before the end because Hertha goalkeeper Oliver Christensen allegedly fouled Eintracht striker Rafael Borré – but after studying the video, he revised his verdict.
The trainers Sandro Schwarz at his home premiere and Oliver Glasner both relied on new offensive forces. Chidera Ejuke and the massive Wilfried Kanga made their starting eleven debuts for the Berliners. Eintracht tried after the departure of Filip Kostic with a nine-man double lead, formed by Randal Kolo Muani and Lucas Alario. Mario Götze returned to the starting line-up after losing to Real Madrid in the UEFA Supercup.
The Hertha concept worked better at first. Serdar used a chain of mistakes from Kamada to Ansgar Knauff with a header for an early lead. After the recent disappointments caused by the cup defeat in Braunschweig (5: 6 on pens) and the derby defeat against Union Berlin (1: 3), the surprisingly good atmosphere in the east curve, in which the Berlin fans celebrated 130 years of Hertha with a mega choreography celebrating history continued to rise.
There could soon have been reason to celebrate again. Evan Ndicka (15th) cleared after a cross from Maximilian Mittelstädt in dire need. Kanga (23rd) got a free shot after a quick attack and should have increased.
Eintracht had little to offer and did not appear harmonious in the 3-3-2-2 system. Alario (7th) had a quick chance to equalize, but missed quite sloppily. The offside flagged by the assistant would not have stood up to video review. Kamada’s shot (41st) after a deflected cross from the largely ineffective Götze went over the goal.
Eintracht found their way back into the game with help from Berlin. A blatant mistake by Filip Uremovic led to a counterattack via Kolo Muani and the ready Kamada. Now the Hessians played more directly. Kolo Muani (55th) shot just wide. However, Hertha did not collapse in the end, as was the case with similar games. Both teams believed in their chances of winning and had many chances. Dodi Lukebakio (59th/61st), Stevan Jovetic (72nd) and Suat Serdar (83rd) as well as Kamada (63rd) and Kolo Muani (64th) awarded. The referee no longer gave the guests the chance to take a penalty.
TSG Hoffenheim – VfL Bochum 3:2 (2:2)
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim ended their winless streak when new coach André Breitenreiter made his home debut. The Kraichgauer came to a late 3:2 (2:2) against VfL Bochum. Substitute Munas Dabbur headed the winning goal in the 88th minute. Andrej Kramaric had previously failed in front of 17,005 spectators in the Sinsheimer Stadion with a penalty kick on guest keeper Manuel Riemann (59th).
Simon Zoller put the guests ahead with a double strike (10th/13th). After Christoph Baumgartner’s goal (15′), Ozan Kabak (22′) equalized in the wild early stages. In the end there was the first success for Hoffenheim with the inconspicuous newcomer Angelino after ten winless games across the season. The last time Hoffenheim won was on March 6th, 1-0 in Cologne, at that time still under head coach Sebastian Hoeneß. At the start of the season a week ago they lost 3-1 in Mönchengladbach, while Bochum lost to Mainz.
Bochum noticed right after the first scan that the newly formed TSG defense around Kevin Vogt still had to find itself. At 1-0, when Philipp Hofmann put the ball on his head, Stanley Nsoki didn’t switch quickly enough. And when Zoller hit the target for the second time, Kabak looked bad. It went on just as wildly. The goal was preceded by a one-two from Kramaric and Robert Skov. Bochum’s keeper Riemann was only able to fend off the shot from the Croatian vice world champion and Baumgartner scored.
Former Schalke Kabak then suddenly shone on the offensive: the new signing from Norwich City headed in a corner from Dennis Geiger almost unchallenged to make it 2-2. From then on, Hoffenheim dominated the game. As in the previous season, Kramaric was not very accurate and just managed a shot from a promising position shortly before the break.
Shortly after the break, Hoffenheim’s defense chief Vogt had to leave the pitch after a collision with Zoller. As TSG tried to attack, Baumgartner got a penalty against Anthony Losilla – but Riemann parried Kramaric’s shot from the spot. When the TSG pros ran up more and more desperately, Dabbur redeemed his team.
Bayer Leverkusen – FC Augsburg 1: 2 (1: 1)
Bayer Leverkusen is already in a small crisis after the 2nd matchday. After the 1: 2 (1: 1) against the previous favorite opponent FC Augsburg, last year’s third place has no point in the account after two games. In addition, there is the embarrassing cup-off at the third division club SV Elversberg.
The Augsburgers, on the other hand, redeemed themselves with the very first win in the 23rd game against Bayer for the 0:4 defeat against Freiburg. Never in the history of the Bundesliga had a club had to wait longer to win against a rival. The new coach Enrico Maaßen, on the other hand, was able to celebrate his first surprise coup after his second Bundesliga game.
And he played a big part himself: Maassen initially had a good hand with the use of Fredrik Jensen. The Finn was in the starting eleven for the first time since December and scored his first Bundesliga goal since December 2019 to take the lead (15th). Maassen had brought him for André Hahn of all people. He then brought the birthday child in the 65th minute and the 32-year-old since Saturday actually scored the winning goal (82nd).
Bayer initially had no real structure in the game in front of 22,903 spectators. The Augsburgers not only held up well, but also had the first chance through Mads Pedersen from an acute angle (9th). They had the second one too, and they used it when Jensen made a nice combination.
After half an hour, the hosts increased their pressure and then scored their first goal of the season at half-time when Aranguiz found an unstoppable shot from the box line after Adam Hlozek’s shot was blocked. In stoppage time, Sardar Azmoun had a huge chance to take the lead, but headed wide by a few centimetres.
After the break, Bayer increased the pressure. The FCA keeper Rafal Gikiewicz, who was recently criticized, became an outstanding man and saved with strong saves against Moussa Diaby (60th/73rd) and Azmoun (61st). Bayer coach Gerardo Seoane then made three changes (62nd), including Amine Adli, who made a comeback after almost half a year. Three minutes later, Maassen also made three changes – and brought Hahn, among other things. FCA were lucky when referee Benjamin Cortus disallowed a goal from Aranguiz because of a slight push (70′).
The Swabians had to worry about the winning goal for a while. The team of referees initially ruled offside, but Florian Niederlechner was not in sight of Hradecky’s substitute Andrej Lunew. According to video evidence, the goal counted.
SV Werder Bremen – VfB Stuttgart 2: 2 (1: 1)
New signing Oliver Burke saved Werder Bremen from a home defeat with a goal in added time. The striker scored in the 95th minute to make it 2-2 (1-1) against VfB Stuttgart. Previously it had looked as if the promoted team would learn the hard way in the first home game after returning to the Bundesliga. Coach Ole Werner’s team took the lead in the fourth minute through Niclas Füllkrug. Wataru Endo (38th) and Silas (77th) turned the game around for the guests, who had already impressed in the 1-1 draw against RB Leipzig. Until Burke struck.
As on the first matchday in Wolfsburg, Werder started well and put pressure on from the start. In the fourth minute, the Bremen fans were able to celebrate for the first time in their first home game since May 2021. After a cross from Anthony Jung, Füllkrug headed the ball into the VfB goal. It was the second goal of the young season for the Bremen striker.
The Stuttgarters were impressed by Bremen’s initial swing. The Swabians were lucky that they weren’t too far behind early on. But Marvin Ducksch (8th) and Füllkrug, who only hit the crossbar (9th), missed possible further goals from Bremen. VfB was only able to break free after half an hour. The hosts lost access in central midfield, which Endo used to equalize with a wonderful long-range shot.
Even after the change of sides, Werder couldn’t find the momentum they had in the early stages. Füllkrug and Ducksch, the successful duo from the strong second division season, could hardly put themselves in the limelight and were clearly shown the difference between the second and first divisions.
But the Swabians, who only escaped relegation in the final seconds of last season, initially hardly came up with any dangerous scenes in the second 45 minutes. Tiago Tomas failed in the 55th minute at the good Werder keeper Jiri Pavlenka – that was it for the guests. Until the 77th minute. Then VfB took advantage of a serious mistake made by Bremen’s defender Milos Veljkovic to take the lead. Silas kept his nerves in front of Pavlenka and thoughtfully pushed in.
Shortly afterwards, the VfB attacker could have made everything clear, but this time failed due to Pavlenka. So Bremen stayed in the game until the end and were rewarded for their effort by Burke.
