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  • Monday 14 September 2009

    Hamburg remain in control: Bundesliga reviews

    Nurnberg 1-0 Monchengladbach
    Wolfsburg 2-3 Leverkusen
    Mainz 2-1 Hertha
    Hoffenheim 3-0 Bochum
    Freiburg 0-2 Eintracht
    Dortmund 1-5 Bayern
    Hamburg 3-1 Stuttgart
    Bremen 0-0 Hannover
    Cologne 1-2 Schalke

    The worst thing Dortmund could have done at home to Bayern was score early. And that's what Mats Hummel did, heading a well-weighted free kick through Hans-Jorg Butt's legs. Revenge did not come quickly, but when it did it was ruthless. Mario Gomez headed in an equaliser, Ivica Olic flicking on Bastian Schweinsteiger's free-kick before a second half dominated by the Bavarians. Schweinsteiger put them in front before another free-kick, this time from Franck Ribéry put them ahead. Pick that out. 20-year old Thomas Muller added a late double in his first start for the first team. The first came after some more Ribéry magic and Dortmund's inability to clear, the second an absolute screamer again involving that man Ribéry.

    Wolfsburg almost completed a remarkable comeback at home to Leverkusen before succumbing to defeat. Diego Benaglio was sent off after 32 minutes and Simon Rolfes put Leverkusen ahead six minutes later. Rolfes added a penalty early in the second half and Stefan Kiessling made it three six minutes later. Between the second and third goals, Leverkusen were reduced to ten themselves, Eren Derdiyok seeing red and Armin Veh reacted by bringing on Edin Dzeko, left out of the starting eleven with the Champions League campaign starting in midweek. Zvjezdan Misimovic fired in a sumptuous free kick before Dzeko won a penalty which Grafite dispatched with customary ease. The champions couldn't engineer an equaliser and go down to their third straight loss.

    Wins for both the Frankfurt clubs sees them consolidate good starts. Mainz left it late to get past Hertha for whom Max Nicu scored five minutes after half time. Andreas Ivanschitz struck a penalty ten minutes from time and Aristide Bancé won it with five left. Eintracht eased past lowly Freiburg with Maik Franz and Alexander Meier the goalscorers. Nurnberg won their first game of the season at home to inconsistent Gladbach. Peer Kluge got the only goal just five minutes in. Cologne remain bottom despite Lukas Podolski finally getting a goal for them. It came in the sixth minute, but Cologne were already one down by then, Jefferson Farfan scoring in 100 seconds. Within the same time span after the half time break, Levan Kobiashvili gave Schalke the win. Bremen and Hannover couldn't muster a goal between them in a disappointing game.

    Hoffenheim are going in the right direction and got another win at home to Bochum. Demba Ba gave the Villagers an early lead with Chinedu Obasa and Marvin Compper finishing Bochum off. Hamburg remain top and Stuttgart were the latest to feel the pain which leaves them still languishing rather. Mladen Petric and Eljero Elia put the leaders in control, though Pavel Pogrebnyak pulled one back immediately after Elia's strike. Ze Roberto made it safe in stoppage time leaving his new side top of the pile in what looks a strung out table already.

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