Bayer had recently shown unexpected talent in wasting leads, Holstein Kiel had stolen a point in a 2-2 draw after a 2-0 draw in Leverkusen. However, against Frankfurt, who are more likely to be promoted Kiel, coach Xabi Alonso’s team turned things around – or better: the game. Leverkusen was 1-0 down this time – and then hit back twice and won this Bundesliga game.
The first half offered two curiosities from the “VAR nonsense” department. Referee Felix Brych, one of the most experienced in the league, decided on a penalty twice on the advice of the video referee, and in each case it was at least doubtful: In the fifth minute, Leverkusen attacker Victor Boniface made his way into the penalty area and passed it back to Alejandro Grimaldo, whose blocked shot was attempted by Dina Ebimbe tried to clear, but in doing so – without seeing him – he hit Leverkusen’s Amine Adli in the back of the heel. A few minutes later, Boniface took the penalty as an opportunity to push the ball flat into the arms of Eintracht goalkeeper Kevin Trapp. After a quarter of an hour, the second critical scene came: In a duel with national player Robert Andrich, Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush fell on the left corner of the penalty area. Brych subsequently checked the scene on video – apparently with the realization that Andrich had knocked away the Egyptian’s leg as a punishment. The person who was fouled took this penalty himself – and scored powerfully to make it 1-0 (16th).
Leverkusen didn’t take long to recover. And curiously enough, it was Andrich again who took responsibility, which in football specifically means: he scored a goal. After a one-two with Adli in the penalty area, Andrich got the ball back before he beautifully completed the next one-two with Martin Terrier with a ball to make it 1-0 (25th). Afterwards, the game became increasingly flat, and the video evidence in the Cologne basement no longer wanted to provide any additional tension or suspense – and so in the end it was left to Boniface to set the last countable highlight: after a deflected shot by national player Florian Wirtz (the was able to play from the 64th minute despite the DFB injury), the Nigerian sank the ball into the Frankfurt goal for the 2-1 winning goal (72nd).
There was excitement again shortly before the end. Because Lukas Hradecky had an unfortunate shot at his own man, Hugo Ekitiké suddenly had a header chance in front of the empty goal. But as he jumped, Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah pushed him slightly and the defender landed his foot on the striker who was lying on the ground. Brych’s whistle remained silent and the VAR did not respond this time either. “Of course we say, you can do it, you almost have to whistle it,” said Trapp after the game.
FSV Mainz 05 – RB Leipzig 0:2 (0:2), Tore: 0:1 Xavi Simons (20.), 0:2 Willi Orban (37.)
In Mainz they have been quite happy with this season so far: a place in the so-called “secure midfield” of the league, striker Jonny Burkardt suddenly becomes a national player and finally football again that feels like a spectacle. The question is: spectacle for whom? Because this time the FSV was faced with a problem that had recently become apparent despite all their offensive enthusiasm: Mainz were having a problem at the back – against Leipzig the official guards Dominik Kohr and Andreas Hanche-Olsen were still missing.
As a result, there were gaps the size of a fruit field within sight of the Lerchenberg. Xavi Simons ran into this, his run after Amadou Haidara’s through ball made it 0-1, before a long cross from the Dutchman also made it 0-2. Lois Openda’s volley allowed FSV keeper Robin Zentner to high-five, allowing Willi Orban to score a sparkling clean goal. Clear thing overall, despite a few Mainz opportunities. Especially because RB, the temporary league leader, celebrated a kind of efficiency in this autumn kick that the Rheinhessen simply lacks.
Borussia Mönchengladbach – 1. FC Heidenheim 3:2 (1:1), Goals: 0:1 Leonardo Scienza (12th), 1:1 Ko Itakura (22nd), 2:1 and 3:1 Tim Kleindienst (62nd and 75th, penalty kick), 3:2 Marvin Pieringer (80th, hand penalty)
Footballer Tim Kleindienst contributed 25 goals and seven assists to 1. FC Heidenheim’s promotion to the Bundesliga in the season before last. And because Heidenheim didn’t want to give him up, he entered the lists in the German football upper echelon with another twelve goals and five assists. He not only ensured that his club at the time stayed in the league, but also qualified for the European Conference League. And now? He scored twice again. However, for the first time against Heidenheim.
Kleindienst is now not only a national player, but also in the service of a new club Borussia Mönchengladbach. And for him he continues to score. Heidenheim took the lead in the first half at Borussiapark. Gladbach’s keeper Moritz Nicolas deflected a 20-meter shot from Jan Schöppner to the side and then didn’t look good when the follow-up Leonardo Scienza netted through his legs from a very tight angle (12th minute). Ten minutes later, Gladbach’s Itakura equalized after a wild commotion in the Heidenheim penalty area (22′). After the restart, the Kleindienst show began: In the 62nd minute he maneuvered a cross from Alassane Plea into the goal after a backheel trick to make it 2-1, before taking a penalty kick against his best man Kevin Müller hard into the right corner to make it 3-1 after a foul on Plea (75th). Kleindienst refrained from celebrating against his old club. He was rewarded, Marvin Pieringer’s 2-3 goal in the 80th minute came too late for Heidenheim.
SC Freiburg – FC Augsburg 3:1 (3:0), Goals: 1:0 Vincenzo Grifo (34th), 2:0 Philipp Lienhart (37th), 3:0 Christian Günter (45th+1), 3:1 Phillip Tietz (65th)
Is the sports club the secret top team this season? Although there is little secret in football, the table, which never lies, placed Freiburg almost at the top at the end of this match day. Against Augsburg it was once again perhaps the sharpest right foot in the Bundesliga: Vincenzo Grifo scored the opening goal himself and prepared the second with a precise corner at the near post (which at Bundesliga level you also have to defend better than Augsburg did). before. The fact that Christian Günter made it 3-0 before the break with one of his infamous long-range shots, which FC Bayern had to look after, rounded off a perfect quarter of an hour from Baden’s perspective. Beforehand it had looked more like a dull game than a resounding victory.
That Augsburg collapsed repeatedly away from home (they already went down 4-0 in Heidenheim)? Freiburg coach Julian Schuster can ignore it in good conscience. Apart from the game against St. Pauli, the start of the season couldn’t have gone better for Christian Streich’s successor. And Schuster can only deal with the fact that the schedule will be tougher for Freiburg from now on with away games in Leipzig, Berlin and Dortmund. First he can look happily at the table.
TSG Hoffenheim – VfL Bochum 3:1 (1:0), Tore: 1:0 Andrej Kramaric (11.), 2:0 Marius Bülter (64.), 2:1 Cristian Gamboa (76.), 3:1 Haris Tabakovic (90.+3)
No matter how great the chaos can be at TSG in Hoffenheim, in the end they have their two lifesavers: Oliver Baumann at the back, officially one of two interim national goalkeepers since Monday, and Andrej Kramaric at the front. This time too, the Croatian’s class was enough to pose too many problems for VfL Bochum. In addition to his goal after eleven minutes, he also hit the crossbar after a solo effort after 24 minutes and shortly before the break Bochum’s goalkeeper Patrick Drewes made a narrow save. Marius Bülter then scored the goal that his colleague missed.
The fact that Hoffenheim was divided at management level and therefore started the season more or less without a sufficient number of central defenders – midfielder Anton Stach once again played in the back three – took revenge in the second half against an improved VfL. First Christian Gamboa scored the next goal and then Kevin Akpoguma caused an avoidable penalty, as the saying goes. But then Hoffenheim’s second rescuer intervened: Baumann caught the – very weakly shot – penalty. The goalkeeper has saved more than half of the penalties against him in the past two seasons: a sensational rate.
By the way, there weren’t that many people in the stadium who witnessed this game: against Bochum, as has often been the case recently, there were lots and lots of plastic seats on TV.
