SV Werder Bremen

6th Bundesliga matchday

©IMAGO

Borussia Dortmund were unable to carry the momentum from the magical Champions League night and suffered a bitter setback in the Bundesliga. Four days after the euphoric 7:1 against Celtic Glasgow, BVB lost 1:2 (0:2) at 1. FC Union Berlin and fell behind the capital club in the table. The Berliners, on the other hand, celebrated their third win in their third home game and gave Bo Svensson his first win as coach against Borussia. Dortmund also remained winless in their third away game this Bundesliga season.

Kevin Vogt (26’/foul penalty) and Yorbe Vertessen (45′) scored in the first half to give Köpenick a deserved lead. Vogt, for whom it was his first Bundesliga goal in ten years, ended the longest goalless streak by an outfield player in Bundesliga history. Former Unioner Julian Ryerson (65th) scored the only goal for the guests.

The 22,012 spectators in the sold-out An der Alten Försterei stadium saw an unusually courageous, offensive performance from the hosts. It wasn’t a big surprise that Dortmund had the second-best defense in the league. However, very few people would have believed that the Berliners had more of a goal threat than BVB. Coach Nuri Sahin sent almost the identical team onto the field that had dismantled Glasgow during the week. Maximilian Beier only moved into the starting line-up to replace the injured three-goal scorer Adeyemi. The new signing from Hoffenheim remained largely inconspicuous apart from two shots on goal in the second half.

The Black and Yellows looked particularly bad on counterattacks. When a long ball landed at Hollerbach, ex-Union player Nico Schlotterbeck could only stop his opponent with his leg. Vogt took a penalty for the first time in his 341st Bundesliga game and scored his fourth Bundesliga goal, his first in a Unioner jersey. Vogt last scored on October 18, 2014, back then for 1. FC Köln and also against BVB. Anyone who thought that the deficit would wake up the guests was wrong. Union pressed for the next goal. After a few headers, a corner finally landed at Vertessen, who shot the ball powerfully into the bottom corner. Kobel, whose vision was obscured, was powerless.

After the break, Union retreated deep into their own half and tried to manage their lead. However, the defense was no longer as compact as in the first half and BVB found more and more loopholes. Full-back Ryerson, who extended his contract in Dortmund until 2028 during the week, scored the goal from around 15 meters in his old employer’s stadium.

The capital city club no longer showed the courageous offensive football from the initial phase. But the red and whites continued to have their chances. However, Vertessen (54th) and Tim Skarke (73rd) failed because of Kobel. In the final phase almost only the guests played. Union barely got a breather, but fought back with the last of their strength and saved the victory over time.

Holstein Kiel annoys champions Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen surprisingly missed the connection to the top of the table despite being in the lead. In coach Xabi Alonso’s 100th competitive game with Bayer, the champions couldn’t get past a 2-2 (2-1) draw against newly promoted Holstein Kiel. Instead of moving close to leaders FC Bayern, the Munich team could further distance themselves from the defending champions on Sunday (5.30 p.m./DAZN) with a win at Eintracht Frankfurt.

After an overwhelming dominance in the opening stages, Victor Boniface (4th) and Jonas Hofmann (8th) scored for the Werkself, but the team surprisingly faded shortly before half-time. First Max Geschwill (45th + 5th) ensured the connection, then Fiete Arp (69th / penalty kick) equalized for the newcomer, who was still winless in the Bundesliga. Nevertheless, the newcomer celebrated the draw as if it were a victory.

If one could blame the Leverkusen team, it would be that they mysteriously collapsed shortly before the break. The master initially controlled events from the start. The newcomer, on the other hand, just ran after the ball almost the entire time. And so it happened as it had to happen. After just four minutes, the ball landed via Exequiel Palacios at Boniface, who made it 1-0 from a tight angle. On his 26th birthday, the Argentinian world champion also scored the second goal when he saw Hofmann on the half-right, who shot low into the far corner. Leverkusen had 13 shots in the first half – more than any other team this season.

Hofmann, Palacios and Robert Andrich were the only new players in Bayer’s starting XI compared to the 1-0 Champions League win against AC Milan during the week. As the central man in the three-man chain, Andrich ensured what his coach had previously demanded: not to act stupidly, to show mentality – not only against Bayern or Milan, but also against the promoted team, which was still without a win.

But immediately before the break, Bayer suddenly let up. First Shuto Machino had a good shot chance (45th + 3). And then the ball was suddenly in the Leverkusen goal when Geschwill pushed the ball in with his shoulder after a corner. So out of nowhere, exactly what Alonso had warned about happened. That’s another reason why the Basque stomped quickly into the cabin with a serious expression. But what he said to his team during the break didn’t have the desired effect. Kiel now acted much more confidently defensively and was waiting for a counterattack. And the guests annoyed the defending champions even more. After a foul by Jeremie Frimpong there was a penalty, which substitute Arp safely converted. Leverkusen then pushed for a late victory – but was unsuccessful.

VfL Bochum also loses against VfL Wolfsburg

With their second away win of the season, VfL Wolfsburg has further exacerbated the concerns of relegation candidate VfL Bochum. The Lower Saxony team won 3:1 (2:0) against the new bottom team in the table. In Bochum, winless coach Peter Zeidler is already threatened with elimination after just four months and six games with just one point.

Tiago Tomas (21st minute) and Jonas Wind (37th and 88th) ensured success for the ambitious Wolfsburg team with their goals. This ended a series of four games without a win, in which coach Ralph Hasenhüttl’s team certainly managed to impress against opponents such as FC Bayern, double winner Bayer Leverkusen and runner-up VfB Stuttgart.

Werder Bremen is defeated by SC Freiburg

Werder Bremen still has to wait for their first home goal of the season. The Green-Whites lost 0-1 (0-0) against SC Freiburg and showed a disappointing performance. With their second away win in a row, the Breisgauers rehabilitated themselves from the 3-0 defeat against FC St. Pauli a week ago and secured themselves at the top of the Bundesliga.

In a game without any major highlights, Ritsu Doan scored Freiburg’s winning goal in the 75th minute. The Japanese’s shot was deflected by Werder captain Marco Friedl past Bremen goalkeeper Michael Zetterer. FC Bayern will play in the top game against pursuers Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday (5.30 p.m./DAZN). On Saturday evening (8.30 p.m./Sky) FC St. Pauli welcomes 1. FSV Mainz 05.