Bayer 04 Leverkusen – Borussia Dortmund 3-4 (2-1), Goals: 1: 0 Wirtz (9th), 1: 1 Haaland (37th), 2: 1 Schick (45th + 1), 2: 2 Brandt (49th), 3: 2 Diaby (55th), 3: 3 Guerreiro (71.), 3: 4 Haaland (77., penalty kick)
It used to be – be careful, understatement – a respectable football game! Almost everything was offered: Seven beautiful goals, especially the Einszull by Florian Wirtz (done very cool), the Zweizwei by Julian Brandt (first taken with the heel, then into the short corner) and the Dreidrei by Raphael Guerreiro (free kick in the Winkel) were to be emphasized stylistically. In between there was a denied goal for BVB by Jude Bellingham, because of a small foul play by Mo Dahoud in the making (which was not easy to see). And a penalty: Leverkusen’s Odilon Kossounou hit Marco Reus with his hand in the face, Haaland safely converted the penalty. An eighth goal wasn’t scored, really disappointing.
Greuther Fürth – VfL Wolfsburg 0: 2 (0: 1), Goals: 0: 1 Nmecha (10th), 0: 2 Weghorst (90th + 1, penalty kick)
Wolfsburg’s Lukas Nmecha (right) scores the opening goal in Fürth.
(Photo: Tom Weller / dpa)
The leader of the table is also after the fourth match day: VfL Wolfsburg. Twelve points from four games, optimal yield. And it quickly became clear that the newcomer Greuther Fürth would not spoil this balance sheet. Lukas Nmecha scored for Wolfsburg after a mess in the penalty area, after which Fürth was far too harmless to seriously endanger Mark van Bommel’s team. Fürth only had the first big chance five minutes before the end, but VfL goalkeeper Koen Casteels parried strongly. Shortly before the end, Wout Weghorst made everything clear with a penalty.
SC Freiburg – 1. FC Cologne 1: 1 (0: 1), Goals: 0: 1 Anthony Modeste (33rd), 1: 1 Czichos (89th, own goal); Yellow-Red Kainz (Cologne, 74th)
Goal scorer Anthony Modeste and trainer Steffen Baumgart are happy.
(Photo: Christian Kaspar-Bartke / Getty Images)
Striker souls are sensitive, the former attacker Steffen Baumgart knows, and now there are increasing indications that as the new coach of 1. FC Köln he has made a masterly performance in terms of caring for strikers’ souls. Anthony Modeste, 33, had only scored four league goals in two years, was loaned out to Saint-Etienne and appeared to have passed his zenith. When he hit the lead in Cologne on Saturday after an outstandingly placed header when running backwards, he ran into Baumgart’s arms to cheer. It was Modest’s third goal of the season, which was not enough to win the third Cologne win of the season just because of a late own goal by Rafael Czichos, which FC almost saved over time even if they were outnumbered.
TSG Hoffenheim – FSV Mainz 05 0: 2 (0: 1), Goals: 0: 1 Burkardt (21st), 0: 2 Ingvartsen (77th)
One of the numerous allegations that Joachim Löw made towards the end of his time as national coach was that he was often found in the stands at SC Freiburg. The suspicion: That was the most comfortable for him. His successor Hansi Flick is rightly not blamed at all, but on Saturday he was in a game in Sinsheim near his home town of Bammental, which did not sound like a “must see” for a national coach. On the other hand: He not only saw the new international Hoffenheim player David Raum, but also how Jonathan Burkardt scored with a perfectly placed finish to the lead for the Mainz team. Burkardt, 21, is after all a German U21 national player. Marcus Ingvartsen from New Mainz, the 2-0 shooter, might be a suitable nine for the DFB, but is already playing for Denmark.
FC Union Berlin – FC Augsburg 0-0
On the way to becoming an apparently already established Bundesliga club, even represented in the European Cup, in just two years, Union Berlin also made use of Augsburg: goalkeeper Andreas Luthe, central defender Marvin Friedrich and defensive midfielder Rani Khedira, they all played against on Saturday their ex-club. It was not because of their areas of responsibility that Berlin did not get past a 0-0 draw against Augsburg. Nevertheless, the Berliners have long overtaken the FCA. Augsburg is still waiting for the first win of the season. Union is still unbeaten.