Bundesliga: Union is the master of minimalism – sport

RB Leipzig – Union Berlin 1: 2 (1: 1), Goals: 1: 0 Benjamin Henrichs (24th), 1: 1 Janik Haberer (61st), 2: 1 Robin Knoche (72nd, hand penalty)

Union may not win the Bundesliga, but the Berliners have long been champions of minimalism. Substantial offensive actions are reduced to the bare minimum for the opponent and also for the Berliners themselves. Thanks to this tactic, they went into the match day as the first pursuers from Bayern. So RB Leipzig knew what kind of guest they had brought into their own room. The Leipzig test-tube club, which is on the upswing under coach Marco Rose, had refreshed the rules of conduct for the uncomfortable visit as a precaution.

In Union etiquette, unconditional readiness for a duel is just as important as brutal effectiveness in front of goal. The people of Leipzig happily used their bodies in the duels. And Benjamin Henrichs scored a goal, as the Unioners can also be expected to do: little chance of success – and the ball still goes in. His long-range shot into the corner meant the Leipzig lead.

Union (as always) didn’t have that many chances. But when a corner kick came about, the Berliners immediately used this divine gift. Janik Haberer volleyed a header extension into the Leipzig goal. Shortly thereafter, Mohamed Simakan made an earthly and yet incomprehensible gift: the RB defender went so clumsily to the ball in the penalty area with his arm that even the VAR must have shaken his head in disbelief. Robin Knoche scored to win. And Union is still Bayern’s first pursuer.

SC Freiburg – VfB Stuttgart 2: 1 (0: 1), Goals: 0: 1 Chris Führich (30th), 1: 1 Vincenzo Grifo (60th), 2: 1 Vincenzo Grifo (84th, both penalty kicks)

For a not insignificant Stuttgarter, this game day started pretty mangy. Goalkeeper Florian Müller was so sick just before the start of this derby that he was out for a short time. “We tried to isolate him from the rest of the team so no one would get infected,” said coach Bruno Labbadia. But then Müller sat on the bench next to his colleagues. His replacement was Fabian Bredlow, and the Freiburg team warmed him up. It was a vital kick between Swabians and Breisgauers, but the first goal was scored by a person from Castrop-Rauxel: Chris Führich took a run-up and thundered the ball into the Freiburg goal with a long-range shot.

Christian Streich couldn’t get upset about it on the bench, he served a suspension and was replaced by his assistant Lars Vossler. But that doesn’t knock the sports club out, rapid Freiburg attacks followed, and after Axel Zagadou fouled striker Michael Gregoritsch, VAR intervened. There was a penalty that Vincenzo Grifo took advantage of. Another VAR check showed that it really wasn’t Zagadou’s day: The VfB defender knocked Ritsu Doan down, there was another penalty, and Grifo, his eleventh goal of the season, thanked him again. So it was a mangy day for all of Stuttgart.

FSV Mainz 05 – FC Augsburg 3: 1 (2: 1), Gates: 1:0 Jae-Sung Lee (21st), 2-0 Karim Onisiwo (24th), Ermedin Demirovic (28th), 3-1 Jae-Sung Lee (51st)

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The game day when everyone is fit at FSV has yet to be invented. This time, captain Silvan Widmer was one of the ailing Mainzers, who watched as well as regular keeper Robin Zentner. Somehow, however, there were still eleven operational FSV professionals – even dressed in colorful carnival jerseys. The Augsburgers were obviously confused by this color scheme, because within three minutes they accomplished the feat of making almost all of football’s common mistakes at once: frivolous balls, no tackle, goalkeeper lapses – first the Korean Lee used it with a Kulltor, then Karim Onisiwo completed a header relay .

Speaking of a header: Shortly thereafter, Leandro Barreiro from Mainz got his hands on one at a corner, there were penalties, quite controversial – Ermedin Demirovic shortened. The fact that Mainz remained Mainz was again due to Lee, the dangerous Wuselmann of FSV: He put the ball in a duel with Robert Gumny with his shoulder and made it 3-1. For Mainz, it’s going up at the foolish time, for Augsburg in the muff of the relegation battle.

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim – Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1: 3 (0: 1), Gates: 0-1 Robert Andrich (6′), 0-2 Moussa Diaby (46′), 0-3 Adam Hlozek (56′), 1-3 Stanley Nsoki (77′)

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Miracles don’t exist in this business, coincidences do, but the rest is hard work. A coach like Pellegrino Matarazzo knows that after a few professional positions, and after the 1: 3 against Leverkusen on his debut in Sinsheim it is once again clear: a new start takes time.

Hoffenheim could have hoped for six minutes to end their ten-game winless streak before they were 1-0 down. A cross from Moussa Diaby landed at Leverkusen’s ball distributor Florian Wirtz, who cleverly staged Robert Andrich: The ball crashed into the right corner from 18 meters.

Matarazzo, who replaced André Breitenreiter as coach on Monday, took a lot of time to talk to the pros in the first few days; the former Stuttgarter knows Sinsheim from previous coaching activities, and he initially identified the defense as the biggest problem. Accordingly, he started defensively with a double six, Dennis Geiger and Thomas Delaney. The team had stabilized by the break, Matarazzo dared to go more offensive and brought on striker Dolberg for Geiger. Then the next setback, just 61 seconds after the restart: Leverkusen’s Frimpong played across the penalty area to Diaby, who overcame keeper Baumann. The 0:3 by Adam Hlozek followed a similar pattern shortly afterwards.

Hoffenheim was only rewarded for his efforts in the 77th minute: Andrej Kramaric found Stanley Nsoki in the penalty area, who then needed two attempts before he finally scored from six meters. A defeat to start: The work in Hoffenheim is just beginning for Matarazzo.