A short sprint into the free space, a deliberate shot past the Mainz goalkeeper and then the cheers in the face of template provider Jude Bellingham – this is how Erling Haaland celebrated his successful return to the field after a week-long injury break. The Norwegian made a decisive contribution to the 3-1 (1-0) home win of BVB with a converted hand penalty (54th minute) and a successfully completed counterattack (90th + 4), which made the black and yellow at least temporarily lead the table in the Bundesliga took over.
“We are extremely grateful that Erling can play again,” said BVB captain Marco Reus, who had put Dortmund in the lead with a remarkable long-range shot in front of 63,812 spectators (3rd). “His simple presence is extremely important to us, as he keeps several players close at all times. Scoring two more goals on his comeback is great – that’s what we signed him for.” The Mainz team came through Jonathan Burkardt to the interim goal (87th), but the three points remained in Dortmund. BVB now has 18 points on the account. The two leading teams after the 7th matchday, Leverkusen and league leaders FC Bayern, who both have 16 points, will only meet in a direct duel on Sunday.
Gladbach and Stuttgart share points
With a win, the connection to the upper third of the table would have been established – that was true for both teams, but in the end neither Borussia Mönchengladbach nor VfB Stuttgart made the longed-for three. The Saturday night game of the 8th matchday ended 1: 1 (1: 1).
Konstantinos Mavropanos takes the measure and hits the ball from over 20 meters away into the lower left corner of the goal
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After the Stuttgart defensive player Konstantinos Mavropanos had put the guests in the lead with a placed long-range shot (15th), Jonas Hofmann scored a similarly impressive volley shot (42nd). But there were no more goals after the break – and both clubs are stuck in the middle of the table for the time being. “We made an extreme effort, especially in the first half,” said Gladbach’s captain Lars Stindl. “It’s a shame we didn’t get rewarded.”
Frankfurt fails against Hertha
Before the international break, Eintracht Frankfurt celebrated the victory against FC Bayern, thanks mainly to goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, this time Frankfurt had to be annoyed by a 1: 2 (0: 1) home defeat against Hertha BSC. Twice the Eintracht defense could not clear a cross from the left, Marco Richter (7th) and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp (62nd), who had been substituted just seconds earlier, took advantage of this. Goncalo Paciencia scored for Frankfurt with a penalty kick (78th).
For the former Frankfurt sports director and current sports director of Hertha, Fredi Bobic, it was a successful return. Eintracht, on the other hand, are still waiting for their first home win of the season and also ended a series of 22 unbeaten games on their own pitch. “We are all very disappointed. The first half in particular was nothing of what we had planned,” said Eintracht coach Oliver Glasner. “We are all to blame for this defeat. Hertha is a fully deserved winner.”
Union with third victory in a row
There was also jubilation at the other Berlin Bundesliga club: 1. FC Union defeated VfL Wolfsburg 2-0 (0-0). Union striker Taiwo Awoniyi successfully completed a counterattack shortly after the break (49th). Sheraldo Becker headed a wide cross into the penalty area in the final phase (83rd). For Union it was the third Bundesliga win in a row, Wolfsburg, on the other hand, has been waiting for a win for four games.
Thanks to the football god? Taiwo Awoniyi (left) celebrates the opening goal against Wolfsburg
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The spectators saw only a few goal scenes in the duel between the two promoted Greuther Fürth and VfL Bochum, which ended 0: 1 (0: 0). Shortly before the final whistle, a standard situation brought the only goal of the game: Bochum’s Anthony Losilla hit a free-kick cross from close range with a head (80th).
Freiburg saves a point
With sadness and tears in their eyes, the Freiburg team said goodbye to the Dreisamstadion three weeks ago – now the debut in the new venue was at least partially successful. In the 1: 1 (0: 1) against RB Leipzig, Emil Forsberg scored the first goal of the game (32nd) with Emil Forsberg, but the Freiburg team came back strong and fought for at least one point. The South Korean Woo-Yeong Jeong scored 1-1 and entered the club’s history books as the first goalscorer of the sports club in the new, modern “Europa-Park Stadium”.
Baumgart: “Get your ass full”
At the start of the 8th matchday, 1. FC Köln got under the wheels on Friday evening at TSG Hoffenheim with 0: 5 (0: 1). It was the first defeat after five unbeaten league games for Cologne. “We got our asses off”, analyzed FC coach Steffen Baumgart and announced: “That won’t be checked off quickly. Because these are the games that you can learn a lot from. We have to draw the right conclusions from them.”
The 8th Bundesliga matchday in numbers:
Borussia Dortmund – FSV Mainz 05 3: 1 (1: 0)
Tore: 1: 0 Reus (3.), 2: 0 Haaland (54./Handelfmeter), 2: 1 Burkardt (87.), 3: 1 Haaland (90. + 4)
Eintracht Frankfurt – Hertha BSC 1: 2 (0: 1)
Tore: 0: 1 Richter (7.), 0: 2 Ekkelenkamp (62.), 1: 2 Patience (78./Foulelfmeter)
1. FC Union Berlin – VfL Wolfsburg 2-0 (0-0)
Tore: 1: 0 Awoniyi (49.), 2: 0 Becker (83.)
SC Freiburg – RB Leipzig 1:1 (0:1)
Tore: 0:1 Forsberg (32./Foulelfmeter), 1:1 Jeong (64.)
SpVgg Greuther Fürth – VfL Bochum 0: 1 (0: 0)
Tore: 0:1 Losilla (80.)
TSG Hoffenheim – 1. FC Cologne 5: 0 (1: 0)
Tore: 1: 0 Bebou (31st), 2: 0 Bebou (49th), 3: 0 Baumgartner (51st), 4: 0 Geiger (74th), 5: 0 Posch (87th)
Borussia Mönchengladbach – VfB Stuttgart 1: 1 (1: 1)
Tore: 0: 1 Mavropanos (15.), 1: 1 Hofmann (42.)
Sunday, October 17th 2021:
Bayer 04 Leverkusen – Bayern Munich (3:30 p.m.)
FC Augsburg – Arminia Bielefeld (5.30 p.m.)
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