1. Spieltag, 8/9-14 (R)

[olafgb]

The topic for results, discussing and everything about the first matchday.

The season opener Dortmund vs Hertha starts in a quarter hour. The lineups:

DO: Lehmann - Fernandez, Metzelder, Evanilson - Heinrich, Frings, Kehl - Rosicky - Ewerthon, Koller, Addo

B: Kiraly - Zecke, Simunic, Friedrich, Schmidt - Goor, Dardai, Marcelinho, Marx - Preetz, Alves

Interesting stats before the game: which streak will be kept alive? Dortmund won the last nine home games vs Berlin - but Hertha's new coach Huub Stevens never ever lost vs Dortmund (10 games so far).

[olafgb]

What a start!!!

0-1 Goor (53 seconds)
1-1 Frings (4. Koller)


Btw, two Bundesliga debuts: Fernandez for Dortmund and Friedrich for Berlin. 50th BL game for Josip Simunic.

[Barca_Fan2003]

Game will end 3-2 in favor of Dortmund.

[olafgb]

HT 2-1 Dortmund, Ewerthon (36)

The game is best sumed up with the words of the announcer: "All forwards should enjoy this game today. From next week on they won't find any defender allowing them as much space as today."

Hertha was stronger in the first 25 minutes, but then Dortmund took absolute control of the game by attacking earlier. In the 25th the ref refused to give a pk for Dortmund after Simunic fouled Addo.

[RhinosBoy21]

85th minute. Hertha Berlin tie it on a Neuendorf goal.

2-2
Couple minutes left.

[olafgb]

FT 2-2 Zecke (85' Marcelinho)

Dortmund made pressure until the 70th, then they were run out of power. In the 72nd Alves scored a goal that wrongly was annulled because of offside. It took Hertha until the 85th when it was Zecke to score the equaliser. It seemed that Stevens outclassed Sammer tactically today.

[RhinosBoy21]

Actually just as i was posting it, the match ended. Its a 2-2 draw.

[olafgb]

Further info: Preetz gets the assist for the first, Evanilson for the third goal.
Substitutes: Oliseh for Ewerthon (73), Odonkor for Addo (89) - Pinto for Dardai (66)

Shots: 14-13
On goal: 6-5
Post/bar: 2-0 (one was in on the rebound)
Corners: 3-2
Fouls: 11-16
Yellow: 2-4

[BrianCappellieri]

Thanks, Olaf.

Bundesliga Report: Borussia And Hertha Split Honors In Season Opener

Defending champs Borussia Dortmund may rightfully feel somewhat aggrieved to have only taken a point from their season opener at home to Hertha Berlin, as a 2-2 was perhaps a little bit kind on the visiting capital club...
SoccerAge (http://www.soccerage.com/en/13/g4174.html)

Bundesliga: First Round Preview

Following the first scrumptious taste of action from the new German season on Saturday – that being a richly-entertaining 2-2 tie between Borussia Dortmund and Hertha Belin – the 2002/03 Bundesliga campaign is set to begin in earnest with ten teams in action on Saturday...
SoccerAge (http://www.soccerage.com/en/13/g4194.html)

[olafgb]

M'gladbach vs Bayern 0:0

Chances for both teams with Bayern being the luckier ones. A goal by Joris van Hout was wrongly anulled because of offside. van Hout was the only one giving his Bundesliga debut in this game.

Statistics: http://www.sportal.de/de/live/mc/BuLi1/000032.html


Schalke vs Wolfsburg 1-0

Schalke's emergency team tried to control the game and had numerous chances, but also Wolfsburg could have won the game. Bad luck for them that the referee didn't see an Asamoah foul in the box. BL debuts for Christian Poulsen (Schalke) and Kim Madsen (Wolfsburg). BL goal premier for Sven Vermant.

Stats: http://www.sportal.de/de/live/mc/BuLi1/000033.html


Stuttgart vs Kaiserslautern 1-1

Odd game, in which Stuttgart seemed stronger over 60 minutes, but then had problems to rescue the point. BL debuts for Tim Wiese, Torsten Reuter and Herve Nzelo Lembi (all Kaiserslautern); Stefan Malz (KL) had his 50th Bundesliga game

Stats: http://www.sportal.de/de/live/mc/BuLi1/000034.html


Nürnberg vs Bochum 1-3

Bochum started very strong and could have led much higher than 2-0 in the first half. With Ciric' goal Nürnberg found into the game, but absolutely right that they didn't get a point for this performance. Debuts: Milorad Popovic, Milan Belic and Michael Kügler for Nürnberg and Raymond Kalla for Bochum. Premier BL goal for Vahid Hashemian.

Stats: http://www.sportal.de/de/live/mc/BuLi1/000031.html


Cottbus vs Leverkusen 1-1

Justified result in a game with not many goal scenes. BL premiers for Zsolt Löw (Cottbus) as well as for Juan and Jan Simak, who also scored his first goal. Faruk Hujdurovic (CB) played his 50th BL game.

Stats: http://www.sportal.de/de/live/mc/BuLi1/000030.html

[Eisern Union]

observations:

Hertha will score a ton of goals and be great fun to watch, but wow is their defense bad.

Wolfsburg looked tougher than I thought (or was is Schalke struggling?).

Cottbus looked good, and how can you not root for them? Leverkusen didn't look good. I'll stir up a hornets nest and say that Donovan would have looked good playing instead of Schneider today. Simak could be the real deal.

Nürnberg, not a good start. That defense looked bad.

2. Bundesliga: could be a long season on the east side of Berlin.

[olafgb]

Originally posted by Eisern Union
observations:

Hertha will score a ton of goals and be great fun to watch, but wow is their defense bad.

Wolfsburg looked tougher than I thought (or was is Schalke struggling?).

Cottbus looked good, and how can you not root for them? Leverkusen didn't look good. I'll stir up a hornets nest and say that Donovan would have looked good playing instead of Schneider today. Simak could be the real deal.

Nürnberg, not a good start. That defense looked bad.

2. Bundesliga: could be a long season on the east side of Berlin.

Of course your observations are quite right, but don't forget that it was the first matchday.

Hertha's defence is not really bad, at least in the center with Simunic and Rehmer when healthy. Friedrich is a good prospect, but of course he still got to learn.

Wolfsburg can be better than yesterday, Schalke was struggling due to plenty of injuries. However, I don't expect Schalke to be as strong as in the last seasons.

Cottbus looked relatively good, they surely weren't better than Leverkusen yesterday (in relation to the expectations you're of course right). Cottbus is extremely strong at home, there'll be other top teams to leave points there. What was annoying with the media reports were the excuses for Dortmund and Bayern ("their national players aren't in top form as their training start was very late") and Leverkusen was presented as the fools who can't win in the east, though Leverkusen was worldwide the team with most players in the semifinals of the WC - and no team in the league allowed their national players more vacation than they did. With Bayern everyone said "Okay, Ballack didn't play good, but he's only had three training weeks". With Bayer say "Look at these jerks over there, they are going to fade this season" - all Bayer national players just had two training weeks.

[olafgb]

Sunday games:

Bielefeld vs Bremen 3-0
Hamburg vs Hannover 2-1


Team of the day (with correction possibility after the Wednesday game):

Kahn (Bayern) - Reinhardt (Bielefeld), Metzelder (Dortmund), Colding (Bochum) - Albertz (Hamburg), Rosicky (Dortmund), Kehl (Dortmund), Buckley (Bochum), Basler (Kaiserslautern) - Ciric (Nürnberg), Christiansen (Bochum)


Player of the day: Thomas Christiansen

[vflkirwan]

Hannover looks like a fun team to watch this year........ they were attacking from the get go...too bad they tried to sit back for the second half....

[olafgb]

As I'm just having it in front of me: the player with Bundesliga debuts from Sunday:

Bielefeld: Daniel Bogusz, Momo Diabang, Mathias Hain, Maciej Murawski, Massimiliano Porcello, Bastian Reinhardt and Fatmir Vata. Reinhardt and Porcello also scored their premier goal. Porcello, a 21 year old prospect, is especially remarkable as he scored goal and assisst though he just played 8 minutes.

Bremen: Pascal Borel, Angelos Charisteas.

Hamburg: Michael Baur, Richard Kitzbichler, Cristian Ledesma

Hannover: everyone except Daniel Stendel played his first Bundesliga game - consequently Dariusz Zuraw also scored his first goal.


Last result:

1860 Munich vs Hansa Rostock 0-2

Hansa owes large parts of the success to amateur player Marco Vorbeck. Almost all forwards were injured and so he played his first Bundesliga game and scored the lead in the first half. When Marcus Lantz added a second after about 65 minutes, the victory was secured. 1860's Marco Kurz was sent off (yellow-red) with two minutes left to play.

Debuts: 1860 - Rodrigo Costa. Harald Cerny played Bundesliga game no. 200.
Hansa - Godfried Aduobe, Rade Prica, Joakim Persson and the mentioned Marco Vorbeck.