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Bundesliga wrap: Dortmund rally to beat Mainz, Bayern too good
25 September 2011
Borussia Dortmund returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga as a last-gasp Lukasz Piszczek strike handed them a 2-1 victory over Mainz.
Coming off a defeat to Hannover last weekend, defending champions Dortmund looked set for more misery at the Coface Arena when a defensive mix-up granted Nicolai Muller a shock opener for the hosts.
But Ivan Perisic leveled for the visitors midway through the second half, and with seconds of injury time remaining, Poland international Piszczek grabbed a late winner with a strike from distance.
League leaders Bayern Munich continued to set the pace as first-half goals from Thomas Mueller and Belgian defender Daniel van Buyten set up a 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena.
Arjen Robben capped the win with a third goal deep into second-half stoppage time.
The victory saw Jupp Heynckes' men maintain their two-point gap on top of the standings from Borussia Monchengladbach, who kept up their excellent start to the campaign with a 1-0 win over Nurnberg.
Filip Daems scored a 75th-minute winner for the hosts from the penalty spot.
Schalke got the better of Freiburg with a 4-2 triumph at the Veltins-Arena, as goals from Jefferson Farfan, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Raul and Lewis Holtby helped last season's Champions League semi-finalists end a three-game winless streak.
Hamburg began life after former manager Michael Oenning with a win as goals from Jeffrey Bruma and Robert Tesche cancelled out Martin Harnik's opener in the 2-1 defeat of Stuttgart.
Elsewhere on Saturday, an Ashkan Dejagah strike proved the difference in Wolfsburg's 1-0 win over Kaiserslautern, while lowly Augsburg played out a goalless draw with Hannover at the SGL Arena.
Bundesliga wrap: Pizarro at the double for Bremen, two in a row for Cologne 26 September 2011
Werder Bremen moved to second in the Bundesliga after a 2-1 win over a nine-man Hertha Berlin on Sunday.
In front of more than 40,000 fans at the Weserstadion, Thomas Schaaf's side were forced to come from behind to claim all three points.
Adrian Ramos put the visitors in front after just three minutes, although Claudio Pizarro produced a response 20 minutes later for Werder Bremen.
A feisty second half exploded into life when Hertha Berlin defender Christian Lell was given a second yellow card on 57 minutes and just six minutes later the visitors were reduced to nine men when Ramos was given his second yellow.
As a result, Werder Bremen piled the pressure on and although it took a while, they finally got their winner through Peruvian Claudio Pizarro who scored three minutes into stoppage time to complete a double.
In the other match of the day, Cologne won their second match in a row as they defeated fourth-placed Hoffenheim 2-0 in front of their fans at the Rhein-Energie Stadion.
Coming off a 4-1 away win at Leverkusen, Cologne entered the match in good spirits and striker Lukas Podolski laid on the assist for Mato Jajalo's 20th-minute opener, before the Cologne stalwart found the back of the net himself with 26 minutes remaining to effectively seal the result.
Schalke midfielder Lewis Holtby dedicated Saturday's 4-2 win over Freiburg to Ralf Rangnick, who resigned as the club's coach earlier in the week.
Rangnick left the club for health reasons on Thursday with Seppo Eichkorn taking temporary charge of the team for Saturday's Bundesliga match.
Heynckes shocked by Breno arrest
Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes admitted he and his squad were shocked to hear defender Breno had been arrested in connection with a fire at his home earlier this week.
Hamburg to take time over new coach Hamburg sporting director Frank Arnesen is adamant the club "have no defined timeframe" in their search for a new coach.
He has backed interim boss Rodolfo Cardoso to hold the fort successfully in the meantime.
Podolski credits fans for purple patch Cologne forward Lukas Podolski believes the club's fans have been key to his improved form.
Huub Stevens returns to Schalke job Schalke confirmed the appointment of Huub Stevens as their new coach on a deal until June 2013. Dutchman Stevens succeeds Ralf Rangnick, who resigned last week due to exhaustion syndrome.
"Leverkusen should look to Ballack" Former Bayer Leverkusen and Germany midfielder Bernd Schneider claims Michael Ballack is the man to guide his former club out of their current predicament.
Hitzfeld shows support for Rangnick Former Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has voiced his support for Ralf Rangnick after he resigned as Schalke coach due to exhaustion last week.
Former Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Stefan Effenberg believes Manchester City managerRoberto Mancini is right to throw Carlos Tevez out of his squad for refusing to come on as a substitute.
Effenberg, who captained Bayern to their last Champions League triumph in 2001, said theArgentina forward's behaviour was unacceptable and that he, like Mancini, would never consider the player again.
"That player would never play in the same club as me again - that goes without saying," he told Germany's Sky television, for whom he now works as a pundit.
"There is a clear order from the coach and he disregards it. That is poor behaviour and the club has got to come down hard on it."
According to Effenberg, Tevez will also now have problems finding another employer who would still be keen on him after the incident.
"Other clubs are going to have to consider whether they want to sign a player with such a character," he added. "I hope that they actually go through with what Mancini says and that he never plays for the club again."
Schalke 04 have appointed Dutchman Huub Stevens, who had coached the Bundesliga club from 1996 to 2002, to replace Ralf Rangnick after he stepped down last week citing exhaustion.
The 57-year-old Stevens, who led Schalke to the 1997 UEFA Cup victory and two German Cups in 2001 and 2002 as well as a second place in the Bundesliga in 2001, has signed a contract through June 2013.
He will train the team for the first time later on Tuesday.
Stevens, who holds the Schalke record for the longest coaching stint at five years and nine months, has also coached Cologne, Hamburg SV and Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga as well as Dutch side PSV Eindhoven and Austria's RB Salzburg.
Rangnick resigned suddenly last week after only six months in charge, saying he was suffering from exhaustion and needed a break.
Schalke, Hamburg eying Bayer's Adler Schalke and Hamburg are keeping an eye on Bayer Leverkusen custodian Rene Adler, in the event he does not sign a new contract.
According to reports in Kicker, the 26-year-old's future at the Bay Arena is in doubt, as his excessive demands have halted discussions over a new deal.
Schalke and Hamburg are both keen on the Germany international, who is currently having treatment for a knee problem that has kept him off the pitch this season.
This uncertainty has led to speculation about current first-choice goalkeeper, Bernd Leno, who is on loan from Stuttgart.
The 19-year-old has affirmed that he wishes to return to his parent club, though Stuttgart's sporting director Fredi Bobic is not so certain.
"The contractual situation is clear, but we expect Bayer Leverkusen to talk with us in November or December," Bobic told Kicker.
"We must always see what is the most sensible outcome for all concerned, for the clubs and the player. It is conceivable that he could be sold to Leverkusen, or a longer loan spell could be considered."
Adler was quick to dismiss rumors of a move, though.
"My only goal is a comeback," he said. "I want to be healthy. I have had no discussions with other clubs, not even with Schalke and HSV. The same goes for my agent."
Bundesliga wrap: Bayern streak ends, Dortmund thrash Augsburg 1 October 2011
Bayern Munich had their six-match Bundesliga winning streak broken on Saturday, while Robert Lewandowski led Borussia Dortmund to a big win.
Defending champions Dortmund have struggled to recapture the form which saw them claim their first title in a decade last season but had a field day against newly promoted Augsburg on Saturday, romping to a 4-0 win thanks to a hat-trick from Lewandowski.
The Polish international opened the scoring on the half-hour mark at the Signal-Iduna Park, before doubling the hosts' lead just before half-time.
Strike partner Mario Gotze added a third on 74 minutes, before Lewandowski completed his hat-trick four minutes later as Dortmund cruised to victory.
Bayern Munich were unable to break down a stubborn Hoffenheim defence, with the Bunesliga leaders settling for a 0-0 draw at the Wirsol Rhein-Neckar-Arena.
The result ended a 10-game winning streak in all competitions for the visitors, but extended their run to 11 matches without conceding a goal.
The hosts were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty on 34 minutes as Gylfi Sigurdsson was felled in the box by Daniel Van Buyten, while Hoffenheim goalkeeper Tom Starke was only once put under pressure, and managed to take the sting out of Jerome Boateng's shot before Isaac Vorsah cleared off the line.
Bayern remain on top after Borussia Moenchengladbach went down 1-0 away to Freiburg, with Johannes Flum scoring the winner in the 19th minute.
Wolfsburg's struggles continued as they were beaten 3-1 at Bayer Leverkusen.
Although Mario Mandzukic cancelled out Gonzalo Castro's 14th minute opener, goals in the final half hour from Eren Derdiyok and Stefan Kiessling gave Leverkusen all three points at the BayArena.
Mainz fought back from a two goal deficit before eventually drawing 3-3 with Nuremberg.
Thomas Tuchel's side trailed to goals from Marcus Feulner and Robert Mak in the first 20 minutes, but the visitors had restored parity by half time thanks to strikes from Niko Bungert and Maxim Choup-Moting.
Andreas Ivanschitz then gave Mainz an unlikely lead seven minutes after the break, only for Toma Pekhart to net an equaliser for Nuremberg with eight minutes remaining, ensuring both sides left with a share of the points.
And in the late kickoff, Hertha Berlin scored three first half goals as they defeated Cologne 3-0.
On Friday night, Stuttgart beat Kaiserslautern 2-0.
Bundesliga wrap: New Schalke boss makes winning start
3 October 2011
Schalke have given Huub Stevens a dream start as their new boss as they recorded a 2-1 win over Hamburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's brace was enough for Schalke to overcome the bottom-placed Hamburg at Imtech Arena.
The Dutchman looped a header over Hamburg goalkeeper Jaroslav Drobny on 15 minutes, only for striker Mladen Petric to equalise before the interval.
But Huntelaar struck the winner with less than 20 minutes to play, flicking in a Christian Fuchs cross to send his team into fourth spot.
Elsewhere, a Mohammed Abdellaoue hat-trick gave Hannover an entertaining 3-2 win at home to Werder Bremen.
In a thrilling contest, the Norwegian forward was in fine form, netting from the penalty spot before doubling his tally to put his team 2-0 up after 39 minutes.
Austrian Marko Arnautovic pulled a goal back for the visitors with a neat finish in first-half stoppage time, before Abdellaoue restored his side's two-goal buffer after the break.
Arnautovic was sent off in the 78th minute and although Claudio Pizarro scored a late goal, Werder Bremen were forced to leave without a point.
Hannover sit fifth after the win, one point adrift of second-placed Werder Bremen.
Hamburg will have a new coach on their bench when they face Freiburg in a fortnight, according to director of sport Frank Arnesen.
League rules dictate caretaker coach Rodolfo Cardoso can only continue in the job until Tuesday, as the former Hamburg player does not have a coaching licence.
Despite initially indicated that he would be seeking an exception from the German Football League, Arnesen no longer appears keen on fighting Cardoso's corner.
Speaking after his side's 2-1 defeat to Schalke on Sunday, Arnesen confirmed the search is on for a new man to take over after the international break.
"Today or tomorrow, something has got to happen," Arnesen told Sky television.
"We don't have time until Christmas. For our next game in Freiburg, we will have a coach with a licence on the bench."
Former Hamburg player Sergei Barbarez has put himself into the frame for the job, saying: "I don't want to send a video application, but I just want to say that I have a very strong bond with this club and I have lots of emotions for this club.
"I think a solution with somebody from Hamburg would not be a bad one.
"I have had a small chat with Frank Arnesen and we will have to see what happens."
Hamburg are searching for a new coach after sacking Michael Oenning last month. Arnesen's preferred replacement, Huub Stevens, rejected Hamburg's overtures and instead joined Schalke last week.
Hamburg appeal Cardoso decision
Hamburg are to appeal against the decision by DFB not to permit their caretaker coach Rodolfo Cardoso to carry on working beyond a 15-day grace period.
Arnautovic gets three-match ban Werder Bremen striker Marko Arnautovic has been handed a three-match suspension for his red card in last weekend's 3-2 defeat to Hannover.
Hamburg coach hunt intensifies Hamburg must find a new coach for their next match against Freiburg after a request for current Rodolfo Cardoso to be allowed to continue in charge was rejected.
Hoeness rejects Robben reports Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has branded the discussion about Arjen Robben's reserve role at the club as "the joke of the year".
Stevens admits Raul special treatment Schalke coach Huub Stevens admits his side's star striker Raul should be given special treatment for the sake of his side.
Robben worried by slow recovery Bayern Munich and Holland midfielder Arjen Robben has admitted concern over his slow recovery from the pubic bone inflammation he suffered in late August.
Hannover to reward Abdellaoue Hannover are set to discuss a new contract with striker Mohammed Abdellaoue in a bid to ward off clubs alerted to the Norwegian after his hat-trick on Sunday.
Neuer praises team after claiming record Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has hailed his team-mates after Saturday's 0-0 draw with Hoffenheim saw him seal his place in the club's record books.
Stuttgart want Leno back in January Stuttgart coach Bruno Labbadia wants Bernd Leno to return to the club and battle for a first-team spot when his loan deal with Bayer Leverkusen expires in January.
Farfan coy on Malaga rumours
Schalke striker Jefferson Farfan has refused to comment on speculation regarding a move to Malaga but admits he intends to return to play in Peru one day.
Bayern: More surgery for Arjen Robben Bayern Munich confirmed star winger Arjen Robben has undergone another operation on his pubic bone.
Bayern's Breno released on bail Bayern Munich have announced that defender Breno, who was arrested in connection with a fire at his home last month, has been released on bail.
Babel: I'm as good as Robben, Ribery Hoffenheim forward Ryan Babel believes that he can be as good as Bayern Munich stars Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.
Olic heaps praise on Robben, Neuer Bayern Munich attacker Ivica Olic has sung the praises of team mates Arjen Robben and Manuel Neuer, declaring them both among the best in the business.
Fahrmann eager to prove Schalke worth Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann has no intention of relinquishing the number one jersey any time soon.
Kagawa admits struggle to find form
Borussia Dortmund forward Shinji Kagawa admits he is currently going through a tough spell in his career, following a series of unimpressive performances.
Nuremburg announce profit for 2011 Bundesliga club Nuremberg have announced a profit of 4.3 million euros for the financial year ending 30 June 2011.
Blaszczykowski could leave Dortmund Poland international Jakub Blaszczykowkski is refusing to rule out leaving Borussia Dortmund if he continues to stagnate on the sidelines.
Gotze not ruling out Real move
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze is content at the German side but refused to rule out a move to Real Madrid in the future.
Olic hopeful of Hertha return
Bayern Munich striker Ivica Olic is hoping to return from his hip injury in the Bundesliga encounter against Hertha Berlin this Sunday.
Wolfsburg hand youngster new deal
Wolfsburg have given a full-time contract to youngster Bjarne Thoelke, who could make his debut for the 2009 champions in Saturday's Bundesliga match against Nuremberg.
Kaiserslautern keep faith in Kurz
Kaiserslautern have handed coach Marco Kurz a 12-month contract extension despite making a woeful start to the season.
Bayern delighted with Neuer start
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has revealed that goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has exceeded all their expectations since joining in the summer.
Bayern give Breno full backing
Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness says his club are supporting their defender Breno following his release from police custody.
Fink would consider Hamburg offer
Basel boss Thorsten Fink has confirmed he would consider an approach from managerless Hamburg.
Klopp: Low has selection headache
Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp believes that the wealth of talent in the current Germany squad will pose a selection headache for coach Joachim Low.
Arnesen stands in as Hamburg coach
Hamburg sporting director Frank Arnesen will take over as coach until the club appoint a permanent successor to Michael Oenning.
After a string of impressive appearances for Borussia Dortmund, Mats Hummels has attracted the attention of Barcelona.
According to reports by Sport, Barcelona general manager Andoni Zubizaretta has been working hard to try to bring the Borussia Dortmund defender to Spain, and manager Pep Guardiola has placed him as a high priority swoop for the reigning La Liga champions.
The 22-year-old helped Dortmund to a Bundesliga triumph last season, and was part of their stingy defence that conceded a mere 22 times last season.
What has attracted Barcelona is his versatility, as the player can also be used as a defensive midfielder, as well as his intelligent distribution and positional awareness for club and country.
However, he has penned a contract extension till 2014, and apparently cancelled a release clause in his contract, and this could be a stumbling block in any deal.
There is also an interest from Juventus for the defender, and Barcelona may find it difficult to pry Hummels from the Bundesliga, and have already shortlisted AC Milan's Thiago Silva or Valencia's Victor Ruiz as possible alternatives.
Hamburg confirmed the appointment of Thorsten Fink as their new coach on Thursday.
The northern Germany club successfully negotiated a compensation package with Basle after identifying former Bayern Munich midfielder Fink as their preferred candidate to replace Michael Oenning, who was sacked last month.
Hamburg director of sport Frank Arnesen said: "Thorsten Fink was the coach I wanted.
"He fits in with HSV and with our philosophy. He will improve the team and develop us further."
Fink, 43, had earlier pre-empted Hamburg's official statement by announcing a deal had been done for him to quit the Swiss champions.
"My transfer to Hamburg is complete," he told Sport1 television. "I am no longer the coach of Basle from this moment."
Fink spent much of Wednesday afternoon in talks with Basle officials about the move, which comes less than a week before their Champions League tie at home to Benfica, leaving them little time to find a successor.
However, he will not be on the Hamburg bench for their clash with Freiburg this Sunday.
"Everything has moved so quickly," added Fink. "I will be moving to Hamburg on Monday."
Arnesen will be in charge of the team this weekend having taken over team affairs last Monday when a period of grace for Rodolfo Cardoso, who replaced Oenning on an interim basis but does not have the necessary licence to continue, expired.
After ending his playing career in 2006, Fink spent two years as coach of Bavarian second-division club Ingolstadt before being appointed as coach of Basle in 2009.
He led them to back-to-back Swiss league titles and was within minutes of guiding them to an historic victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Champions League a few weeks ago.
Bayern Munich extended their run to 12 games in all competitions without conceding a goal as they earned a 4-0 win over Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga.
Bayern went 3-0 ahead within 13 minutes of Saturday's match at the Allianz Arena, thanks to strikes from Mario Gomez, Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Germany striker Gomez completed his brace in the second half when he netted from the penalty spot.
It did not take long for the home side to hit their stride, with Gomez opening the scoring after just five minutes as he made a clever turn and fired inside the left post from 20 yards.
Two minutes later, fullback Jerome Boateng burst to the touch line before crossing, and France international Ribery tapped in from close range.
The result was put beyond doubt in the 13th minute when Ribery turned provider, playing the ball to Schweinsteiger at the edge of the box and the vice-captain's low drive nestled itself into the back of the net.
Gomez completed the rout from the spot in the 69th minute.
Ribery was tripped inside the box to win the foul, and Hertha goalkeeper Thomas Kraft, who left the Bavarian giants in the offseason, was beaten by his former teammate.
The result sees league leaders Bayern move five points clear of Borussia Monchengladbach after the second-placed side were held 2-2 at home by Bayer Leverkusen.
Leverkusen led in the match through Stefan Reinartz's 19th-minute strike, with Marco Reus levelling for the hosts on 65 minutes.
Two minutes later and Leverkusen went down to 10 men with the sending off of Gonzalo Castro.
Patrick Herrmann struck to give Monchengladbach the lead and they appeared on course to record the victory, before Andre Schurrle snatched an equaliser for Leverkusen with three minutes remaining.
In other matches, Shinji Okazaki's goal and a penalty from Pavel Pogrebnyak helped Stuttgart run out 2-0 winners in their match at home to Hoffenheim.
Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker's penalty with two minutes remaining saw promoted Augsburg win 1-0 away at Mainz.
And Mario Mandzukic's brace helped Wolfsburg overcome Nurnberg 2-1.
Bundesliga wrap: Podolski brace earns points 17 October 2011
Two goals by Lukas Podolski earned Cologne their second home win of the season beating Hannover 2-0 on Sunday.
Podolksi opened his account in the 24th minute when he scored from a free kick with a left-foot shot.
The Polish-born striker scored his second four minutes from time with another left-foot drive from a corner.
The victory moved Cologne to 10th place on the Bundesliga table while Hannover's second loss of the season kept them in seventh, trailing runaway leaders Bayern Munich by seven points.
Hamburg recorded a crucial away win over Freiburg to move to joint 16th position in the Bundesliga table.
The guests started the match the better side of the two and needed only 12 minutes to break the deadlock.
The Freiburg defence allowed Heung-Min Son too much space and the South Korean gifted HSV the lead with his third league goal of the season.
Freiburg then took over the initiative a bit and the inevitable Papiss Cisse restored parity shortly after the break with a good finish.
Nevertheless, Hamburg would take all three points home courtesy of substitute Ivo Ilicevic.
The Croatian came off the bench in the 66th minute and found the net only seven minutes later after being set up by Gokhan Tore.
Cisse should have made it 2-2 in the closing stages of the game, but the prolific attacker failed to convert a spot kick in the 81st minute.
