Something has to happen to Borussia Dortmund players as soon as they get on a bus, train or plane and cross the city limits. Is it a special form of homesickness? Does everyone get motion sick? Is eating at home really that much better? In addition to the usual explanations (mood, travel time) there must be something else, it's absurd. BVB's record at home: six games, six wins, first in the so-called home table. Away from home: five games, no win and only not last in the away rankings because Augsburg and Bochum conceded a few more goals.
Against Freiburg, BVB showed its home game face again, Maxi Beier scored one of those goals right at the start, which is his great strength and made him a national player: From the middle he started with speed into the depths, Ramy Bensebaini played the pass into his run The timing was right, Beier's taking the ball with him met the highest standards. The 22-year-old had the space to sprint because Serhou Guirassy had to take sick leave at short notice. Freiburg should have equalized after that, Lucas Höler had the biggest of three great chances, he shot onto the crossbar. But shortly before the break, Felix Nmecha hit the ball perfectly, it sank viciously into the near corner, Freiburg's goalkeeper Noah Atubolu still didn't look happy. After Patrick Osterhage was sent off (yellow-red, two tactical fouls), Julian Brandt scored with a free kick to make it 3-0, so the game was decided, Jamie Gittens made it 4-0, and red for assault against Junior Adamu made Freiburg's day finally forgotten.
And if BVB coach Nuri Sahin, who has come under pressure, were to win the upcoming home game, then he would have earned a bit of credit again in this so far unsteady season: FC Bayern are coming next week.
Bayer Leverkusen – 1. FC Heidenheim 5:2 (2:2), Goals: 0:1 Niklas Dorsch (10th), 0:2 Mathias Honsak (21st), 1:2 Exequiel Palacios (30th), 2:2, 3:2 and 4:2 Patrik Schick (32nd, 52nd). ., 71.), 5:2 Granit Xhaka (82.)
Champions Bayer Leverkusen were twelve points behind FC Bayern when the game against Heidenheim kicked off, and it was clear that coach Xabi Alonso's team could not afford any more weaknesses if they wanted to stay close to Munich. Or better: it should have been clear. But at first it wasn't at all. Leverkusen made astonishing inaccuracies in their build-up to the game. After his own throw-in, Piero Hincapié had the ball stolen from Marvon Pieringer, whose cross was used by Niklas Dorsch to give Heidenheim an early lead. The guests even went one better when Mathias Honsak walked through the Bayer defense as if he were preparing for the slalom in Gurgl and finished 0-2.
And where, please, were the once glorious Leverkusen team? They showed up half an hour late. The hosts filled Heidenheim's defense for the first time with two quick passes – Frimpong to Xhaka to Palacios – and the Argentine scored the goal. Two minutes later, Patrik Schick lobbed the ball into the net to equalize, and shortly after the break it was Schick again who directed a Wirtz cross into the net to give Leverkusen the lead. And after Schick's header to make it 4-2, nobody asked about Bayer striker Victor Boniface, who was missing due to injury. Granit Xhaka scored to make it 5-2 in this somehow confident Bayer performance.
VfB Stuttgart – VfL Bochum 2:0 (0:0), Goals: 1:0 Chris Führich (53rd), 2:0 Justin Diehl (78th)
If Sebastian Hoeneß had locked himself in a soundproof room with earmuffs without cell phone reception during the week, that would have been understandable. Because everything he heard must have seemed like a constant test of his ability to suffer: first the doctors gave him the news that one of Deniz Undav's muscle fibers had torn, then El Bilal Touré's metatarsal broke and Angelo Stiller didn't get fit in time either Game against Bochum. Bochum, of all places, is no longer the reliable point supplier it was at the beginning of the season, but has found Hecking-like stability under Dieter Hecking.
The first half was dull, Stuttgart finished the game without having any great chances (Josha Vagnoman had the best after eight minutes), and VfL was stable. It was a simple move by VfB standards that led to the lead after the break. Chris Führich didn't even take the best approach to a long ball, but no one from Bochum bothered him, he positioned the ball, aimed at the far corner and hit it perfectly. It was the day of high balls at VfB, one from goalkeeper Alexander Nübel also made it 2-0. After a nice move by substitute Fabian Rieder, it was Justin Diehl, who was also substitute, who decided the game.
Diehl, 19 years old, with a reputation for great talent, came from relegated Cologne and just scored his first Bundesliga goal when he had to represent Undav. In that second, Sebastian Hoeneß was able to loosen the earmuffs again.
TSG Hoffenheim – RB Leipzig 4:3 (1:2), Tore: 0:1 Willi Orban (15.), 1:1 Adam Hlozek (17.), 1:2 Antonio Nusa (19.), 2:2 Tom Bischof (50.), 2:3 Stanley Nsoki (67./Eigentor), 3:3 Adam Hlozek (82.), 4:3 Jacob Bruun Larsen (87.)
“Mountain Summit”, “Alpenschlager”, “Ösi-Power”: The Sports Information Service Before the game, hardly any words were spared to document that the new coach Martin Ilzer was about to make his debut at TSG Hoffenheim. Like manager Andreas Schicker, he had come from Sturm Graz – and the fact that RB Leipzig, of all people, whose squad including coach Marco Rose has various connections to Salzburg, came to this premiere was pretty fitting.
It was above all a creation of a word, namely “Sturm Hoffenheim”, that stuck. Because the troubled TSG started off with considerable courage. After five minutes, Haris Tabakovic missed his first chance after a cross from Marius Bülter. TSG had further chances, more than two-thirds possession of the ball and a self-confidence with which even goalkeeper Oliver Baumann dared to attempt a risky dribble. It was just stupid that Leipzig defender Willi Orban suddenly got lost in the Hoffenheim penalty area, where he scored with Leipzig's first notable action with a center forward slide to make it 0-1 (15th).
Hoffenheim didn't let themselves be shocked, Adam Hlozek equalized two minutes later (he coolly let Orban's defensive tackle rush into space), but while the new coach Ilzer showed his casual grin for the first time, Antonio Nusa put Leipzig back in the lead; The Hoffenheim team, who had previously moved far up, were still unsorted and had completely overlooked the shooter in the backcourt. So a little “Hoffenheim defense” probably wouldn’t have hurt, but then after the break Tom Bischof slammed a free kick onto the inside post of Leipzig’s Peter Gulacsi’s goalkeeper’s corner for a deserved equalizer. And after Leipzig took the lead once again thanks to an own goal from Stanley Nsoki, Hlozek equalized (82nd) and substitute Jacob Bruun Larsen turned the game around with a header for Hoffenheim's victory. You can see such an Alpine hit far from the Alps.
VfL Wolfsburg – 1. FC Union Berlin 1:0 (0:0)Tor: 1:0 Ridle Baku (71.)
There were a few seats left empty on this home game Saturday in Wolfsburg, and the fans who came were initially not necessarily rewarded for their decision. Wolfsburg struggled, but the Berliners, who were generally favored, refused to play any kind of offensive football in the first half, apart from an early chance for Jordan (6th). A game made for a dreary November nil-zero, but Wolfsburg's Ridle Baku had something against it. The former international put more determination into his left-footed shot than any other field player in the previous 70 minutes of play. And rewarded his team for a not always high-class, but committed home performance. The fact that Union (now with the strange goal difference of 9:9 after eleven match days) was no longer able to equalize was an act of justice.
