Bundesliga Round-Up: Brilliant Bayer Blast Bayern To Bits
Bayer Leverkusen demolished championship favourites Bayern Munich 4-1 at the BayArena, while there were wins for Hamburger SV, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Bochum, and Hansa Rostock in Saturday’s Bundesliga programme.
In the top game of the day, Klaus Augenthaler watched his Bayer Leverkusen squad rip his former club apart to blast the title race wide open. Bayern, who had former Leverkusen star Lucio marshalling their defence, fell behind after 21 minutes when Dimitar Berbatov scored the first of his double. However, all the drama materialised in seven sensational second-half minutes when Leverkusen went from 1-0 to 4-0 up and completed a stupdendous rout of the visitors. Brazilian Franca buried two goals past Oliver Kahn on 52 and 56, and Berbatov nabbed his second just before the hour. Former Leverkusen favourite Michael Ballack scored a late consolattion for the visitors. Having replaced Ottmar Hitzfeld over the summer as Bayern coach, Felix Magath is now under fierce pressure to restore Bayern’s fortunes.
Another coach feeling the heat is Hamburger SV’s Klaus Toppmöller. Today, he was subjected to a sensational rollercoaster of emotion as HSV, humiliated in the German Cup last weekend, threw away a 3-1 lead against Nürnberg before new signing Benjamin Lauth scored a dramatic late winner. Daniel van Buyten (12), Bjorn Schlicke (40), and Emile Mpenza (50), who scored his first league goal for the club since his summer transfer from Standard Liege, gave HSV a 3-1 lead. Marek Mintal had briefly equalised for the visitors, before bringing Nürnberg back to 3-2 on 76. He completed his personal tour de force with just six minutes remaining to bag his hat-trick and leave Toppmöller in a precarious position. However, Lauth announced his arrival in a Hamburg shirt with a heart-stopping late winner in perhaps the most dramatic match of the German season to date.
Elsewhere, Stuttgart forced a thrilling 3-2 win at troubled Kaiserslautern thanks to Kevin Kuranyi’s first hat-trick of the season. The German international netted just after the half hour, only for Jochen Seitz to equalise four minutes later. Carsten Jancker then put FCK in front on 38, before Kuranyi grabbed an equaliser for Matthias Sammer’s men seven minutes after the break. The tall hitman then struck the winner with just nine minutes left.
Schalke 04 slumped to a surprise home defeat to Hansa Rostock and had goalless star striker Ailton sent off in the process. Two goals from Italian Antonio di Salvo (34, 77) pile the pressure on Jupp Henckes’s side who have won just once in three starts.
Hertha Berlin are still waiting for their first win after a disappointing 1-1 draw with newly-promoted Mainz at the Berliner Olympiastadion. The returning Fredi Bobic put Hertha in front on 69 only for Jürgen Kramny to earn the visitors a point ten minutes later.
Bochum secured their maiden win of the campaign thanks to a last-minute winner from Mahamadou Diabang at Arminia Bielefeld. Tomasz Zdebel’s 31st minute strike put the visitors on their way only for Delron Buckley’s 87th-minute intervention to seemingly deny them the points. Buckley’s strike was Bielefeld’s first goal of the season but proved fruitless in the end when Diabang snatched the three points at the death.
Finally, Borussia Mönchengladbach secured their second away draw of the season at Freiburg, who have yet to win at home. Roda Antar put Freiburg in front after 20 minutes, only for Oliver Neuville to net his first goal for the Colts with twelve minutes left.
Results :
Arminia Bielefeld 1 - 2 Bochum
Bayer Leverkusen 4 - 1 Bayern Munich
Freiburg 1 - 1 Monchengladbach
Hamburger SV 4 - 3 Nurnberg
Hertha BSC 1 - 1 Mainz
Kaiserslautern 2 - 3 Stuttgart
Schalke 0 - 2 Hansa Rostock