Bundesliga Match Day 3: Weekend Wrap-up
- Chuck Smith
- Sep 17, 2018
- 5 min read
Borussia Monchengladbach it seems, is about that life. Die Fohlen is showing the rest of the Bundesliga that they are for real.
Sure, Schalke 04 has been an unmitigated disaster to start the season, but M'Gladbach spent all of last season figuring out new and innovative ways to under-achieve, so after bouncing Die Königsblauen 2-1 on Saturday, this 2-1-0 (W-D-L) start is nothing short of outstanding for the Foals.
German international Matthias Ginter ("GINTER IS COMING!"- John N. Dillon, Chief, Bavarian Football Works) put M'Gladbach on the scoreboard just three minutes into the game and a 76th minute tally from Patrick Herrmann provided just enough to help Die Fohlen hold off a seemingly confused Schalke squad.
Domenico Tedesco has to be channeling the Talking Heads and asking himself, "Well, how did we get here?" as his team has sputtered out of the gates to start this season. Breel Embolo's extra time goal at least gave Die Königsblauen something to build off of, but this start for Schalke can be described as "concerning" at best.
M'Gladbach, meanwhile, is just doing exactly what it needs to do at this stage of the season. If the Foals can keep some semblance of consistency, they could be a really fun team to watch this season.
Predicted score: Schalke 04 3, Borussia Monchengladbach 2 (L)
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Borussia Dortmund 3, Eintracht Frankfurt 1: BVB's Friday effort over Frankfurt was Dortmund's finest performance of the season. Using goals from Abdou Diallo, Marius Wolf, and recent-signee Alcacer Paco, BVB out-classed Die Adler in one of the Bundesliga's key matches of the weekend. 24-year old Sebastian Haller notched the goal for Eintracht Frankfurt, but Adi Hutter's squad will need to make a lot of corrections if it wants to make a run at a top six position this season.
Dortmund's performance was, indeed, its finest of the season, but the team still has much work to do before it can really be considered a legitimate contender to Bayern Munich. Frankly, I thought BVB would be much further along at this stage.
Predicted score: Borussia Dortmund 3, Eintracht Frankfurt 2 (W)
Bayern Munich 3, Bayer Leverkusen 1: Aside of another utterly uninspired and disappointing effort from Die Werkself, the big story of this one was the long term injuries incurred by Corentin Tolisso and Rafinha. Tolisso tore his ACL in an attempted challenge against Kevin Volland and Rafinha suffered ligament damage to his ankle on a reckless challenge by Karim Bellarabi. Tolisso is out for the rest of the season, while Rafinha will join Kingsley Coman on the injured list and is expected to miss upwards of three months.
The goals from Tolisso, Arjen Robben (phenomenal effort), and James Rodriguez almost seem like an afterthought given the horrible injuries that occurred. That said, Bayern is one of the deepest teams in Europe and, for now, has enough depth to stay among the favorites in each competition it participates in.
Wendell converted a PK for Leverkusen's goal early in the first half.
Predicted score: Bayern Munich 3, Bayer Leverkusen 1 (W)
Wolfsburg 2, Hertha Berlin 2: Hertha's Javairo Dilrosun scored in the 61st minute to give Die Alte Dame a lead, but it was an insane "three goals in six minutes" flurry that saw this game end up tied 2-2. Wolfsburg is quickly becoming the most exciting and nerve-wracking team in the Bundesliga received a goal from Yunus Malli in the 87th minute before Hertha's Ondrej Duda and Wolfsburg's Admir Mehmedi traded extra-time goals.
Predicted score: Wolfsburg 2, Hertha Berlin 2 (W)
Fortuna Düsseldorf 2, Hoffenheim 1: Alfredo Morales gave Fortuna an early lead before Hoffenheim's 18-year old Brit, Reiss Nelson, broke through in the 86th minute to tie the game. For Hoffenheim, though, it was a disappointing end as Dodi Lukebakio retaliated just two minutes later to help secure the win for Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Predicted score: Hoffenheim 3, Fortuna Düsseldorf 1 (L)
RB Leipzig 3, Hannover 96 2: Timo Werner finally emerged for RB Leipzig and delivered a brace to compliment a 9th minute goal from Yussuf Poulsen to help Die Roten Bullen hold off the ever-scrappy Hannover 96. Niclas Fullkrug and Miiko Albornoz had the goals for Hannover, which as always, played with tremendous heart.
The story of the day, however, was seeing Werner begin to once again show his potential. The thing is, it is not just Leipzig that needs Werner to break out, it's also the Bundesliga, and the German national team. Werner has dynamic pace and ability, but has yet to put it all together in a way that has made him a consistent enough performer to reach an elite level. Can this be the type of effort that boosts his confidence enough to get him headed in that direction?
Predicted score: RB Leipzig 2, Hannover 96: 1 (W)
Mainz 2, FC Augsburg 1: Augsburg's inability to seize games like this one is what ultimately holds it back from making true progress. Dong-Won Ji's 82nd minute goal appeared to give Fuggerstädter a dramatic win, but Augsburg fell apart in the game's waning moments. Mainz was not going to be denied and goals from Anthony Ujah (87th minute) and Alexandru Maxim (90+3rd minute) gave Die Nullfünfer an incredible and improbable come-from-behind win.
Predicted score: FC Augsburg 3, Mainz 1
FC Nürnberg 1, Werder Bremen 1: Vura's goal in the second minute of extra time salvaged a draw for FC Nürnberg in one of the league's many exciting finished this week. It was Maximilian Eggestein's 26th minute goal that gave a Werder Bremen an early lead that looked like it might hold up, but it was not to be for Bremen. Consider this a bit of a lost opportunity for Die Werderaner.
Predicted score: Werder Bremen 2, FC Nürnberg 1 (L)
SC Freiburg 3, VfB Stuttgart 3: In what was the most wild Bundesliga game of the weekend, Stuttgart and Freiburg hooked up for a wild brawl that maybe rivaled the GGG-Canelo fight on Saturday night. Jerome Gondorf gave Freiburg a 1-0 lead just one minute into the game before Emiliano Insua and Mario Gomez gave Die Schwaben a 2-1 lead. Gondorf was not done for Breisgau-Brasilianer, though as he knotted the game at 2-2 in the 52nd minute.
The two desperate teams were done there, however. Gomez secured his brace in the 56th minute before German phenom Gian-Luca Waldschmidt knotted the game for Freiburg in the 81st minute. Both squads needed this game in a bad way and absolutely played like it. Hopefully for both, that drive and desire carries over into the upcoming weeks.
Predicted score: VfB Stuttgart 2, SC Freiburg 1 (L)
Weekly record: 4-5
Season record: 12-15
Note: Predicted ties count as a win if correct and as a loss if there is a winner; conversely if a game is predicted to have a winner but ends in a tie, it will count as a loss.
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