BUNDESLIGA, Round 13: OMG! Dortmund really does suck!

Wow! Dortmund *really* does suck! This has to be the top story in the Bundesliga this season. It seems like a bad dream for BVB fans, as they seemingly had something going. Return of Shinji Kagawa. Ilkay Gündogan back from injury. Many others beginning to recover as well. And after almost going bankrupt a few years ago, the club is now *debt-free* and doing well in the Champignons-League. What is going wrong? Hard to say. Except they suck in the Bundesliga…The match in Frankfurt however gives some clues. Eintracht started quickly on a goal from veteran Alex Meier, and BVB was chasing the rest of the match. The Neons were dominant and had several huge chances, but failed to use them, and then Frankfurt finished them off.

Another win for Bayern München, this time in Berlin. Ho-hum. They dominated the first half, and probably should have had more. Then they were on extended break, and Hertha actually had some play in the 2nd half. Of course, they couldn’t score, as Bayern has given up a ridiculous 3 goals all season.

Stuttgart in desperation brought in re-tread Huub Stevens to replace another re-tread (Armin Veh), but it had the desired result: VfB played well and kicked Freiburg’s ass in a southwestern derby.

Schalke needed to show something after an embarassing 0-5 midweek to Chelssea. Surprise! An impressive performance! Well, actually, it was a three goals and an assist by “der Hunter”, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar that was the key, but overall Schalke played well. Mainz ran around a lot, and took lots of shots, but ultimately didn’t know what they were doing, and get spanked.

A fierce Rhein-derby in Leverkusen against Köln was going as expected, neither side giving ground. But then Hakan Calhanoglu’s free-kick was the signal for an Aspriin assault that left the Goats helpless and they got rolled. Bayer’s fierce attack ripped apart the visitors and established them back as a Bayern also-ran.

Wolfsburg actually is the also-ran leader. The VWs downed Gladbach in a strong performance that goves them the dubious honor of being Bayern’s waterboy. Teh hoemside palyed hard and showed efficiency, and Gladbach was rather clueless for most of the match.

HSV continues to suck, as they got beaten down by Augsburg. Despite a surprise lead, the Hamburgers couldn’t really mount anything, and the Fuggers easily cleaned up for their 5th straight home-win, a club Bundesliga record. Lucky for the Cheeseburgers, Dortmund is even crappier, so they’re not last, but it would be an amazing thing if three of the biggest clubs, Stuttgart, HSV and Dortmund got relegated.

Paderborn has been one of the darlings of the season, as the unheralded club has got off to a good start, and hasn’t really gotten hammered as usually happens to Bundesliga virgins. OK, they got slammed by Bayern, but so does everybody else, so that didn’t count. But now it happened, that “Welcome to the Bundesliga” moment when you get biatch-slapped by a so-so squad. Indeed, Werder Bremen may not even qualify as so-so, but they delivered a sound slapping. Bremen dominated and kicked their ass mercilessly.

Hoffenheim and Hannover played an entertaining match, neither side exhibiting any defense. A bit of a surprise, as they hadn’t been particularily attacking in recent matches.

Total attendence 367,648 (avg 40,850), sellouts in Freiburg, Leverkusen, Berlin, Bremen, Wolfsburg, Frankfurt

 	
SC Freiburg	     -   VfB Stuttgart	        1:4 (1:1)   24,000 *

                    0:1  Harnik (31., Rüdiger)
                    1:1  Darida (42., C. Günter)
                    1:2  Gruezo (52., Gentner)
                    1:3  Ti. Werner (68., Leitner)
                    1:4  Harnik (76., G. Sakai)

FC Schalke 04	     -   1. FSV Mainz 05	4:1 (2:1)   60,904

                    1:0  Huntelaar (9., Choupo-Moting)
                    2:0  Huntelaar (25., M. Meyer)
                    2:1  Okazaki (44., Bell)
                    3:1  Barnetta (54., Huntelaar)
                    4:1  Huntelaar (61., Choupo-Moting)

Bayer 04 Leverkusen  -   1. FC Köln	        5:1 (1:1)   30,210 *

                    0:1  M. Lehmann (4., penalty, M. Lehmann)
                    1:1  Bellarabi (26., Calhanoglu)
                    2:1  Calhanoglu (61., direct freekick)
                    3:1  Drmic (79., Son)
                    4:1  Drmic (88., Castro)
                    5:1  Bellarabi (90. + 1, Drmic)

FC Augsburg	     -   Hamburger SV	        3:1 (0:1)   30,321

                    0:1  van der Vaart (45. + 1, Rudnevs)
                    1:1  Halil Altintop (50., Djurdjic)
                    2:1  Bobadilla (62., Baba)
                    3:1  Verhaegh (70., penalty, Djurdjic)

Hertha BSC	     -   Bayern München	        0:1 (0:1)   76,197 *

                    0:1  Robben (27., T. Müller)

Werder Bremen	     -   SC Paderborn 07	4:0 (1:0)   41,800 *

                    1:0  Junuzovic (10., direct free kick)
                    2:0  Selke (48., Junuzovic)
                    3:0  Bartels (50.)
                    4:0  Aycicek (80., Selke)

TSG Hoffenheim	     -   Hannover 96	        4:3 (2:1)   22,716

                    1:0  Schwegler (19., direct freekick)
                    2:0  Volland (37., J.-S. Kim)
                    2:1  Stindl (43.)
                    2:2  Joselu (52., Briand)
                    3:2  Polanski (59., Volland)
                    4:2  Süle (63., Schwegler)
                    4:3  Stindl (86., A. Sobiech)

VfL Wolfsburg	     -   Bor. Mönchengladbach	1:0 (1:0)   30,000 *

                    1:0  Knoche (12., M. Schäfer)


Eintracht Frankfurt  -   Borussia Dortmund	2:0 (1:0)   51,500 *

                    1:0  Meier (5., Russ)
                    2:0  Seferovic (78.



 1  Bayern München (M, P) 	13   10  3  0 	  32:3 	 +29 	  33 
 2  VfL Wolfsburg 	  	13    8  2  3 	  25:12  +13 	  26 
 3  Bayer 04 Leverkusen 	13    6  5  2 	  25:17  +8 	  23
 4  FC Augsburg	  	        13    7  0  6 	  18:13  +5 	  21
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 5  Bor. Mönchengladbach 	13    5  5  3 	  16:10  +6 	  20 
 6  FC Schalke 04 	  	13    6  2  5 	  21:18  +3 	  20
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 7  TSG Hoffenheim 	  	13    5  5  3 	  21:21   0 	  20 
 8  Hannover 96 	  	13    6  1  6 	  13:18  -5 	  19 
 9  Eintracht Frankfurt 	13    5  3  5 	  22:24  -2 	  18 
10  1. FSV Mainz 05 	  	13    3  7  3 	  16:18  -2 	  16 
11  SC Paderborn 07 (N) 	13    4  4  5 	  18:22  -4 	  16 
12  1. FC Köln (N) 	  	13    4  3  6 	  13:18  -5 	  15 
13  Hertha BSC Berlin	  	13    4  2  7 	  17:23  -6 	  14 
14  Werder Bremen 	  	13    3  4  6 	  18:26  -8 	  13 
15  SC Freiburg 	  	13    2  6  5 	  14:20  -6 	  12
--------------------------------------------------------------------
16  VfB Stuttgart 	  	13    3  3  7 	  18:27  -9 	  12
--------------------------------------------------------------------
17  Hamburger SV 	  	13    3  3  7 	   7:17  -10 	  12 
18  Borussia Dortmund 	  	13    3  2  8 	  14:21  -7 	  11


1st line: Champions League
2nd line: Europaliga (+ Cup winner)
3rd line: Playoff with 2.Liga 3rd place
4th line: Relegation to 2.Liga

M = Meister, defending Champion
P = Pokalsieger, Cup winner
N = Neuling, just promoted

2.Liga, Round 15: Düsseldorf stubs toe

A stunner in Aalen, as the last place side dumped Fortuna Düsseldorf. The Aaleners had the perfect plan: defend like rabid dogs and have swift counterattacks. Fortuna controlled the ball and basically banged their head against the Aalen wall. They had chances, but couldn’t convert, and then got caught with their pants down.

Leaders Ingolstadt had no problems with Bochum, and could have scored even more. The Schanzer showed themselves fully recovered from their first loss, and were all over the visitors like white on rice. Once again a crap performance by Bochum, who had given some indications of turning the corner. Instead they crashed into the wall, and need more driving lessons. Who knows where they end up. With Fortuna getting dumped, Ingolstadt has no worries in that regard: they’ve opened up a slight gap at the top.

Au-weh! It will go down as another St.Pauli defeat, but favored Kaiserslautern struggled to keep the points as the home side threw everything into attack in the 2nd half. They were close to salvaging a point, but a cold-blooded counter finally gave FCK the win. The Red Devils are back in the hunt, and amazingly St.Pauli is in last place. They can’t really complain too much, as they have been the suckiest team, but it’s still surprising, since they expected to challenge. Instead, 3.Liga treasurers are licking their chops for some big crowds next year if the traveling Paulista followings come to town.

Another ho-hum-home result by Greuther Fürth, who struggled against Heidenheim. The guests seemed pretty solid and happy with a point, and the Greuther don’t look a side that could regain Bundesliga status.

A double by Croatian Damir Kreilach gave Union Berlin a massive away win in the relegation battle at Aue. Both sides desperately needed the points, so the battle was hard-fought. Union gets some breathing room, while the noose is tight around Erzgebirge’s neck.

Darmstadt was on their back foot for most of the match against Karlsruhe, and can be happy with a point. I suppose the “Lilies” are happy just being in contention, since it’s probably more than their fan base expected. The match was quite poor, and although KSC was better in the 2nd period, a draw is a fair result.

A big win in München for FSV Frankfurt, as the mini-Hot Dogs dumped 1860. Once again the Lions were all over the place, having no clue, and FSV took advantage. They had to hold on with a bit luck in the 2nd period, but were successful. This is the Bornheimers fourth straight road result, a club record, and gives them a huge boost in the relegation battle. 1860 is back in the toilet, and glancing nervously over their shoulder.

RedBull money will likely eventually prevail, and Leipzig will get promoted. But it doesn’t look like it will be this year – based on this sloppy performance. The Rasenballs showed zilch against a well organized Sandhausen, and were lucky they didn’t lose on a late SVS counter-attack. The Ballsportler are still in the race of course, but RedBull should demand more for their money.

Monday night was a massive clash between rejuvenated Braunschweig and struggling Nürnberg. The home side grabbed a hard-fought victory and have leaped into a promotion spot.

 	
SpVgg Greuther Fürth   -   1. FC Heidenheim	0:0 (0:0)   10,130

Erzgebirge Aue	       -   1. FC Union Berlin	1:2 (0:0)    9,100

                      1:0  Vucur (56., Kortzorg)
                      1:1  Kreilach (77., Polter)
                      1:2  Kreilach (86., Jopek)

SV Darmstadt 98	       -   Karlsruher SC	0:0 (0:0)   15,200

FC Ingolstadt 04       -   VfL Bochum	        3:0 (1:0)    6,779

                      1:0  Mo. Hartmann (24., Leckie)
                      2:0  Hinterseer (67., )
                      3:0  Leckie (89., P. Groß)

VfR Aalen	       -   Fortuna Düsseldorf	2:0 (1:0)    7,107

                      1:0  Quaner (15., Ofosu-Ayeh)
                      2:0  Daghfous (59., Hand penalty)

1860 München	       -   FSV Frankfurt	0:2 (0:1)   13,800

                      0:1  Dedic (44., Kruska)
                      0:2  M. Engels (89., Grifo)

FC St. Pauli	       -   1. FC Kaiserslautern	1:3 (0:2)   23,584

                      0:1  Younes (22., Zimmer)
                      0:2  Zimmer (30., )
                      1:2  Halstenberg (59.)
                      1:3  Jacob (87., Karl)

SV Sandhausen	       -   RasenB. Leipzig	0:0 (0:0)    4,518

Eintracht Braunschweig -   1. FC Nürnberg	1:0 (1:0)   21,515
 	
                      1:0  Nielsen (38., Zuck)
		 


 1  FC Ingolstadt 04 	  	15    8  6  1 	  25:11  +14 	  30 
 2  Eintracht Braunschweig (A) 	15    8  2  5 	  24:17  +7 	  26 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 3  SV Darmstadt 98 (N) 	15    6  7  2 	  20:12  +8 	  25
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 4  Fortuna Düsseldorf 	  	15    6  7  2 	  24:17  +7 	  25
 5  1. FC Kaiserslautern 	15    6  7  2 	  22:16  +6 	  25 
 6  1. FC Heidenheim (N) 	15    6  6  3 	  27:15  +12 	  24 
 7  RasenBallsport Leipzig (N) 	15    6  6  3 	  20:10  +10 	  24 
 8  Karlsruher SC 	  	15    6  6  3 	  20:11  +9 	  24 
 9  SpVgg Greuther Fürth 	15    5  5  5 	  22:22   0 	  20 
10  VfL Bochum 	  	        15    4  7  4 	  24:24   0 	  19 
11  FSV Frankfurt 	  	15    5  3  7 	  20:25  -5 	  18 
12  1. FC Union Berlin 	  	15    4  5  6 	  17:26  -9 	  17 
13  1. FC Nürnberg (A) 	  	15    5  2  8 	  16:25  -10 	  17 
14  SV Sandhausen 	  	15    4  4  7 	  11:21  -10 	  16 
15  1860 München 	  	15    4  3  8 	  19:24  -5 	  15
--------------------------------------------------------------------
16  VfR Aalen 	  	        15    3  4  8 	  12:20  -8 	  13
--------------------------------------------------------------------
17  Erzgebirge Aue 	  	15    3  3  9 	  14:23  -9 	  12 
18  FC St. Pauli 	  	15    3  3  9 	  15:32  -17 	  12

1st line: Promotion to Bundesliga
2nd line: Playoff with 16th Bundesliga
3rd line: Playoff with no.3 of 3.Liga
4th line: Relegation to 3.Liga

A = Absteiger just relegated 
N = Neuling just promoted

3.Liga, Round 19: Bielefeld Herbstmeister

Bielefeld is the 3.Liga Herbstmeister (“Fall champion”). Means nothing of course, basically just the leader at the official half-way mark. Indeed, since there are another 3 rounds until the winterbreak, you could argue that being in the lead before hibernation is more important. Of course, things remain very tight at the top, although some of the contending sides had poor results, which means it will take a couple of rounds to climb back into contention for them.

Arminia dominated against promoted side Grossaspach, and probably could have had a few more goals. They go top because Dortmund-II held erstwhile leaders Preußen Münster to a draw.

Cottbus used a minimalist approach to get points at Stuttgart. Energie remains in a playoff spot, and has been looking fairly strong recently.

A big match in Duisburg, and the Zebras managed to dump Wehen. After a slow first period, both teams raised their game and went for the win.

A huge eastern clash in Rostock, and Dresden came out the winner thanks to a hat-trick from Matthias Fetsch. Dynamo looked the better team, and Hansa is in a real crisis.

Fortuna Köln got the points in a huge relegation battle with Regensburg. Fortuna has been playing well recently, and strictly speaking wasn’t threatened with the drop, but the club and coach Uwe Koschinat have been approaching every match as a vital battle to preserve their first 3.Liga season. The win seems to be in order, as Regensburg showed little. Jahn looks like they’re out of touch and it will take a monumental effort to avoid the drop.

Osnabrück saw their 7 match unbeaten streak end, ironically at Halle, who have been one of the weaker home sides. Chemnitz dropped out of contention for a while, as they were stunned at home by Mainz-II

Total attendance 61,321 (avg 6,132)

 	
VfB Stuttgart II     -   Energie Cottbus	0:1 (0:1)      900
Arminia Bielefeld    -   SG S-hof Großaspach	2:0 (1:0)   10,729
Hansa Rostock	     -   Dynamo Dresden	        1:3 (0:1)   20,500
SpVgg Unterhaching   -   Rot-Weiß Erfurt	4:2 (1:2)    1,300
Stuttgarter Kickers  -   Holstein Kiel	        0:0 (0:0)    2,555
MSV Duisburg	     -   SV Wehen Wiesbaden	3:2 (1:1)   10,203
Fortuna Köln	     -   Jahn Regensburg	1:0 (1:0)    1,320
Chemnitzer FC	     -   1. FSV Mainz 05 II	1:2 (0:1)    4,060
Hallescher FC	     -   VfL Osnabrück	        2:1 (2:0)    5,328
Borussia Dortmund II -   Preußen Münster	1:1 (1:0)    4,426


 1  Arminia Bielefeld (A) 	19   10  4  5 	  35:23  +12 	  34 
 2  Preußen Münster 	  	19    9  6  4 	  29:22  +7 	  33
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 3  Energie Cottbus (A) 	19    9  6  4 	  22:16  +6 	  33
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 4  MSV Duisburg 	  	19    8  7  4 	  26:19  +7 	  31 
 5  Dynamo Dresden (A) 	  	19    8  7  4 	  27:23  +4 	  31 
 6  VfL Osnabrück 	  	19    9  4  6 	  31:28  +3 	  31 
 7  SV Wehen Wiesbaden 	  	19    9  3  7 	  31:24  +7 	  30 
 8  Holstein Kiel 	  	19    7  8  4 	  21:13  +8 	  29 
 9  Stuttgarter Kickers 	19    7  8  4 	  29:23  +6 	  29 
10  Rot-Weiß Erfurt	  	19    8  5  6 	  27:27   0 	  29 
11  Chemnitzer FC	  	19    8  4  7 	  20:14  +6 	  28 
12  Fortuna Köln (N) 	  	19    7  4  8 	  19:18  +1 	  25 
13  Hallescher FC 	  	19    7  4  8 	  23:25  -2 	  25
14  VfB Stuttgart II	  	19    7  3  9 	  25:32  -7 	  24 
15  SpVgg Unterhaching 	  	19    6  4  9 	  29:34  -5 	  22 
16  SG Sonnenhof Großaspach (N) 19    5  5  9 	  21:32  -11 	  20 
17  1. FSV Mainz 05 II (N) 	19    5  4  10 	  22:30  -8 	  19
--------------------------------------------------------------------
18  Borussia Dortmund II 	19    3  8  8 	  22:28  -6 	  17 
19  Hansa Rostock 	  	19    4  5  10 	  27:36  -9 	  17 
20  Jahn Regensburg 	  	19    3  3  13 	  17:36  -19 	  12

A = Absteiger just relegated 
N = Neuling just promoted

1st line: Promotion to 2.Liga
2nd line: Promotion Playoff with 2.Liga 16th place 
3rd line: Relegation to Regionalliga

BUNDESLIGA, Round 12: HSV scores a goal, even two!

The headlines could have been that Bayern’s “chasers” got dumped, but that’s hardly news that they self destruct. So I guess I figured that Hamburg actually scoring a goal is big news, and it came in a critical Nord-derby match against Bremen, lifting them out of the relegation zone. Let’s no get crarried away, because the 2nd “strike” was an own goal…but overall, HSV dominated the match against Werder, but were banging their head against a brick wall. It wasn’t till the closing minutes that they finally broke through to get a deserved win.

The big news for the leaders Bayern München was not their ridiculously easy cake walk over Hoffenheim, but the return of Bastian Schweinsteiger from injury.
Not much to say about the match except, ho-hum.

Schalke jumped all over Wolfsburg, but then had to hand on desperately as the VWs almost came all the way back in the 2nd half. So far, the new regime in Schalke doesn’t appear to have them playing any better, although at least they’re getting a few results. Wolfsburg was too lazy early on, and that’s why they ended up losing, since this was certainly a winnable match.

A stunner in Gladbach, as the home side was deservedly beaten by Frankfurt. The hosts started quickly, and seemed to be a superior side, but Frankfurt didn’t let that bother them. Eintracht simply got stronger as the match wore on, and by the early 2nd half, it was clear Gladbach were in trouble. The strong effort by the visitors and they deservedly take all the points.

Hannover was rather clueless throughout against Leverkusen, so they lose. The Aspirins at least had an idea what to do, and Stefan Kiessling finally figured it out, scoring for the first time in something like 10 games. The 96ers just were going through the motions, so no surprise that they lose “sang- und klanglos”…

A good effort by Freiburg at Mainz. They had the hosts on the rope until a late goal salvaged a point for Mainz.

Another disastrous outing for Dortmund. They had the match at Paderborn well under control, but let it slip away. SCP fought hard and had a chance, but when the ref denied a clear goal by BVB’s Kevin Grosskreutz, they actually got a reward and managed to salvage a point. What is even worse for Dortmund is that Marco Reus got injured again and is out for a couple of months. Perhaps the Neons should voluntarily withdraw from the Champions League, since they are in a serious relegation struggle, and since their players seem to fall out injured when somebody even looks at them sideways, they really ought to concentrate on the Bundesliga. For Paderborn, they obviously celebrated the draw as a win, great result for them.

Köln wasted chances against Hertha, and therefore lose. Not much else needs to be said here.

Stuttgart was definitely unlucky against Augsburg. In fact, they should probably hire a private detective to see if the ref had been bribed by the opposition or gamblers. Basically he gave a ridiculous red card early to Stuttgart, and when that wasn’t enough, called a lame hand ball penalty. Not that Stuttgart is any good, but at least they deserve a competent ref. VfB is now mired in last place, in serious danger. No blame to Augsburg (assuming they didn’t pay a bribe), they certainly were good for a point, and took the extra that the ref gave them…

Total attendance 424,356 (avg 47,151), sellouts in München, Gladbach, Paderborn, Hamburg

Bayern München	     -   TSG Hoffenheim	        4:0 (2:0)   71,000 *

                    1:0  M. Götze (22., Xabi Alonso)
                    2:0  Lewandowski (39., Robben)
                    3:0  Robben (82., Lewandowski)
                    4:0  Rode (87., chweinsteiger)

FC Schalke 04	     -   VfL Wolfsburg	        3:2 (3:1)   60,989

                    1:0  Choupo-Moting (10., Höger)
                    2:0  Choupo-Moting (22., K.-P. Boateng)
                    3:0  Fuchs (25., direct free kick)
                    3:1  Olic (37., Perisic)
                    3:2  Bendtner (74., Perisic)

Bor. Mönchengladbach -   Eintracht Frankfurt	1:3 (1:0)   54,010 *

                    1:0  Nordtveit (6., G. Xhaka)
                    1:1  Stendera (54., Seferovic)
                    1:2  Meier (57., Aigner)
                    1:3  Inui (73., RMeier)
 
1. FSV Mainz 05	     -   SC Freiburg	        2:2 (1:1)   28,157

                    1:0  Junior Diaz (27., Geis)
                    1:1  Schmid (30., Mehmedi)
                    1:2  Mehmedi (58., Schmid)
                    2:2  Bell (88., Okazaki)

Hannover 96	     -   Bayer 04 Leverkusen	1:3 (0:0)   40,800

                    0:1  Kießling (46., Castro)
                    0:2  Son (58., L. Bender)
                    1:2  Gülselam (60., Kiyotake)
                    1:3  Bellarabi (72., Hilbert)

SC Paderborn 07	     -   Borussia Dortmund	2:2 (0:2)   15,000 *

                    0:1  Aubameyang (12., Durm)
                    0:2  Reus (45. + 1, Aubameyang)
                    1:2  Rupp (60., Bakalorz)
                    2:2  Saglik (81., Koc)

1. FC Köln	     -   Hertha BSC	        1:2 (0:1)   49,200

                    0:1  Beerens (28., Stocker)
                    1:1  Ujah (58., Osako)
                    1:2  M. Ndjeng (86., direct free kick)
 
Hamburger SV	     -   Werder Bremen	        2:0 (0:0)   57,000 *

                    1:0  Rudnevs (83., Götz)
                    2:0  Wolf (90. + 3, own goal, Arslan)

VfB Stuttgart	     -   FC Augsburg	        0:1 (0:0)   48,200

                    0:1  Verhaegh (72., Hand penalty)
	


 1  Bayern München (M, P) 	12    9  3  0 	  31:3 	 +28 	  30 
 2  VfL Wolfsburg	  	12    7  2  3 	  24:12  +12 	  23 
 3  Bor. Mönchengladbach 	12    5  5  2 	  16:9 	 +7 	  20
 4  Bayer 04 Leverkusen 	12    5  5  2 	  20:16  +4 	  20
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 5  Hannover 96 	  	12    6  1  5 	  10:14  -4 	  19 
 6  FC Schalke 04 	  	12    5  2  5 	  17:17   0 	  17
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 7  TSG Hoffenheim 	  	12    4  5  3 	  17:18  -1 	  17 
 8  1. FSV Mainz 05 	  	12    3  7  2 	  15:14  +1 	  16 
 9  SC Paderborn 07 (N) 	12    4  4  4 	  18:18   0 	  16 
10  FC Augsburg 	  	11    5  0  6 	  14:12  +2 	  15 
11  1. FC Köln (N) 	  	12    4  3  5 	  12:13  -1 	  15 
12  Eintracht Frankfurt 	12    4  3  5 	  20:24  -4 	  15 
13  Hertha BSC Berlin	  	12    4  2  6 	  17:22  -5 	  14 
14  SC Freiburg 	  	12    2  6  4 	  13:16  -3 	  12 
15  Hamburger SV	  	12    3  3  6 	   6:14  -8 	  12 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
16  Borussia Dortmund 	  	12    3  2  7 	  14:19  -5 	  11
--------------------------------------------------------------------
17  Werder Bremen 	  	12    2  4  6 	  14:26  -11 	  10
18  VfB Stuttgart 	  	12    2  3  7 	  14:26  -12 	  9


1st line: Champions League
2nd line: Europaliga (+ Cup winner)
3rd line: Playoff with 2.Liga 3rd place
4th line: Relegation to 2.Liga

M = Meister, defending Champion
P = Pokalsieger, Cup winner
N = Neuling, just promoted

2.Liga, Round 14: Ingolstadt stopped

The surprise leaders Ingolstadt were unbeaten, and the giants from Nürnberg were struggling. But new FCN coach Rene Weiler (replacing Valerian Ismael) had the right answers and der Club got the first win of his tenure. They played well and had the game under control, but then Pinola made a dick move and got his ass tossed. This led to the Schanzer coming nack and assaulting the Nürnberg goal. Despite the pressure, der Club managed to hold on to get a needed win.

Kaiserslautern was unable to breakdown Darmstadt’s defense. The visitors were obviously trying to catenaccio a point, and it worked. Despite FCK controlling the whole match, they couldn’t figure out a way to crack Darmstadt’s wall.

Bochum has been struggling, but a does of Aalen was just what the doctor ordered. The visitors self-destructed right at the start and were generally harnless, so Bochum had an easy time getting the win.

Heidenheim had no problems with Sandhausen. FCH was in control throughout the match, and continue their excellent season.

Braunschweig has quietly snuck back into the promotion race, as they easily slapped FSV Frankfurt.
Two struggling teams met in Berlin, and 1860 looks to have straightened things out a bit, getting an impressive win against Union. The hosts wasted several huge chances to get back into the match in the 2nd half, but it was a strong first half and quick restart that set the stage for the Lions win.

Karlsruhe was somewhat fortunate to get the win against Aue. KSC dominated early, but were beginning to run out of gas. The Erzgebirgers were beginning to seize control of the match, but were undone by a silly handball, which basically ruined their effort. So a lucky win perhaps for KSC, who remain in the hunt, and only a moral result for Aue.

Leipzig gets a thumping win over struggling St.Pauli, but it wasn’t really reflective of the match. The Paulistas played hard and probably deserved better, or at least a couple more goals. The Red Bulls were solid, but also had luck, since their captain Daniel Frahn should have had his ass tossed for a brutal first half foul.

Total attendance 194,751 (avg 21,639)

 	
VfL Bochum	      -   VfR Aalen	        4:0 (1:0)   11,709

                     1:0  Hainault (2., own goal, Perthel)
                     2:0  Terodde (57., Tasaka)
                     3:0  Terrazzino (66., Latza)
                     4:0  Forssell (89., Perthel)

1. FC Heidenheim      -   SV Sandhausen	        3:0 (1:0)   11,000

                     1:0  Schnatterer (6., Leipertz)
                     2:0  Leipertz (48., Niederlechner)
                     3:0  Niederlechner (63., Leipertz)

1. FC Kaiserslautern  -   SV Darmstadt 98	0:0 (0:0)   36,013

1. FC Union Berlin    -   1860 München	        1:4 (0:2)   19,026

                     0:1  Adlung (9., Wittek)
                     0:2  Okotie (39., Rama)
                     0:3  Okotie (46., Rama)
                     0:4  Rama (49., Adlung)
                     1:4  Polter (51., Köhler)

FSV Frankfurt	      -   Eintr. Braunschweig	0:3 (0:2)    5,423

                     0:1  Nielsen (1., Zuck)
                     0:2  Nielsen (44., Hedenstad)
                     0:3  Bakenga (87., Theuerkauf)

1. FC Nürnberg        -   FC Ingolstadt 04	2:1 (2:0)   32,065

                     1:0  R. Koch (16., Sylvestr)
                     2:0  Sylvestr (25., Rakovsky)
                     2:1  Mo. Hartmann (71., P. Groß)

Karlsruher SC	      -   Erzgebirge Aue	1:0 (0:0)   12,064

                     1:0  Nazarov (74., Hand penalty)

RasenB Leipzig	      -   FC St. Pauli	        4:1 (2:0)   38,660

                     1:0  Poulsen (17.)
                     2:0  Boyd (30., Demme)
                     2:1  Alushi (46., Maier)
                     3:1  Boyd (53., )
                     4:1  Verhoek (73., own goal, Sebastian)
 
Fortuna Düsseldorf    -   SpVgg Greuther Fürth	3:3 (1:1)   28,791

                     1:0  Benschop (10., )
                     1:1  Gießelmann (13., Weilandt)
                     1:2  Zulj (54., Wurtz)
                     2:2  Pohjanpalo (77., Bolly)
                     3:2  Benschop (81., penalty, Benschop)
                     3:3  Zulj (84., K. Przybylko)
 	


 1  FC Ingolstadt 04	  	14    7  6  1 	  22:11  +11 	  27 
 2  Fortuna Düsseldorf 	  	14    6  7  1 	  24:15  +9 	  25
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 3  SV Darmstadt 98 (N) 	14    6  6  2 	  20:12  +8 	  24
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 4  1. FC Heidenheim (N) 	14    6  5  3 	  27:15  +12 	  23 
 5  RasenBallsport Leipzig (N) 	14    6  5  3 	  20:10  +10 	  23 
 6  Karlsruher SC 	  	14    7  2  5 	  23:17  +6 	  23 
 7  Eintracht Braunschweig (A) 	14    7  2  5 	  23:17  +6 	  23
 8  1. FC Kaiserslautern 	14    5  7  2 	  19:15  +4 	  22 
 9  VfL Bochum 	  	        14    4  7  3 	  24:21  +3 	  19 
10  SpVgg Greuther Fürth 	14    5  4  5 	  22:22   0 	  19 
11  1. FC Nürnberg (A)	  	14    5  2  7 	  16:25  -9 	  17 
12  1860 München 	  	14    4  3  7 	  19:22  -3 	  15 
13  FSV Frankfurt 	  	14    4  3  7 	  18:25  -7 	  15 
14  SV Sandhausen 	  	14    4  3  7 	  11:21  -10 	  15 
15  1. FC Union Berlin 	  	14    3  5  6 	  15:25  -10 	  14
--------------------------------------------------------------------
16  Erzgebirge Aue 	  	14    3  3  8 	  13:21  -8 	  12
--------------------------------------------------------------------
17  FC St. Pauli 	  	14    3  3  8 	  14:29  -15 	  12 
18  VfR Aalen 	  	        14    2  4  8 	  10:20  -10 	  10


1st line: Promotion to Bundesliga
2nd line: Playoff with 16th Bundesliga
3rd line: Playoff with no.3 of 3.Liga
4th line: Relegation to 3.Liga

A = Absteiger just relegated 
N = Neuling just promoted

3.Liga, Round 18: Regensburg in trouble

Not surprisingly, things changed at the top, with Münster now occupying the leader role. But we’re used to that, considering who the difference between 1st and 11th is a measly 4 points. More important is perhaps that Jahn Regensburg is in danger of losing connection to one of the safety spots, essentially 6 points down. They haven’t played horrible, but are not getting results, and are clearly the worst team in the league right now. Another close match, but a home loss to Bielefeld puts them in a difficult position.

Wehen dominated the game against Fortuna Köln, but end up with nothing as they give up a goal near the end. Great result for Fortuna.

Dresden had the win in the bag against Dortmund-II, but was shocked deep into injury time, once again disappointing a large crowd.

Cottbus got the win in the duel between the ex-DDR’s most “successful” clubs. Not much success, to be sure, but both Cottbus and Rostock have at least had some minor things to cheer about in the Bundesliga. This season, Energie can still dream about promotion, but Hansa is in serious danger of going down.

Total attendance 72,529 (avg 7,253)

VfL Osnabrück	    -  	VfB Stuttgart II      3:1 (0:0)    9,256 
Dynamo Dresden	    -  	Borussia Dortmund II  1:1 (1:0)   23,235
SG Shf Großaspach   -  	Chemnitzer FC	      1:0 (0:0)    2,005
Jahn Regensburg	    -  	Arminia Bielefeld     0:1 (0:1)    4,070
SV Wehen Wiesbaden  -  	Fortuna Köln	      0:1 (0:0)    2,950
Holstein Kiel	    -  	MSV Duisburg	      1:0 (0:0)    5,802
Rot-Weiß Erfurt	    -  	Stuttgarter Kickers   1:1 (0:0)    4,171
Preußen Münster	    -  	SpVgg Unterhaching    2:0 (1:0)    8,520
Energie Cottbus	    -  	Hansa Rostock	      1:0 (1:0)   11,517
1. FSV Mainz 05 II  -  	Hallescher FC	      0:1 (0:1)    1,003 


 1  Preußen Münster 	  	18    9  5  4 	  28:21  +7 	  32 
 2  Arminia Bielefeld (A) 	18    9  4  5 	  33:23  +10 	  31
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 3  VfL Osnabrück 	  	18    9  4  5 	  30:26  +4 	  31
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 4  SV Wehen Wiesbaden 	  	18    9  3  6 	  29:21  +8 	  30 
 5  Energie Cottbus (A) 	18    8  6  4 	  21:16  +5 	  30 
 6  Rot-Weiß Erfurt	  	18    8  5  5 	  25:23  +2 	  29 
 7  Holstein Kiel 	  	18    7  7  4 	  21:13  +8 	  28 
 8  Chemnitzer FC 	  	18    8  4  6 	  19:12  +7 	  28 
 9  Stuttgarter Kickers 	18    7  7  4 	  29:23  +6 	  28 
10  MSV Duisburg 	  	18    7  7  4 	  23:17  +6 	  28 
11  Dynamo Dresden (A) 	  	18    7  7  4 	  24:22  +2 	  28 
12  VfB Stuttgart II 	  	18    7  3  8 	  25:31  -6 	  24 
13  Fortuna Köln (N) 	  	18    6  4  8 	  18:18   0 	  22 
14  Hallescher FC 	  	18    6  4  8 	  21:24  -3 	  22 
15  SG Sonnenhof Großaspach (N) 18    5  5  8 	  21:30  -9 	  20 
16  SpVgg Unterhaching 	  	18    5  4  9 	  25:32  -7 	  19 
17  Hansa Rostock 	  	18    4  5  9 	  26:33  -7 	  17
--------------------------------------------------------------------
18  Borussia Dortmund II	18    3  7  8 	  21:27  -6 	  16 
19  1. FSV Mainz 05 II (N) 	18    4  4  10 	  20:29  -9 	  16 
20  Jahn Regensburg 	  	18    3  3  12 	  17:35  -18 	  12


A = Absteiger just relegated 
N = Neuling just promoted

1st line: Promotion to 2.Liga
2nd line: Promotion Playoff with 2.Liga 16th place 
3rd line: Relegation to Regionalliga

2.Liga, Round 13:

Big win for Darmstadt, as they outplayed Leipzig and deservedly get the win. The 98ers started quickly and had continued pressure on the Redballs. In the 2nd half, the Rasenbulls made an attempt to come back, but it didn’t last too long, and Darmstadt was always closer to the decisive second goal. An interesting aside is that before the game, the Darmstadt fan section handed over some 5,000 euros that they had collected to the club. Darmstadt had been fined that amount by the DFB for poor fan behavior in a previous match, where they had tossed toilet paper rolls onto the field. The fan clubs apologized and paid teh fine for the club, which has got to be a first in football.

Kaiserslautern figured to get the points, as they faced a Bochum team that has fallen apart. Indeed, FCK dominated the match, but they wasted enough chances to win two games. Bochum actually took advantage of their opportunities, grabbing the 1st half lead and then enjoying the Devils waste situations. When FCK finally broke through and grabbed the lead, and a late header by Sestak saved a point for VfL, who really needed something to stop the rot.

A huge relegation battle in Aalen, and FSV Frankfurt gets the win. The first period was a sleeper, but the guests looked better in the 2nd half and get a huge road win.

Another horrible outing for Nürnberg, losing to Sandhausen and getting passed up by the villagers. FCN started decently, but were struggling once SVS equalized. The decisive moment came after an hour, when Petak got his ass tossed for a nasty tackle. Sandhausen smelled an opportunity, and Nürnberg was unable to hold on a man down, and end up losing. After the match, FCN coach Valerian Ismael was fired.

St. Pauli continues to sink. Perhaps 3.Liga treasurers are beginning to salivate over some large home crowds next year as the Paulistas come to town. This time the Hamburgers stunk against newcomer Heidenheim, who basically ran rings around the hapless Paulistas.

Greuther Fürth was surprisingly lame at home, and got ripped by visiting Karlsruhe. The Greuther looked like they needed a nap, so KSC put them out of their misery. Certainly not the type of performance needed for promotion, but at least they’re not far behind. KSC was solid, and if anything, too nice. They could have started dismantling their hosts in the 1st half.

Leaders Ingolstadt needed a wakeup that everything is not simple. The Schanzer are unbeaten in 17 straight going to last season, and certainly expected a win against struggling Union. But the Berliners showed that they have some bite, and the hosts were in desperate straights for most of the match. Only an injury time goal preserved their unbeaten status. For Union, a sign that they can compete, although it’s probably too late to get back into the race. They should just concentrate on not getting relegated.

Relegated Braunschweig has quietly got themselves back into contention. The Lions made in four wins on the trot with their effort in Aue, who have started sliding back down. It was hardly an impressive performance, but the visitors did show steel in defense and just enough to take advanatge of Erzgebirge mistakes.

Total attendance 122,619 (avg 13,624), sellout in St.Pauli

 	
1. FC Kaiserslautern -   VfL Bochum	        2:2 (0:1)   24,708

                    0:1  Terodde (32., Perthel)
                    1:1  Lakic (48.)
                    2:1  Jacob (82., Matmour)
                    2:2  Sestak (88., Tasaka)

VfR Aalen	     -   FSV Frankfurt	        0:1 (0:0)    5,388

                    0:1  Roshi (72., Rechtsschuss, Balitsch)

SV Sandhausen	     -   1. FC Nürnberg	        2:1 (1:1)    6,436

                    0:1  Füllkrug (16., Polak)
                    1:1  Bieler (26., Wooten)
                    2:1  Wooten (77., Thiede)
 
 	
FC St. Pauli	     -   1. FC Heidenheim	0:3 (0:2)   22,844 *

                    0:1  Niederlechner (26., Titsch-Rivero)
                    0:2  Niederlechner (31., Schnatterer)
                    0:3  Leipertz (52., Schnatterer)

SV Darmstadt 98	     -   RB Leipzig	        1:0 (1:0)   14,400

                    1:0  Stroh-Engel (5., Heller)

 	
SpVgg Greuther Fürth -   Karlsruher SC	        0:3 (0:0)   11,485

                    0:1  Yamada (48., Hennings)
                    0:2  Gordon (57., Hennings)
                    0:3  Yamada (75., Nazarov)

FC Ingolstadt 04     -   1. FC Union Berlin	3:3 (2:2)    8,008

                    0:1  Köhler (18., penalty, Quiring)
                    0:2  Quiring (21., Kreilach)
                    1:2  Parensen (36., own goal, Leckie)
                    2:2  Matip (45., P. Groß)
                    2:3  Polter (79., M. Thiel)
                    3:3  Mijatovic (90. + 1, Matip)

Erzgebirge Aue	     -   Eintracht Braunschweig	1:2 (1:1)   10,050

                    0:1  Ryu (9., R. Korte)
                    1:1  Novikovas (43., penalty, Vucur)
                    1:2  Hedenstad (59., Boland)

Monday:
1860 München	     -   Fortuna Düsseldorf	0:1 (0:1)   19,300

                    0:1  Bruno Soares (4.)
	


 1  FC Ingolstadt 04 	  	13    7  6  0 	  21:9 	 +12 	  27 
 2  Fortuna Düsseldorf 	  	13    6  6  1 	  21:12  +9 	  24
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 3  SV Darmstadt 98 (N) 	13    6  5  2 	  20:12  +8 	  23
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 4  1. FC Kaiserslautern 	13    5  6  2 	  19:15  +4 	  21 
 5  1. FC Heidenheim (N) 	13    5  5  3 	  24:15  +9 	  20 
 6  Karlsruher SC	  	13    5  5  3 	  19:11  +8 	  20 
 7  RasenBallsport Leipzig (N) 	13    5  5  3 	  16:9 	 +7 	  20 
 8  Eintracht Braunschweig (A) 	13    6  2  5 	  20:17  +3 	  20 
 9  SpVgg Greuther Fürth 	13    5  3  5 	  19:19   0 	  18 
10  VfL Bochum 	  	        13    3  7  3 	  20:21  -1 	  16 
11  FSV Frankfurt 	  	13    4  3  6 	  18:22  -4 	  15 
12  SV Sandhausen 	  	13    4  3  6 	  11:18  -7 	  15 
13  1. FC Union Berlin 	  	13    3  5  5 	  14:21  -7 	  14 
14  1. FC Nürnberg (A)	  	13    4  2  7 	  14:24  -10 	  14 
15  1860 München 	  	13    3  3  7 	  15:21  -6 	  12
--------------------------------------------------------------------
16  Erzgebirge Aue 	  	13    3  3  7 	  13:20  -7 	  12
--------------------------------------------------------------------
17  FC St. Pauli	  	13    3  3  7 	  13:25  -12 	  12 
18  VfR Aalen 	  	        13    2  4  7 	  10:16  -6 	  10


1st line: Promotion to Bundesliga
2nd line: Playoff with 16th Bundesliga
3rd line: Playoff with no.3 of 3.Liga
4th line: Relegation to 3.Liga

A = Absteiger just relegated 
N = Neuling just promoted

3.Liga, Round 17: Tight at the top

Things are tight in the 3.Liga. The gap between 1st place and 10th place is only 3 points!! The 3.Liga is so balanced that no team has really stood out, and it’s anybody’s to win.

The top clash was in Bielefeld, where Arminia looked the better team, but were unable to convert to a win. Wehen held on and then struck late to grab a point and remain in 1st place.

In a mtach played in Reutlingen, Stuttgarter Kickers and Münster had a hard fought draw that keeps both in the thick of things.

MSV Duisburg was the stronger side against Erfurt, their constant pressure rewarded down the stretch with the decisive goals. The Zebras had ben dropping points, so they needed a string showing. RWE remains in the the race,, and will probably just write this one off.

Chemnitz announced themselves back with a thorough thumping of Regensburg. CFC was an early pace setter, but has been dicking around recently, perhaps this string outing will get them back. Jahn looks to be one of the few non-competitive teams. That is perhaps a bit harsh, as they have been in many close matches, but they haven’t been getting any results, and their goal difference is horrible. They’ll need a major turnaround soon, else they’ll fall too far behind.

Dynamo Dresden was the biggest loser this week. The easterners expected a good result from their visit to Unterhaching, who had been almost 10 matches without a win. Instead they got thoroughly biatch-slapped, as the mini-Münchenkins ran all over them.

Well, perhaps Cottbus might want to take issue with the “biggest loser”. Energie certainly had high hopes as they faced penultimate Dortmund-II. But instead they ran into determined BVB-Bubis and got their ass kicked.

Another bottom team that showed spunf was Sonnenhof Großaspach. They showed up at Halle and put in a good performance, getting a win and lifting themselves out of the relegation zone.

Total attendance 62,386 (avg 6,287)

 	
Borussia Dortmund II -   Energie Cottbus	3:0 (1:0)    2,190
VfL Osnabrück	     -   1. FSV Mainz 05 II	2:0 (1:0)    7,672
Hansa Rostock	     -   VfB Stuttgart II	4:1 (2:0)    6,000
SpVgg Unterhaching   -   Dynamo Dresden	        3:0 (0:0)    7,000
Arminia Bielefeld    -   SV Wehen Wiesbaden	1:1 (0:0)   12,963
Chemnitzer FC	     -   Jahn Regensburg	4:1 (3:0)    5,070
Hallescher FC	     -   SG S.hof Großaspach	0:2 (0:0)    6,033
MSV Duisburg	     -   Rot-Weiß Erfurt	2:0 (0:0)   10,419
Stuttgarter Kickers  -   Preußen Münster	1:1 (0:1)    3,150
Fortuna Köln	     -   Holstein Kiel	        0:0 (0:0)    1,889


 1  SV Wehen Wiesbaden 	  	17    9  3  5 	  29:20  +9 	  30 
 2  Preußen Münster 	  	17    8  5  4 	  26:21  +5 	  29
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 3  Arminia Bielefeld (A) 	17    8  4  5 	  32:23  +9 	  28
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 4  Chemnitzer FC	  	17    8  4  5 	  19:11  +8 	  28 
 5  MSV Duisburg 	  	17    7  7  3 	  23:16  +7 	  28 
 6  VfL Osnabrück 	  	17    8  4  5 	  27:25  +2 	  28 
 7  Rot-Weiß Erfurt 	  	17    8  4  5 	  24:22  +2 	  28 
 8  Stuttgarter Kickers 	17    7  6  4 	  28:22  +6 	  27 
 9  Energie Cottbus (A)	  	17    7  6  4 	  20:16  +4 	  27 
10  Dynamo Dresden (A)  	17    7  6  4 	  23:21  +2 	  27 
11  Holstein Kiel	  	17    6  7  4 	  20:13  +7 	  25 
12  VfB Stuttgart II 	  	17    7  3  7 	  24:28  -4 	  24 
13  Fortuna Köln (N) 	  	17    5  4  8 	  17:18  -1 	  19 
14  Hallescher FC 	  	17    5  4  8 	  20:24  -4 	  19 
15  SpVgg Unterhaching 	  	17    5  4  8 	  25:30  -5 	  19 
16  Hansa Rostock 	  	17    4  5  8 	  26:32  -6 	  17 
17  SG Sonnenhof Großaspach (N) 17    4  5  8 	  20:30  -10 	  17
--------------------------------------------------------------------
18  1. FSV Mainz 05 II (N) 	17    4  4  9 	  20:28  -8 	  16 
19  Borussia Dortmund II 	17    3  6  8 	  20:26  -6 	  15 
20  Jahn Regensburg 	  	17    3  3  11 	  17:34  -17 	  12


A = Absteiger just relegated 
N = Neuling just promoted

1st line: Promotion to 2.Liga
2nd line: Promotion Playoff with 2.Liga 16th place 
3rd line: Relegation to Regionalliga

BUNDESLIGA, Round 11: Wolfsburg backup driver

Another walk in the park for leaders Bayern München as they easily dismantled host Eintracht Frankfurt behind Thomas Müller’s hat-trick. Bayern was so dominant they might have as well not even bothered playing. Aside from the obligatory sellout wherever Bayern shows up, Frankfurt had nothing really to cheer about.

Well played by Hannover in Berlin to start off the round on Friday night. The 96ers were clever and well organized. Hertha started off reasonably well, but when they fell behind just before half, they really couldn’t get started back in the 2nd period. So the 96ers controlled the match and eventually finished it off. Despite a pathetic offense, Hannover is sitting pretty in 4th right now. Hertha has had a couple of lame outings now, and could be sinking into serious trouble.

A snoozer in Leverkusen against Mainz. The Aspirins were clearly dominant, but Mainz GK Loris Karius was in top form, and the home side couldn’t get anything past him. Overall, it has to be disappointing for Leverkusen, wasting a likely win, but Mainz has to be happy, given a few difficult outings recently.

The “Itchy and Scratchy Fight Club” derby ended with a thumping Augsburg win. It is perhaps a bit out of order, as Paderborn didn’t play badly, and created a few decent chances, but they neglected to push the ball over the line. FCA has been quite strong at home and notches up more points towards establishing themselves as a Budndesliga stalwart.

A lucky win for Köln at Hoffenheim, in an exciting match. the hosts took a quick lead, but Köln quickly broke them down and answered with three quick goals. Hoffenheim came storming back, and generally dominated the rest of the match, but the visitors stood firm. Then with practically their only shot in the 2nd half, the Kölners grabbed a winner and get a big victory.

Freiburg is back and Schalke is in crisis. The Breisgauer had been poor, but now have shown enough life that they can believe that they are strong enough to avoid relegation. Schalke started well, but when they fell behind, they had no ideas. Instead Freiburg got more confident and started pushing aruond the Blues, and eventually finished them off. It looks like the Di Matteo appointment hasn’t had any effect, as Schalke continue to play poorly.

Bremen won a relegation battle with Stuttgart thanks to a solid performance. It was a hard fought, although hardly attractive, battle. Neither side looked good, but both are in crisis and seeking points.

Wolfsburg didn’t have to do too much to win their northern clash against Hamburg. The VWs were simply better, and had a relatively easy time getting the win. This keeps them in 2nd, even within shouting distance of Bayern. Certainly they have established themselves as Bayern’s backup. I suppose it’s a bit like the Miss America runner-up, should Bayern “be unable to fufill their obligations, blah-blah-blah…”. Still, VfL has been playing good football. HSV showed very little, no surprise.

Dortmund is in desperate straights, considering that the match against Gladbach began with BVB in last place! Now the Neons gave an indication that they really wanted to get a result, and completely dominated against their unbeaten opponents. How much? Consider that they outshot their opponents 22-1. However despite the sustained pressure Dortmund was not getting the result they needed. It took a “Goal of the Year” nominee to get them the points. And it was truly legendary, since it was an own goal. Gladbach’s World Cup winner Christoph Kramer tried a backpass from about 45 meters, but GK Sommer slipped, was unable to recover, and the ball went into the net. All things considered, I suppose it was no less than Dortmund deserved, but coach Klopp isn’t going to complain, since they desperately needed the points. A rather disappointing outing from Gladbach. They were disciplined, but showed zero going forward, so in that sense they deserved to lose.

Total attendance 353,780 (avg 39,309), sellouts in Hoffenheim, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Wolfsburg, Dortmund


Hertha BSC	     -   Hannover 96	        0:2 (0:1)   39,710

                    0:1  Briand (44., Kiyotake)
                    0:2  Kiyotake (76., Bittencourt)

Bayer 04 Leverkusen  -   1. FSV Mainz 05	0:0 (0:0)   29,714

FC Augsburg	     -   SC Paderborn 07	3:0 (1:0)   27,755

                    1:0  To. Werner (7., Halil Altintop)
                    2:0  To. Werner (47., Verhaegh)
                    3:0  Callsen-Bracker (68., To. Werner)

TSG Hoffenheim	     -   1. FC Köln	        3:4 (3:3)   30,150 *

                    1:0  Szalai (2., Strobl)
                    1:1  Olkowski (5.)
                    1:2  M. Lehmann (12., direkct freekick)
                    1:3  Ujah (35., Olkowski)
                    2:3  Roberto Firmino (39., Elyounoussi)
                    3:3  Roberto Firmino (45., Volland)
                    3:4  Olkowski (83., Brecko)

Eintracht Frankfurt  -   Bayern München	        0:4 (0:1)   51,500 *

                    0:1  T. Müller (23., Ribery)
                    0:2  T. Müller (64., Ribery)
                    0:3  T. Müller (67., M. Götze)
                    0:4  Shaqiri (86., Rode)

SC Freiburg	     -   FC Schalke 04	        2:0 (1:0)   24,000 *

                    1:0  C. Günter (22., Freis)
                    2:0  Schmid (68.)

Werder Bremen	     -   VfB Stuttgart	        2:0 (1:0)   40,284

                    1:0  Prödl (30., Junuzovic)
                    2:0  Bartels (57., Junuzovic)

 	
VfL Wolfsburg	     -   Hamburger SV	        2:0 (1:0)   30,000 *

                    1:0  Olic (27., De Bruyne)
                    2:0  Hunt (64., De Bruyne)

Borussia Dortmund    -   Bor. Mönchengladbach	1:0 (0:0)   80,667 *

                    1:0  Kramer (58., own goal)



 1  Bayern München (M, P) 	11    8  3  0 	  27:3 	 +24 	  27 
 2  VfL Wolfsburg 	  	11    7  2  2 	  22:9 	 +13 	  23 
 3  Bor. Mönchengladbach 	11    5  5  1 	  15:6 	 +9 	  20
 4  Hannover 96 	  	11    6  1  4 	   9:11  -2 	  19
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 5  TSG Hoffenheim 	  	11    4  5  2 	  17:14  +3 	  17 
 6  Bayer 04 Leverkusen 	11    4  5  2 	  17:15  +2 	  17
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 7  FC Augsburg 	  	11    5  0  6 	  14:12  +2 	  15 
 8  1. FSV Mainz 05 	  	11    3  6  2 	  13:12  +1 	  15 
 9  SC Paderborn 07 (N) 	11    4  3  4 	  16:16   0 	  15 
10  1. FC Köln (N) 	  	11    4  3  4 	  11:11   0 	  15 
11  FC Schalke 04	  	11    4  2  5 	  14:15  -1 	  14 
12  Eintracht Frankfurt 	11    3  3  5 	  17:23  -6 	  12 
13  SC Freiburg 	  	11    2  5  4 	  11:14  -3 	  11 
14  Hertha BSC Berlin	  	11    3  2  6 	  15:21  -6 	  11 
15  Borussia Dortmund 	  	11    3  1  7 	  12:17  -5 	  10
--------------------------------------------------------------------
16  Werder Bremen 	  	11    2  4  5 	  14:24  -10 	  10
--------------------------------------------------------------------
17  Hamburger SV	  	11    2  3  6 	   4:14  -10 	  9
18  VfB Stuttgart 	  	11    2  3  6 	  14:25  -11 	  9 



	
1st line: Champions League
2nd line: Europaliga (+ Cup winner)
3rd line: Playoff with 2.Liga 3rd place
4th line: Relegation to 2.Liga

M = Meister, defending Champion
P = Pokalsieger, Cup winner
N = Neuling, just promoted

2.Liga, Round 12: No changes

Nothing really changed this week – the top 8 clubs all drew – except perhaps that 1860 finally woke and kicked Bochum’s ass. but Bochum has been falling apart and seems to be in freefall right now, so although it raises some eyes, it’s not a shock. Still, for 1860, it’s a big win, since they’ve basically sucked all season and at least get out of the bottom slots – even if only on goal difference.

The fist top match was between Düsseldorf and Ingolstadt, and neither side was willing to risk much. So a rather boring draw, and Ingolstadt remains unbeaten a sole leader.

Leipzig hosted Kaiserslautern, and it was pretty similar. Neither side could gain a grip on the match, and although perhaps there was a bit more action than in Düsseldorf, it was ultimately scoreless as well.

St.Pauli has been surprisingly sucky, but they looked like they were going to pull one out at Nürnberg. But der Club pulled a late goal and salvaged a point. Both sides look vulnerable

 	
Karlsruher SC	     -   SV Sandhausen	        1:1 (0:0)   13,203

                    1:0  Torres (65., Micanski)
                    1:1  Stiefler (73.)

Fortuna Düsseldorf   -   FC Ingolstadt 04	0:0 (0:0)   33,878

1. FC Union Berlin   -   SpVgg Greuther Fürth	0:1 (0:1)   18,702

                    0:1  K. Przybylko (3., B. Röcker)

1. FC Nürnberg	     -   FC St. Pauli	        2:2 (1:1)   37,033

                    0:1  Rzatkowski (1., Maier)
                    1:1  Sylvestr (18.)
                    1:2  Maier (59., Daube)
                    2:2  Sylvestr (87., Füllkrug)

1. FC Heidenheim     -   SV Darmstadt 98	1:1 (1:1)   12,000

                    0:1  Stroh-Engel (8., Sailer)
                    1:1  Morabit (37., Heise)

Eintr. Braunschweig  -   VfR Aalen	        2:1 (1:0)   21,140

                    1:0  Ryu (32., Boland)
                    1:1  Ludwig (60., Klauß)
                    2:1  Kruppke (72.)

FSV Frankfurt	     -   Erzgebirge Aue	        1:1 (1:0)    4,056

                    1:0  Oumari (23., M. Engels)
                    1:1  Vucur (70., Schönfeld)

VfL Bochum	     -   1860 München	        0:3 (0:0)   15,607

                    0:1  Okotie (62., Adlung)
                    0:2  Okotie (74., Adlung)
                    0:3  Adlung (87.)


Monday:
RB Leipzig	     -   1. FC Kaiserslautern	0:0 (0:0)   25,637 	


 1  FC Ingolstadt 04 	  	12    7  5  0 	  18:6 	 +12 	  26 
 2  Fortuna Düsseldorf 	  	12    5  6  1 	  20:12  +8 	  21
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 3  RasenBallsport Leipzig (N) 	12    5  5  2 	  16:8 	 +8 	  20 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 4  SV Darmstadt 98 (N) 	12    5  5  2 	  19:12  +7 	  20
 5  1. FC Kaiserslautern 	12    5  5  2 	  17:13  +4 	  20 
 6  SpVgg Greuther Fürth 	12    5  3  4 	  19:16  +3 	  18 
 7  1. FC Heidenheim (N) 	12    4  5  3 	  21:15  +6 	  17 
 8  Karlsruher SC 	  	12    4  5  3 	  16:11  +5 	  17 
 9  Eintracht Braunschweig (A) 	12    5  2  5 	  18:16  +2 	  17 
10  VfL Bochum 	  	        12    3  6  3 	  18:19  -1 	  15 
11  1. FC Nürnberg (A) 	  	12    4  2  6 	  13:22  -9 	  14 
12  1. FC Union Berlin	  	12    3  4  5 	  11:18  -7 	  13 
13  FSV Frankfurt 	  	12    3  3  6 	  17:22  -5 	  12 
14  1860 München 	  	12    3  3  6 	  15:20  -5 	  12 
15  Erzgebirge Aue 	  	12    3  3  6 	  12:18  -6 	  12
--------------------------------------------------------------------
16  SV Sandhausen 	  	12    3  3  6 	   9:17  -8 	  12
--------------------------------------------------------------------
17  FC St. Pauli 	  	12    3  3  6 	  13:22  -9 	  12 
18  VfR Aalen	  	        12    2  4  6 	  10:15  -5 	  10



1st line: Promotion to Bundesliga
2nd line: Playoff with 16th Bundesliga
3rd line: Playoff with no.3 of 3.Liga
4th line: Relegation to 3.Liga

A = Absteiger just relegated 
N = Neuling just promoted