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Post by Bismarck on Apr 27, 2008 22:53:45 GMT
Bayern Munich beat VfB Stuttgart 4-1 on Sunday to move 12 points clear in the Bundesliga with only one point required from their last four games to seal a 21st German title.
Luca Toni scored his 36th goal in 42 matches in the eighth minute. Antonio da Silva equalised nine minutes later before Mark van Bommel fired in a superb low shot that curled around the wall off an indirect free kick in the 55th minute.
Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld had rested Franck Ribery along with four other first team players ahead of a semi-final second leg UEFA Cup match on Thursday at Zenit St Petersburg.
However, he decided to send Ribery on in the 57th minute and the France playmaker scored twice within two minutes.
Ribery blasted a spectacular long-range shot into the top right corner beyond the fingertips of keeper Raphael Schaefer in the 75th minute and then beat two Stuttgart defenders before firing in a crisp shot with his weaker left foot.
'He comes off the bench and shows his class right away,' said Hitzfeld, who also sent in Ze Roberto for the final 23 minutes to tune up for St Petersburg. 'Two ball artists go in and Ribery scores two dream goals.'
Hitzfeld made it clear that reaching the UEFA Cup final was the top priority on Sunday with the Bundesliga all but wrapped up. 'I'm glad I rested Ribery. He was hugely motivated when he came in off the bench,' he said.
Bayern, who drew 1-1 at home with Zenit St Petersburg last week, lead the Bundesliga with 66 points. They won the German Cup last Saturday.
'It's good we didn't clinch the championship now because there would have been too much celebrating and we wouldn't have been able to concentrate on the hard match at St Petersburg,' Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.
Rummenigge and sporting director Uli Hoeness told Premiere Television the players had rejected their offer to hold a small celebration if they clinched the Bundesliga because they wanted to focus on the UEFA Cup match on Thursday.
'They rejected any kind of a celebration,' Hoeness said. 'They didn't want even a small party now because they want to win at St Petersburg. That really impressed me. It shows the character of the team, it shows what a great spirit they have.'
Werder Bremen are second with 54 points after losing ground on Saturday with a 3-3 draw at Karlsruhe. Schalke 04 are third, also with 54 points, after beating Hamburg SV 1-0 on Saturday.
Hitzfeld said it was hard to imagine Bayern squandering the Bundesliga championship now with a 12-point lead and four matches left -- along with a superior 20-goal advantage over second place Werder Bremen.
'The team showed a lot of character once again,' Hitzfeld told Premiere Televsion. 'We believe we can win every match with five or six fresh players coming in. We'd be on our last legs if we had to play so many matches with the same 11 players.'
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Post by arover on Apr 28, 2008 14:14:47 GMT
Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Bayern Munich 30 10 5 0 35 7 9 4 2 24 11 41 66 2 Werder Bremen 30 11 0 4 40 18 5 6 4 25 26 21 54 3 Schalke 04 30 9 3 3 27 12 6 6 3 21 19 17 54 4 Bayer Leverkusen 30 9 4 2 31 10 5 2 8 21 23 19 48 5 Hamburg 30 8 5 2 23 10 4 7 4 14 12 15 48 6 VfB Stuttgart 30 11 1 3 33 16 4 2 9 16 31 2 48 7 Wolfsburg 30 6 5 4 24 17 6 3 6 23 25 5 44 8 Eintracht Frankfurt 30 7 4 4 18 19 4 6 5 18 21 -4 43 9 Hannover 96 30 6 5 4 25 27 5 4 6 20 22 -4 42 10 Karlsruhe 30 6 5 4 21 18 5 4 6 14 21 -4 42 11 VfL Bochum 30 5 9 1 31 23 4 2 9 13 23 -2 38 12 Hertha Berlin 30 7 3 5 17 17 2 5 8 15 21 -6 35 13 Borussia Dortmund 30 6 4 4 24 18 3 4 9 19 36 -11 35 14 Cottbus 30 7 2 7 23 20 1 6 7 9 29 -17 32 15 Arminia Bielefeld 30 6 3 6 17 16 1 5 9 12 38 -25 29 16 Nuremburg 30 4 7 4 19 16 2 2 11 14 32 -15 27 17 Hansa Rostock 30 5 4 6 15 16 2 2 11 11 27 -17 27 18 MSV Duisburg 30 2 3 10 14 24 5 2 8 15 20 -15 26
Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Bayern Munich 30 10 5 0 35 7 9 4 2 24 11 41 66 2 Werder Bremen 30 11 0 4 40 18 5 6 4 25 26 21 54 3 Schalke 04 30 9 3 3 27 12 6 6 3 21 19 17 54 4 Bayer Leverkusen 30 9 4 2 31 10 5 2 8 21 23 19 48 5 Hamburg 30 8 5 2 23 10 4 7 4 14 12 15 48 6 VfB Stuttgart 30 11 1 3 33 16 4 2 9 16 31 2 48 7 Wolfsburg 30 6 5 4 24 17 6 3 6 23 25 5 44 8 Eintracht Frankfurt 30 7 4 4 18 19 4 6 5 18 21 -4 43 9 Hannover 96 30 6 5 4 25 27 5 4 6 20 22 -4 42 10 Karlsruhe 30 6 5 4 21 18 5 4 6 14 21 -4 42 11 VfL Bochum 30 5 9 1 31 23 4 2 9 13 23 -2 38 12 Hertha Berlin 30 7 3 5 17 17 2 5 8 15 21 -6 35 13 Borussia Dortmund 30 6 4 4 24 18 3 4 9 19 36 -11 35 14 Cottbus 30 7 2 7 23 20 1 6 7 9 29 -17 32 15 Arminia Bielefeld 30 6 3 6 17 16 1 5 9 12 38 -25 29 16 Nuremburg 30 4 7 4 19 16 2 2 11 14 32 -15 27 17 Hansa Rostock 30 5 4 6 15 16 2 2 11 11 27 -17 27 18 MSV Duisburg 30 2 3 10 14 24 5 2 8 15 20 -15 26
Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Bayern Munich 30 10 5 0 35 7 9 4 2 24 11 41 66 2 Werder Bremen 30 11 0 4 40 18 5 6 4 25 26 21 54 3 Schalke 04 30 9 3 3 27 12 6 6 3 21 19 17 54 4 Bayer Leverkusen 30 9 4 2 31 10 5 2 8 21 23 19 48 5 Hamburg 30 8 5 2 23 10 4 7 4 14 12 15 48 6 VfB Stuttgart 30 11 1 3 33 16 4 2 9 16 31 2 48 7 Wolfsburg 30 6 5 4 24 17 6 3 6 23 25 5 44 8 Eintracht Frankfurt 30 7 4 4 18 19 4 6 5 18 21 -4 43 9 Hannover 96 30 6 5 4 25 27 5 4 6 20 22 -4 42 10 Karlsruhe 30 6 5 4 21 18 5 4 6 14 21 -4 42 11 VfL Bochum 30 5 9 1 31 23 4 2 9 13 23 -2 38 12 Hertha Berlin 30 7 3 5 17 17 2 5 8 15 21 -6 35 13 Borussia Dortmund 30 6 4 4 24 18 3 4 9 19 36 -11 35 14 Cottbus 30 7 2 7 23 20 1 6 7 9 29 -17 32 15 Arminia Bielefeld 30 6 3 6 17 16 1 5 9 12 38 -25 29 16 Nuremburg 30 4 7 4 19 16 2 2 11 14 32 -15 27 17 Hansa Rostock 30 5 4 6 15 16 2 2 11 11 27 -17 27 18 MSV Duisburg 30 2 3 10 14 24 5 2 8 15 20 -15 26
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Post by Bismarck on May 3, 2008 19:53:29 GMT
Werder Bremen beat Energie Cottbus 2-0 on Saturday to strengthen their grip on second place in the Bundesliga and leave Bayern Munich on the brink of their 21st league title. Werder's victory leaves them nine points behind leaders Bayern with three games left to play. Bayern have a big advantage in goal difference but to be mathematically sure of the title they need a point from their final four matches, starting away to VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday... Still Bayern for me.....wunderbar
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Post by Bismarck on Jul 5, 2008 6:52:00 GMT
Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Cologne and other suitors of Lukas Podolski will have to look elsewhere with new Bayern Munich boss Jurgen Klinsmann determined to keep the Germany forward at the Allianz Arena.
The 23-year-old Polish-born forward has been disappointed at lack of regular football at Bayern and as such hinted towards a move out of Munich this summer. But Klinsmann, who saw him flourish for the national side, is now the boss of Bayern and looks forward to make optimum use of the versatile attacker.
Klinsmann told Munich-based newspaper tz: "I already said before the European Championship that I am absolutely building on Lukas.
"Lukas has so much potential, so much in him, that it has to still be further developed.
"That he suffers under the situation is absolutely understandable. It is up to me to give him a prospect of getting his games.
"I have told him: you are not allowed to run away from the situation now. The quality is so high - we are not going to let that get away."
He added: "I will give all my effort to making him feel happy. That he has a bit of home sickness (for Cologne) is surely only human.
"For all of us is it important to help these players. If Podolski at some time can not reach his potential for emotional reasons, one has to make provisions for that.
"That is our responsibility."
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Post by Bismarck on Aug 12, 2008 14:56:00 GMT
Bayern Munich should have little difficulty securing a 22nd Bundesliga title this season with Juergen Klinsmann in charge.
Though expectations for Bayern are always high, they have reached new levels since the former striker who coached Germany to the 2006 World Cup semi-finals was handed the job.
Klinsmann has tried to warn against inflated expectations in the short term at Bayern, who also won the German Cup last season and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup.
He said it may take time for things to settle at the club, who after a record 81-million euro spree before the 2007-08 season have so far stayed out of the transfer market.
'We aren't yet able to say how far we are because all the players have come to training camp at different times,' the 44-year-old told reporters, referring to the staggered return of a squad full of internationals after Euro 2008.
'It'll naturally take a while until everyone's reached the same level,' said Klinsmann. 'Our preparations will continue till late August or even September. We've got a lot of work to do.'
But Klinsmann also made it clear from his first news conference in Munich last month that he expects Bayern to dominate their league opponents, defend their domestic double and reach the Champions League final.
'We want to dominate play and we want to score a lot of goals,' Klinsmann said. 'We want to win both German titles, the Bundesliga and the German Cup. And we want to be in the Champions League all the way to the end.'
Crowd favourites France playmaker Franck Ribery and Italy striker Luca Toni are both nursing injuries and Euro 2008 frustrations. The two moved to Munich a year ago and made an instant impact, helping turn Bayern into a scoring machine.
Bayern ran away with the league, losing only two of their 34 matches and clinching a 21st title four rounds before the end.
Toni also finished as the Bundesliga's top scorer with 24 goals, helping Bayern win a domestic double for the third time in four seasons.
Among Klinsmann's challenges will be to extract as much from young German internationals Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger as he was able to do while coaching Germany.
Bayern's title defence starts on Aug. 15 against Hamburg SV.
Werder Bremen, Schalke 04 and Hamburg SV will also look to be in the title chase after finishing last season in that order.
Werder playmaker Diego and Schalke's Rafinha will miss the start of the season as they are both in Brazil's Olympic squad at the Beijing Games.
VfL Wolfsburg, fifth last season, are also likely to be in the thick of things. Coach and sporting director Felix Magath has splashed out to bring in Italian defenders Andrea Barzagli and Cristian Zaccardo from Palermo.
Bayern could be a very dangerous side this season but expect lots of challenge from Shackle 04, Weder and HSV. Just hope they do well in CL this season after missing out last season. Klinsmann's work will be tested for first time on 15/08 against HSV. I look forward to Bayern Vs Real Madrid in CL.
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Post by Bismarck on Aug 17, 2008 11:54:12 GMT
Promoted 1899 Hoffenheim pulled off a 3-0 away win over Energie Cottbus on Saturday to finish their first day as a Bundesliga club on top of the league table.
Boasting just one new addition to their line-up since clinching promotion from the second division last season, Ralph Rangnick's side showed no sign of nerves, seeing off Cottbus with two Vedad Ibesevic goals either side of a Demba Ba strike.
Hoffenheim were joined at the top by Schalke 04 who demolished Hanover 96 by the same scoreline, with the Gelsenkirchen team's goals all coming from set pieces.
Two goals scored from corners in the opening seven minutes put Schalke in control of the match -- Marcelo Bordon heading in the first and Kevin Kuryani prodding home the second.
Kuryani headed in his second and Schalke's third midway through the second half, this time after latching on to a free kick.
Following the 2-2 draw between champions Bayern Munich and Hamburg SV on Friday, last year's runners-up Werder Bremen also had to settle for a single point after being held 2-2 away against Bielefeld.
After a goal-less first half, Werder twice took the lead through Markus Rosenborg but were pegged back each time by equalisers from Bielefeld striker Artur Wichniarek.
Borussia Dortmund ran out narrow winners in the day's highest scoring match, celebrating a thrilling 3-2 away win over Bayer Leverkusen.
Dortmund had looked in charge after taking a 3-1 lead early in the second half but had to soak up sustained pressure in the closing stages after Stefan Kiessling put the home side back in contention with seven minutes remaining.
Looking to build on their impressive fifth place finish last season, VfL Wolfsburg fell a goal down at home against promoted Cologne before turning the match around with two second half goals.
Karlsruhe SC enjoyed a more straightforward 1-0 win over VfL Bochum.
The opening round of the Bundesliga will be completed on Sunday when Eintracht Frankfurt host Hertha Berlin and Bundesliga returners Borussia Moenchengladbach take on Stuttgart.
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Post by Bismarck on Aug 23, 2008 21:22:02 GMT
August 23, 2008 Hamburg SV 2-1 Karlsruhe
Hertha Berlin 1-1 Arminia Bielefeld
Werder Bremen 1-1 Schalke 04
VfB Stuttgart 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Bayern Munich
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Post by Bismarck on Aug 23, 2008 21:22:38 GMT
Midfielder Tim Borowski came off the bench to snatch a 1-1 draw for 10-man Bayern Munich against Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Polish midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski had given Dortmund a ninth-minute lead and things went from bad to worse for the German champions in the 23rd minute, when Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel was given his marching orders.
But new signing Borowski, who joined from Werder Bremen, saved Juergen Klinsmann's side from defeat with an equaliser 16 minutes from time after being brought on at half-time.
Klinsmann, whose side drew 2-2 with Hamburg in their season opener on Aug 15, was pleased with the final outcome.
'Obviously we wanted to win and we've only taken a point, but with ten men it was totally deserved,' he said.
'It was an emotionally-charged and thrilling match,' added the former Germany coach who has replaced Ottmar Hitzfeld.
'The team reacted superbly to the sending off. We sat down at halftime and agreed we had to attack, we wanted to put Dortmund under pressure. What the lads achieved in the second 45 minutes was sensational. We deserved to come away with a point.'
Promoted Hoffenheim are the unlikely Bundesliga leaders, having made it two wins from two matches with a 1-0 home victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach. Bosnian forward Vedad Ibisevic got the winner in the 31st minute.
Dutch defender Joris Mathijsen scored in the 90th minute to give Hamburg SV a 2-1 win over SC Karlsruhe, while Bayer Leverkusen were 2-0 winners at VfB Stuttgart.
Schalke 04, tipped to be title contenders this season, grabbed a late 1-1 draw at Bremen. Heiko Westermann got their equaliser with minutes left after German international Torsten Frings had given Werder a 64th minute lead.
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Post by Bismarck on Aug 26, 2008 16:22:04 GMT
Bayern Munich have told Mark van Bommel that he could be stripped of the captain's armband unless he becomes a more responsible leader on the pitch after notching his third red card in his last 10 matches.
GettyImages
Van Bommel: Sent off in Bayern's draw.
Van Bommel inherited the captaincy this summer following the retirement of Oliver Kahn but was sent off after just 23 minutes on Saturday during Bayern's 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund.
The 31-year-old Dutch midfielder was dismissed after being shown two yellow cards in as many minutes; the first for a dangerous foul and the second for an act of violent conduct spotted by the linesman.
While Bayern's management, principally head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, will now remind Van Bommel of his responsibilities as club captain, club president Franz Beckenbauer does not anticipate any radical change.
'Van Bommel is a short-tempered character who does not have control over himself and, therefore, does not do himself nor the team any favours,' he told Premiere television. 'He must learn to control himself.'
Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Germany's Bild newspaper: 'The first yellow card is acceptable, but you should never get a second yellow card like that and Mark has got to learn that. It is for his own good and for the good of the team (that he learns).
'The important thing is that he realises that he has made an error, but I think he knows himself that he has left the rest of the team in the lurch.'
However, rather than being contrite and accepting his punishment van Bommel instead vented his frustrations claiming to have become a marked man for referees.
'There is a saying in Holland that the bigger trees catch more wind,' explained van Bommel. 'Maybe I have an image problem. When other players do that, then the game is allowed to play on. It is possible that I am being watched particularly closely.'
Regardless of Van Bommel's complaints, Rummenigge was in doubt that the referee made the correct decision.
'I have seen the scene several times in TV, even in the super-slow-motion, and I have to say that, unfortunately, both yellow cards are correct. The referee has made the right decision,' said Rummenigge.
As a result of the red card, Van Bommel will automatically miss next Sunday's Bundesliga clash with Hertha Berlin when either Lucio or Philipp Lahm expected to deputise as skipper.
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Post by Bismarck on Aug 26, 2008 16:24:17 GMT
VfL Wolfsburg fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Bochum on Sunday and go joint fourth in the Bundesliga.
The home side took the lead through Slovak striker Stanislav Sestak in the 12th minute before Christoph Dabrowski doubled their advantage with a 50th minute header past Wolfsburg's Portuguese defender Ricardo Costa.
Costa made amends just moments later when he raced forward to meet a Marcel Schaefer cross. Bochum's Algerian defender Anthar Yahia attempted to clear, but the ball rebounded off Costa's leg and rolled into the net.
Substitute Mahir Saglik then grabbed the equaliser in the 69th minute to deny Bochum, who took their first point of the season, a first home win since March.
'We had far too many good chances in the second half for me to be satisfied with a point,' said Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath.
Promoted Hoffenheim are the unlikely Bundesliga leaders with two wins from their two matches. They beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 1-0 on Saturday.
In Sunday's other match, Eintracht Frankfurt came from behind to snatch a late 1-1 draw away to Cologne with both teams also securing their first point of the campaign.
Promoted Cologne could have been 2-0 up by half time after Milivoje Novakovic gave them the lead after 33 minutes but Roda Antar's penalty six minutes later struck the post.
Christoph Daum's side failed to press in the second half and were punished in the 81st minute when 21-year-old Czech striker Martin Fenin headed home the equaliser.
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 3, 2008 21:42:10 GMT
German Bundesliga 2008/2009 DATE Home SCORE OPPONENT 08/29 Karlsruhe 0 - 2 1. FC Köln 08/30 VfL Wolfsburg 2 - 2 Eintracht Frankfurt 08/30 Borussia M'gladbach 3 - 2 Werder Bremen 08/30 Energie Cottbus 0 - 1 Borussia Dortmund 08/30 Bayer Leverkusen 5 - 2 TSG Hoffenheim 08/30 Arminia Bielefeld 2 - 4 Hamburg SV 08/30 Schalke 04 1 - 0 VfL Bochum 08/31 Bayern Munich 4 - 1 Hertha Berlin 08/31 VfB Stuttgart 2 - 0 Hannover 96
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Post by andynufcfan on Sept 5, 2008 17:09:52 GMT
my german club are schalke as i felt sorry for them after they came so close to winning the title then bayern nicked it in the 4th minute of the injury time from them, anyway a ribery inspired bayern will win it again tbh.
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 11, 2008 12:59:48 GMT
A goalkeeping crisis at Bundesliga leaders Schalke 04 means teenager Ralf Faehrmann will be handed a daunting debut in front of 80,000 hostile fans at local rivals Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
Schalke's first choice keeper Manuel Neuer has yet to play this season because of a broken foot and stand-in Mathias Schober joined him on the casualty list when he suffered a calf strain this week.
Schober is definitely out and although Neuer is due to return to training on Thursday he has ruled out a return to the starting line-up on Saturday.
"It's not going to happen," Neuer told reporters on Wednesday. "I'm taking it as read that I won't be able to play."
He added: "I have absolutely no worries about Faehrmann playing."
Coach Fred Rutten also said he had full confidence in the 19-year-old Faehrmann, who last weekend played for Schalke's second team in front of 900 people.
Schalke lead the standings with seven points from the first three games of the season and with third-placed Dortmund trailing them only on goal difference Saturday's game will have more than just local pride at stake.
The good news for Schalke is that Jefferson Farfan, the Peruvian international signed from PSV Eindhoven ahead of the new season, is ready to make his debut after recovering from a shoulder injury.
Away from the Ruhr Valley, it will be interesting to see if Bayern Munich are now back on track after a 4-1 victory over Hertha Berlin brought them their first win under Juergen Klinsmann.
Bayern face an away trip to Cologne on Saturday and Klinsmann's big hope will be to see Lukas Podolski translate his good form for Germany to the domestic stage in this game against his former club.
Franck Ribery has ruled out making his comeback from an ankle injury against Cologne, although the French playmaker hopes to be in the squad for next week's Champions League clash with Steaua Bucharest.
Werder Bremen, who like Bayern have made a quiet start to the season, should have Torsten Frings in midfield, with or without a face mask, after a broken nose kept him out of Germany's two World Cup qualifiers.
In another enticing game on Saturday Hamburg SV, in second spot on seven points, host Bayer Leverkusen, who are a point behind them in fourth.
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 17, 2008 3:13:40 GMT
September 14, 2008 VfL Bochum 2-0 Arminia Bielefeld
September 13, 2008 Werder Bremen 3-0 Energie Cottbus
Borussia Dortmund 3-3 Schalke 04
Hertha Berlin 2-2 VfL Wolfsburg
Hamburg SV 3-2 Bayer Leverkusen
1. FC Köln 0-3 Bayern Munich
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 17, 2008 3:14:57 GMT
Careless Schalke 04 led by three goals but ended up having to settle for a 3-3 draw at Ruhr rivals Borussia Dortmund after a frantic finale on Saturday.
Schalke, who had two players sent off amid the Dortmund fightback, lost the league leadership in Germany along with their big lead as Hamburg SV completed a great fightback of their own to win 3-2 at home to Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayern Munich enjoyed a far more leisurely afternoon as two goals from Italian striker Luca Toni set them on their way to their second successive Bundesliga win, 3-0 away to Cologne. Lukas Podolski got the third goal, against his former club.
With four matches played, Hamburg lead with 10 points, followed by Bayern, Schalke and Dortmund on eight.
On a day of great attacking football in Germany, the place to be was Dortmund's Westfalenstadion where 80,000 fans roared the home side to a draw they will savour more than many a win.
Schalke took the lead when the referee decided Neven Subotic had handled in the area, giving Peru striker Jefferson Farfan the chance to step up and mark his debut with a penalty.
Rafinha rifled in a second for Schalke after a swift break down the right towards the end of the half and Heiko Westermann's header made it 3-0 nine minutes after the break.
Dortmund gave themselves a lifeline when Subotic atoned for his error in defence with a powerful header in the 67th minute.
Alex Frei then struck from long range to make it 3-2 and Schalke made life harder for themselves when Christian Pander picked up a needless second booking and Fabian Ernst followed him off four minutes later for a horrendous late tackle.
There were still 13 minutes to go but Schalke might have held on but for a very harsh handball decision that left Frei free to lash in the equalising penalty a minute from time.
It was a desperate end to the match for Schalke keeper Ralf Faehrmann, who was making his debut at the age of 19.
The result meant Hamburg got full value for their 3-2 win at home to Leverkusen, who had looked good for a 2-0 lead courtesy of Tranquillo Barnetta and Patrick Helmes, the latter supplying a neat chip to finish off a quick break from deep.
Paolo Guerrero's header reduced the arrears and Hamburg were right back in it when Leverkusen had Manuel Friedrich sent off five minutes before the break.
Ivica Olic drilled in the equaliser after the restart and Mladen Petric sent Hamburg top with a tap-in in the 72nd minute.
"Getting one back before the break was key," said Hamburg coach Martin Jol. "I knew then it was possible."
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 25, 2008 2:20:13 GMT
Former Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn has jumped to the defence of his successor at Bayern Munich and ruled out a return from retirement.
Michael Rensing was on the losing side for the first time in his professional career on Saturday as Bayern lost 5-2 to Werder Bremen - the club's heaviest home defeat in the Bundesliga in almost 30 years.
And the new Bayern number one was singled out for particular criticism with at least two of the Bremen goals blamed on him.
Yet Kahn believes it is far too early to doubt the 24-year-old.
"I have always said that when you want to build young players, then you have got to expect the odd stumble along the way, and that is why it would be fatal to question Rensing now," said the 39-year-old in the Bild newspaper.
"The example of Iker Casillas comes to mind. He came into the Real Madrid team as a youngster and people doubted him, but Madrid stood by him and now he is European champion and one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
"A goalkeeper needs faith more than anybody else, given their relatively lonesome position."
A survey conducted by Bild saw over 60% of responses call for Kahn to return to the Bayern goal, but he dismissed the idea out of hand.
"That does not help at all - my career is over," he added. "There is no turning back. Something new is beginning at FC Bayern and they need faith and time.
"You cannot make the mistake of thinking that Rensing will immediately reach the level I was at during the best spells of my career. He is young and will do things his way."
On Wednesday, Rensing will have the chance to prove the critics wrong in the second round of the DFB-Pokal against Nurnberg at the Allianz Arena.
"He should try not to think about it too much and it is good that there is the cup game on Wednesday for him," said Kahn.
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 25, 2008 2:21:27 GMT
Borussia M'gladbach 0-1 Hertha Berlin
Arminia Bielefeld 2-0 1. FC Köln
Schalke 04 1-0 Eintracht Frankfurt
Bayern Munich 2-5 Werder Bremen
VfB Stuttgart 3-1 Karlsruhe
VfL Wolfsburg 3-0 Hamburg SV
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 28, 2008 1:06:32 GMT
Werder Bremen saw off an heroic fightback from newcomers Hoffenheim to snatch a 5-4 win on Saturday, while misfiring Bayern Munich lost 1-0 at Hanover 96.
Bremen, 5-2 winners away to Bayern last weekend, picked up where they left off in Saturday's Bundesliga clash at home to Hoffenheim as they built up a 4-1 lead in the first half.
The visitors recovered to 4-4 before 10-man Bremen grabbed a late winner through Mesut Ozil.
While Bremen were running riot, Bayern were utterly devoid of ideas against Hanover, who took the lead with a Szabolcs Huszti free kick and held on comfortably.
Hamburg SV lead the standings with 13 points from six games after a 1-0 win at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach, courtesy of a Mladen Petric goal. Bayer Leverkusen are second on 12 points after a nervy 3-2 win at Bochum.
Bremen are up to third place on 11 points after their latest scoring spree, while Bayern, with just two wins to their name, are down in ninth place on eight points.
Once again Bayern were let down by a mistake from goalkeeper Michael Rensing, who could not get across quickly enough to keep out a clever free kick from Huszti in the 23rd minute.
Franck Ribery, recovered from his ankle injury, came on for a second substitute appearance of the season but even the French playmaker could not inspire a comeback.
The lack of bite in attack will be a worry for Klinsmann before Tuesday's Champions League clash with Olympique Lyon.
Werder, by contrast, can hardly stop scoring ahead of their Champions League trip to face Inter Milan on Wednesday.
Ozil struck a carbon copy of his goal against Bayern last Saturday to make it 1-0, cracking in a 20-metre shot at the near post before Hoffenheim equalised through Demba Ba.
Werder recovered the lead almost immediately through Claudio Pizarro and a Diego half-volley followed by an Aaron Hunt blast from outside the area made it 4-1.
Hoffenheim got one back before half-time via a 25-metre free kick from Sejad Salihovic and Vedad Ibisevic made it 4-3 from the penalty spot just past the hour mark.
Almost immediately Werder had Per Mertesacker sent off for bringing down Ibisevic and Marvin Compper headed in the equaliser with 20 minutes to go.
That was plenty of time for a grand finale and it came when Ozil clattered in a long-range shot for his second of the game.
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Post by Bismarck on Oct 6, 2008 22:32:00 GMT
Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer believes other Bundesliga clubs have "lost all respect" for his side.
The defending Bundesliga champions let a 3-1 lead slip to lowly Bochum on Saturday and only picked up a point at the Allianz Arena.
"The myth that Bayern always win in the end has taken a break," Beckenbauer said. "The small clubs have become cheeky and have lost all respect. The whole league senses that we are fallible.
"The football gods have turned their back on us and where we used to have luck, we are now only getting misfortune. But that will soon change again."
Despite managing only one point in the last three games, Bayern's squad still celebrated at the city's Oktoberfest on Sunday afternoon before returning to work on Monday for the start of what Beckenbauer predicts will be a tough fortnight for coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
"He has got to cope with the criticism from the terraces and from the media," said Beckenbauer in the Bild newspaper. "But we must keep a cool head too. What is decisive is that the relationship between the coach and the team is intact.
"That was not the case with Felix Magath in the end, for example, but I cannot see any gulf with Klinsmann. He just needs time before his ideas start to work."
Bayern slipped to 11th in the Bundesliga this weekend - their worst position in over 30 years at this stage of a season.
After the two-week break for internationals, Klinsmann's side travel to Karlsruhe before hosting Fiorentina in the Champions League three days later.
What is going on in Munich? Die Roten is loaded with talent, but they havent won in a couple of weeks?? Klinsmann needs to regroup the team and make them the team they were last year.
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Post by Bismarck on Oct 18, 2008 23:28:27 GMT
Miroslav Klose struck four minutes from time to give Bayern Munich a much-needed 1-0 win at Karlsruhe on Saturday while promoted Hoffenheim took over at the top with a cracking 5-2 victory at Hanover 96.
Bayern were handing for another disappointing result before Klose nipped in to convert a Massimo Oddo cross and give them a first Bundesliga win in more than a month, a result that should make life a lot more comfortable for coach Juergen Klinsmann.
Hoffenheim were trailing 2-1 in the second half against Hanover but four goals in a 13-minute spell took them top with 16 points from eight games.
Hamburg SV, who trail them on goal difference, will reclaim the league leadership if they get at least a draw at home to Schalke 04 on Sunday.
Bayer Leverkusen rose to third on 15 points with a 2-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt, with Hertha Berlin fourth on 14 points after a 2-1 victory at home to VfB Stuttgart.
Bayern stay down in 11th on 12 points after claiming what was their third win only of the league season.
Werder Bremen are also in bad shape, ahead of Bayern on goal difference only, after a frantic 3-3 draw at home to Borussia Dortmund.
Bremen were trailing 2-1 with the clock ticking down before Claudio Pizarro struck twice from close range to set them up for what looked like being a fortunate win.
There was one final twist, however, as Dortmund rescued a point they deserved when Mohamed Zidan cracked in from the edge of the box deep into added time.
In terms of history, there could hardly be a greater contrast between Bayern, 21 times champions, and Hoffenheim, who are playing in the Bundesliga for the first time.
Yet while Hoffenheim, coached by the experienced Ralf Rangnick, are enjoying their football, Bayern under Klinsmann look nervous in defence and with few ideas of how to break down teams like Karlsruhe who pack players behind the ball.
Franck Ribery did manage to skip through the defence once in the first half to force a save and Bastian Schweinsteiger followed his lead soon afterwards, with the keeper turning his weak show round the post.
There was precious little else in terms of invention, however, before Oddo finally injected some pace into the situation, chesting down a crossfield pass and firing over a low cross for Germany striker Klose.
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Post by Bismarck on Oct 18, 2008 23:29:04 GMT
Saturday 18th October
Hertha Berlin 2-1 VfB Stuttgart
Karlsruhe 0-1 Bayern Munich
VfL Wolfsburg 4-1 Arminia Bielefeld
1. FC Köln 1-0 Energie Cottbus
Eintracht Frankfurt 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Werder Bremen 3-3 Borussia Dortmund
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Post by Bismarck on Oct 18, 2008 23:29:37 GMT
Hans Meyer is poised to become the new coach of Borussia Monchengladbach, according to a report in the Express newspaper.
The report claims the 65-year-old will be unveiled as the permanent successor to Jos Luhukay on Sunday.
"He is an experienced and nice man - just the right man for our present situation," Monchengladbach chairman Hermann Jansen said in quotes reported by Express.
On Friday, caretaker coach Christian Ziege confirmed the club were in serious negotiations with just one candidate, although he refused to confirm it was Meyer.
Fans' favourite Meyer coached 'Gladbach between 1999 and 2003 and is an honorary member of the Bundesliga club.
On Friday night, Borussia picked up only their fourth point of the season with a 2-2 draw against Bochum.
Afterwards, Ziege reiterated that he is not seeking to remain in the post on a permanent basis.
He said: "All I can rule out is that I will remain on the bench.
"I hope that we can find a new coach quickly, but that is all I can say.
"I am proud to have been able to experience this and I have the lads to thank. They have worked really well for the past 10 days."
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Post by Bismarck on Oct 26, 2008 20:06:06 GMT
Hoffenheim maintained their glorious start to life in the Bundesliga when they reclaimed top spot with a ruthless 3-0 win at home to Hamburg SV on Sunday. Click here
Nigerian striker Chinedu Obasi scored twice and Bosnian Vedad Ibisevic took his tally for the season to 10 as the village team with deep pockets secured probably the best win of their debut season in the top flight.
After nine games, Hoffenheim lead the standings with 19 points, one ahead of Bayer Leverkusen after they won 2-0 at home to Cologne on Friday.
Hamburg slip to third on 17 points, one ahead of VfB Stuttgart after two late goals from Mario Gomez gave them a 2-0 win at home to Bochum on Sunday.
Bayern Munich are in fifth place on 15 points after Juergen Klinsmann's side continued their recovery by coming from two goals down to win 4-2 at home to VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday.
Hoffenheim enjoy the backing of multi-millionaire software pioneer Dietmar Hopp and they have clearly used the money wisely during their steady rise to fame.
Coach Ralf Rangnick, formerly of Schalke 04, has encouraged his team to play in a fearless style and their ability to break at speed was too much for a tired looking Hamburg side.
They made the breakthrough after seven minutes with a simple goal. Brazilian midfielder Carlos Eduardo played a swift ball in from the right to Obasi, who turned his marker just inside the area and beat the keeper at his near post.
The second came a few minutes later via a lightning break down the left. Obasi played the ball to Sejad Salihovic, who in turn fed Demba Ba. Frank Rost managed to block his shot but Ibisevic reacted quicker than anyone to turn in the rebound.
Hoffenheim extended their lead before the first half was up and again it was speed of thought and execution that did for Hamburg.
Ba elected to take a quick free kick from inside his own half while Hamburg were still getting organised. His pass found Salihovic, who set Obasi running clear through the middle to dummy the keeper and make the game safe.
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Post by Bismarck on Nov 9, 2008 15:55:08 GMT
Bayer Leverkusen raised doubts about their ability to mount a serious title challenge when they let Karlsruhe come from three goals down to claim a memorable 3-3 draw on Saturday.
With Hoffenheim not in action until Sunday, Leverkusen had a chance to move back on top of the Bundesliga and they seemed certain to take it when Patrick Helmes scored after a few seconds and they improved that lead to 3-0 by the 24th minute.
A lucky deflection at a free kick gave Karlsruhe a lifeline, however, and Leverkusen seemed utterly lost as the home side got back to 3-3.
Hoffenheim, who play away to Hertha Berlin on Sunday, continue to lead the standings with 25 points from 11 games. Leverkusen are second, also with 25 points but having played 12.
Hamburg SV moved up to third on 23 as they held on for a 2-1 win at home to Borussia Dortmund in a bad tempered match.
Bayern Munich slip to fourth on 21 but have the chance to go back above Hamburg when they play at Schalke 04 on Sunday.
Werder Bremen, beaten 3-0 at home to Panathinaikos in the Champions League in midweek, could only draw 0-0 at Bochum and drop to 10th place on 17 points.
Leverkusen had racked up four successive 2-0 wins to move up to second and get people talking about them as dark horses for the title in their first season under Bruno Labbadia.
A return to the top of the table, at least for one night, looked odds on after Helmes strolled through the defence and shot through the keeper's legs with around 30 seconds gone.
Stefan Kiessling made it 2-0 with a header and Michal Kadlec cracked in a free kick and the game seemed to be up.
Leverkusen looked comfortable enough even after Kiessling deflected in a free kick from Antonio da Silva eight minutes before the break but the second half was a different story.
Leverkusen seemed to suffer a crisis of confidence in defence and attack, which became worse after Tim Sebastian converted from a free kick with an hour gone.
An equaliser began to look inevitable and it came when Aleksandr Iashvili headed in 14 minutes from time.
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Post by Bismarck on Nov 18, 2008 16:33:56 GMT
Werder Bremen rediscovered their scoring touch on Sunday to beat Cologne 3-1 and get back into the race for European places.
Werder, surprisingly held to a goalless draw with Bochum last weekend, had no such problems in attack once Diego had put them ahead with a penalty in the 15th minute.
It was only Werder's fifth league win but it was enough to take them up to seventh place with 20 points from 13 games.
"It wasn't our best performance but it will give us a boost in confidence," goalkeeper Tim Wiese told Premiere TV.
Bayer Leverkusen lead the standings with 28 points after a 2-1 win over Schalke 04 on Saturday.
Hoffenheim trail them on goal difference following their 3-2 victory over VfL Wolfsburg, with Bayern Munich three points behind them in third after they were held 2-2 at Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Werder were runners-up to Bayern last season but this term they have been too inconsistent to get near the leading three.
They played brilliantly in a 5-2 win away to Bayern back in September and followed it up with a 5-4 victory over Hoffenheim but then managed just two points from their next four matches.
Last weekend's failure against relegation candidates Bochum let them in the bottom half of the table but they played far more like title challengers on Sunday.
Frank Baumann's run into the box prompted a clumsy challenge from Pierre Wome and gave Diego the chance to put them ahead from the spot.
They were on top from then on and doubled the lead with a terrific barging header from Naldo from a corner just before the break.
Milivoje Novakovic pulled one back early in the second half with a nice run and shot but Hugo Almeida restored the two-goal cushion with a perfectly struck half-volley a few minutes later.
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Post by Bismarck on Nov 23, 2008 14:00:07 GMT
Hoffenheim surged three points clear with a 3-1 win at Cologne in the Bundesliga on Saturday, while Franck Ribery scored for the sixth league game in succession to help Bayern Munich beat Energie Cottbus 4-1.
Hoffenheim, the village team with multi-millionaire backing, went ahead through Demba Ba and clinched victory as Vedad Ibisevic struck his 15th and 16th goals of the season.
It was enough to take them back to the top ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, who suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat away to Arminia Bielefeld.
With 14 games of the Bundesliga season played, and three to go before the long break, Hoffenheim lead with 31 points, followed by Leverkusen on 28.
Bayern are third, also on 28, after French midfielder Ribery sparked a revival at home to Cottbus with a terrific free kick.
The other Bayern goals, on a snowy afternoon in Bavaria, came from Martin Demichelis, Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni.
Hoffenheim coach Ralf Rangnick has dismissed title talk in the club's first Bundesliga season but if they keep winning tricky matches like this there will be no reason for modesty.
They were short of their flowing best against Cologne, but won an entertaining scrap thanks to superior finishing.
The opening goal was a neat strike, in off the far post, after Ba's well timed run had beaten the offside trap.
Both sides had a player sent off before Hoffenheim doubled their lead via Ibisevic from close range. Portuguese midfielder Petit got one back before Ibisevic supplied the finishing touch.
They got full value for the win as Leverkusen's patchy form continued with defeat in Bielefeld.
Artur Wichniarek cracked in the first and Daniel Halfar struck on the rebound for the second. Patrick Helmes got one back and very nearly bagged an equaliser when his venomous low free kick brought a fine diving save from the keeper.
While Hoffenheim can be delighted with that result, they might get nervous at the manner of Bayern's win over Cottbus.
This was Bayern's most convincing display yet under Juergen Klinsmann, even if they fell behind to an Ervin Skela free kick.
The setback brought out the best in Bayern, as they rattled in four goals in 30 minutes either side of halftime to make up for last week's 2-2 draw at Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Ribery's exquisite free kick from 20 metres brought them level and Demichelis had them in front before the end of the first half with a flick header from a Massimo Oddo cross.
Ribery then set up Klose to head in the third and Toni volleyed in from a free kick to round off the scoring.
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Post by Bismarck on Dec 6, 2008 20:31:41 GMT
December 6, 2008
Karlsruhe 1-0 Werder Bremen
Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 VfL Bochum
Arminia Bielefeld 0-0 Borussia Dortmund
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Post by Bismarck on Dec 6, 2008 20:32:11 GMT
December 5, 2008
Bayern 2-1 Hoffenheim: Toni hits late winner
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Post by Bismarck on Dec 6, 2008 20:32:59 GMT
Schalke 04 recovered from their midweek UEFA Cup defeat by Twente Enschede to overcome Hertha Berlin 1-0 to climb to sixth in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Surprise packages Hoffenheim still lead the table with 34 points from 16 games despite a 2-1 defeat at Bayern Munich on Friday.
Bayern have the same points but are second on goal difference while Hertha's defeat dropped them to fourth on 30 points.
Schalke were in desperate need of a win after losing five of their last six matches and with the management pledging changes during the winter break.
Gerald Asamoah struck the only goal in the 65th minute when he headed a deep Jefferson Farfan cross into an unguarded net after Hertha keeper Jaroslav Drobny failed to get his hands on the ball.
"There had to be a reaction from us after all the games without a point," Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones told the club's website (www.schalke04.de).
"It's a start. Next week we have to be courageous when we play Hoffenheim. We have to stick together."
Asamoah said: "This was an extremely important victory for us. We were well aware we had not played well the past few weeks."
Visiting Hertha, who also lost in the UEFA Cup to Galatasaray in midweek, never really threatened as Kevin Kuranyi and Halil Altintop wasted several chances to increase Schalke's advantage.
Bayer Leverkusen moved up to third on 31 points with a 3-1 triumph at Borussia Moenchengladbach, returning to winning ways after last week's defeat by Bayern.
Stefan Kiessling scored twice in the first half and set up Patrick Helmes for his 12th league goal of the season before bottom club Moenchengladbach pulled one back through Tony Jantschke in the 61st.
VfB Stuttgart won 3-0 at Energie Cottbus, with Roberto Hilbert on target after only four minutes.
Jan Simak and Sami Khedira added two more goals in the second half as Stuttgart chalked up their second consecutive win under new coach Markus Babbel.
Werder Bremen's rollercoaster season continued when they lost 1-0 at lowly Karlsruhe to slip to ninth. The away team also had striker Claudio Pizarro sent off in the last minute.
Eintracht Frankfurt crushed relegation-threatened VfL Bochum 4-0 after the visitors had Daniel Fernandes dismissed in the fifth minute.
Arminia Bielefeld and Borussia Dortmund shared a 0-0 draw.
On Sunday, Cologne host Hamburg SV and VfL Wolfsburg entertain Hanover 96 (both 1600 GMT).
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Post by Bismarck on Dec 20, 2008 9:09:07 GMT
Bayern Munich have confirmed midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has agreed a new three-year contract with the club.
The Germany international put pen to paper on the deal over the weekend to end speculation linking him with a move abroad with his previous contract due to expire in the summer.
"We are happy we have been able to tie down in a positive manner a further important player in Bastian Schweinsteiger," said chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on the club's website.
The 24-year-old has come through the ranks with Bayern, whom he joined as a schoolboy in 1998.
He made his first-team debut in 2002 and has since made 168 Bundesliga appearances and been capped 62 times by Germany.
His performances for the national team at Euro 2008 and during the first half of the season have attracted a lot of interest from many of Europe's top clubs, including Juventus, but he has followed team-mate Philipp Lahm by committing to Bayern.
Schweinsteiger's new contract with Bayern will run until June 2012.
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