Matchday 7 of the 2. Bundesliga delivered late drama, impressive home performances and another statement victory from Hertha BSC as the promotion race continued to take shape.
| Hertha BSC made it seven wins from seven this weekend | Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images |
From an extraordinary eight-goal thriller in Nürnberg to Sandro Wagner’s disappointing Hannover debut, the weekend provided plenty of talking points across Germany’s second tier. Here are five of the biggest stories from a memorable matchday that saw Hertha extend their perfect start to seven consecutive victories.
Hertha BSC maintain their perfect start with seventh straight win
Hertha BSC continued their remarkable beginning to the season by overcoming Greuther Fürth 2-1 at the Olympiastadion, making it seven victories from seven league matches and putting them just one win away from equalling their best ever run at eight on the bounce.
The Berliners had to remain patient against a Fürth side that threatened throughout an entertaining first half. Omar Sillah thought he had given the visitors the lead, only for his effort to be ruled out, leaving the contest goalless at the interval.
Hertha eventually broke the deadlock through Mads Pedersen in the 65th minute before Paul Seguin doubled their advantage 15 minutes later. Fürth defender Jannis Heuer pulled one back in the 90th minute, setting up a nervy conclusion, but the hosts held on to preserve their flawless record.
The victory takes Hertha to 21 points from a possible 21, extending their lead at the top of the table to four points over Nürnberg. Having scored 19 goals in their opening seven matches, the capital club have combined attacking threat with the consistency required to establish themselves as early promotion favourites.
For Fürth, the defeat extends their winless run to four matches and leaves them in 15th place with six points. They showed enough to trouble the league leaders, but once again came away without the result needed to reverse their recent fortunes.
Hertha will now look to carry their momentum into their next fixture against Holstein Kiel, while Fürth face further pressure to find a response when they host Braunschweig.
Nürnberg and Wolfsburg produce an eight-goal thriller
The standout fixture of the weekend came at the Max-Morlock-Stadion, where 1. FC Nürnberg and VfL Wolfsburg played out a remarkable 4-4 draw in Saturday evening’s encounter, once again proving why the 2. Bundesliga is one of the most exciting across the footballing world.
Wolfsburg appeared to have taken control of the contest when Hauke Wahl and Muhammed Damar found the net to give the visitors a two-goal advantage inside the opening half-hour. However, Nürnberg emerged from the break with renewed purpose and completely transformed the game.
The hosts struck three times in just 11 second-half minutes, with Scobel scoring twice before Zoma completed the turnaround to put Nürnberg 3-2 ahead. Wolfsburg looked to have rescued a point when Alessio Besio equalised in the first minute of stoppage time, only for Giannis Masouras to restore Nürnberg’s advantage six minutes later.
There was still time for another twist, though, as Besio struck again in the ninth minute of added time to earn Wolfsburg a share of the spoils. The dramatic finale ensured neither promotion contender left empty-handed, although both sides will feel they could have taken more from the encounter.
Nürnberg remain unbeaten after seven matches and sit second in the standings on 17 points, while Wolfsburg occupy fifth place with 12 points. The result highlighted the attacking quality of both teams, but also exposed defensive vulnerabilities that could prove costly as the campaign progresses.
Magdeburg spoil Sandro Wagner’s Hannover debut
1. FC Magdeburg produced one of the most convincing performances of the weekend, sweeping aside Hannover 96 with a 3-0 victory at the Avnet Arena.
The hosts made the perfect start when Moritz Kwarteng opened the scoring inside four minutes, immediately putting Hannover under pressure. Emmanuel Iyoha then doubled Magdeburg’s advantage in the 32nd minute, leaving the visitors with a difficult task heading into the second half.
Hannover struggled to produce a meaningful response despite their efforts after the break. Marcel Hartel came close to reducing the deficit when he struck the woodwork, but Magdeburg remained in control before Mateusz Żukowski sealed the result with an impressive individual goal in the 86th minute.
The defeat made for a disappointing first match in charge for Hannover’s new head coach, Sandro Wagner, who was unable to inspire an immediate improvement from his side.
For Magdeburg, the result continued their excellent home form, marking a third consecutive victory on their own ground. The three points move them into fourth place with 13 points, keeping them firmly in contention near the top of the table.
Hannover, meanwhile, remain on seven points and finish the weekend in 13th place after suffering another setback. Their inability to respond to Magdeburg’s early pressure will be a concern for Wagner as he begins his work at the club.
Darmstadt fight back to climb out of the relegation zone
SV Darmstadt 98 secured a crucial three points with a 3-1 comeback victory over Energie Cottbus at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor.
The visitors could hardly have asked for a better start, with Justin Butler opening the scoring after just four minutes. Darmstadt responded positively, however, and Noah Weißhaupt restored parity in the 36th minute to ensure the teams went into the break level.
Cottbus continued to threaten after half-time, but goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen produced several important saves to keep the hosts in the contest. His interventions proved decisive as Darmstadt gradually gained control of proceedings.
Aleksandar Vukotić finally completed the turnaround in the 77th minute, heading Darmstadt into the lead before Yannik Lührs added a third two minutes from the end to secure the victory.
The result marks Darmstadt’s second successive home win and provides an important boost after a difficult opening to the campaign. The three points lifted them out of the relegation zone, although they sit just 14th with seven points.
Cottbus will be disappointed to have surrendered their early advantage, particularly after showing promising attacking intent in the opening stages. They remain eighth with eight points, but the defeat underlines the importance of maintaining their defensive discipline when playing away from home.
For Darmstadt, the comeback could provide the confidence needed to build some consistency and move further away from the bottom of the standings.
St. Pauli and Bielefeld secure important victories as Bochum and Karlsruhe struggle
Elsewhere, FC St. Pauli and Arminia Bielefeld both picked up valuable victories, while Bochum and Karlsruhe suffered further setbacks.
St. Pauli claimed a 2-0 home win over Karlsruher SC to record only their second victory of the season. Abdoulie Ceesay broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute before Lars Ritzka doubled the hosts’ advantage shortly after the restart. Karlsruhe thought they had found a late consolation through Lilian Egloff, but the effort was ruled out, leaving the visitors to reflect on a third consecutive defeat.
The result moves St. Pauli onto 10 points in seventh place, offering encouragement after a mixed start to the campaign. Karlsruhe, by contrast, remain on five points in 17th and must find a way to halt their slide down the table.
Arminia Bielefeld also enjoyed a productive afternoon, securing a 1-0 away victory against VfL Bochum. Benjamin Boakye scored the decisive goal in the 78th minute, making the most of one of the few clear opportunities in a tight encounter.
The win represents Bielefeld’s first away victory of the season and inflicts a second successive defeat on Bochum. Arminia move up to ninth with eight points, while Bochum remain on seven points in 12th after another frustrating afternoon in front of their own supporters.
There were also draws in Friday’s goalless meeting between Heidenheim and Kaiserslautern, and Osnabrück’s 1-1 encounter with Dynamo Dresden. Eintracht Braunschweig, meanwhile, claimed a narrow 1-0 win over Holstein Kiel thanks to Jan Urbich’s early strike.
With seven matchdays completed, Hertha BSC remain the team to catch at the top of the table, while Nürnberg continue to apply the early pressure whilst a few others hang around in the rear view mirror. At the other end, Karlsruhe and Holstein Kiel remain in the bottom two, with several sides still searching for the consistency needed to pull clear of danger.
The next round of fixtures will provide another opportunity for the leading sides to strengthen their promotion credentials, while those towards the foot of the table will be desperate to turn their fortunes around.
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