Bayern Munich put four past Mainz, Schalke came back to beat Braunschweig in the final minutes, and Werder Bremen can’t even beat lowly Freiburg at home. Yet the talk of the Bundesliga is Stefan Stefan Kießling’s ghost goal, which ultimately gave Bayer Leverkusen the win over Hoffenheim. Kiessling’s header in the 70th minute flew wide of the post, but went through a hole in the side netting. Referee Felix Brych awarded the goal and Leverkusen went on to win. But with Sven Schipplock scoring for Hoffenheim late in the match, Hoffenheim are understandably aggreived, and are now calling for a replay of the match.
After the match, Brych responded to questions about the goal, stating, “I had a slight doubt but the reaction from the players was clear - nobody was against [the decision]. I checked with Stefan Kießling. But no-one, not even him, said that it wasn’t a goal.” The wisdom of a referee taking a player’s word on whether a goal should be counted is slightly suspect, to say the least. Stefan Kießling has now apologized via a post on his Facebook page: “After seeing the replays on television, I can clearly see that it was not a legitimate goal. During the game, after heading the ball and turning my head, I did not exactly see whether the ball had gone into the goal or not. Somehow, the ball was lying in the goal and I said exactly that to the referee. I’m sorry for all sports fans. Naturally, it’s not nice to win like that. Fairness is important in sport, for us in the club and for me personally.”
Friday
Hoffenheim 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Scandal! Intrigue! See above! But ask yourselves this: had Kiessling’s goal not counted, would Leverkusen not have scored another? Or, having conceded just eight prior to this match, would they have been slack enough to let in an equalizer?
Saturday
Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Hannover
Germany’s top scorers put just one past Hannover, and that’s a Marco Reus penalty in the fourth minute. Dortmund did their best to score more, but Ron-Robert Zieler and the rest of the Hannover defense were up to the challenge. That, or Dortmund were simply conserving their energy for Tuesday’s Champions League match against Arsenal.
Braunschweig 2-3 Schalke
A five goal thriller that should’ve been the talk of Germany, had Kiessling not committed such a heineous mistake. Bottom of the table Braunschweig, with just one win and one draw on the season, and only seven goals to boot, it was rather surprising when the visitors took a 2-1 lead before the hour mark. But five minutes later, Leon Goretzka had added another to Max Meyer’s opener. After that the visitors were determined to score, aware that a win would lift them into the Champions League places. Finally, in injury time, Roman Neustädter played hero and lifted his side to the win.
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Nurnberg
Vaclav Kadlec scored for the hosts, but Josip Drmic put Nurnberg level with five minutes left to play. The result does little to lift the struggling Nurnberg, who climb a point above Freiburg but still remain in the drop zone, two points behind Hamburg, who’ve yet to play this weekend.
Bayern Munich 4-1 Mainz
Mainz, just four points clear of the relegation zone, must’ve been thrilled when Shawn Parker scored the opener against the mighty Bayern just before the break. But Mainz quickly saw themselves put into what Bayern must feel is their rightful place, with the hosts coming back to score four after the restart. Arjen Robben put in the equalizer with Thomas Müller sticking in the go-ahead goal just two minutes later, but Bayern didn’t stop there. Mario Mandzukic put in another, and Müller grabbed a second after converting a late game penalty. The win keeps Bayern top of the league, with Dortmund and Leverkusen just a point behind.
Werder Bremen 0-0 Freiburg
Freiburg are deep inside the relegation zone and have conceded 18 goals thus far this season, yet eighth-placed Werder Bremen couldn’t get one in. The hosts had 18 shots but, thanks to the hard work of center back pairing Matthias Ginter (who also hit the post for Freiburg) and Fallou Diagne, the visitors managed to take a point away from the Weserstadion.
Hertha Berlin 1-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Hertha Berlin had a grand total of five shots in the entire match. Fortunately for the hosts, one of those shots went in -- a header from Adrián Ramos. The hosts then closed ranks and refused to let Gladbach close to the area. Such a performance goes a long way to explaining why newly promoted Hertha are now in fourth, possessing Germany’s last Champions League position. With Schalke, Gladbach and Hannover so close behind, it’s unlikely they’ll finish the season in such a manner, but their start remains impressive.
Still to come
Hamburg vs. Stuttgart
A win here could lift the visitors into the Europa League places, but the points are more crucial for Hamburg, who sit just above the relegation zone. But with just three points from home this season, it seems Stuttgart, who’ve recorded two of their three wins on the road, may have the advantage here.
Augsburg vs. Wolfsburg
Two strugglers, sitting just a point apart, with a mere nine goals each and fairly decent defensive records. Sounds like a thriller.