Egypt, Saudi Arabia coordinate on regional crises ahead of first Supreme Council meeting    FRA launches first register for tech-based risk assessment firms in non-banking finance    Egypt's Health Ministry, Philips to study local manufacturing of CT scan machines    African World Heritage Fund registers four new sites as Egypt hosts board meetings    Maduro faces New York court as world leaders demand explanation and Trump threatens strikes    Egypt identifies 80 measures to overhaul startup environment and boost investment    Turkish firm Eroglu Moda Tekstil to invest $5.6m in Egypt garment factory    EGX closes in red area on 5 Jan    Gold rises on Monday    Oil falls on Monday    Al-Sisi pledges full support for UN desertification chief in Cairo meeting    Al-Sisi highlights Egypt's sporting readiness during 2026 World Cup trophy tour    Egypt opens Braille-accessible library in Cairo under presidential directive    Abdelatty urges calm in Yemen in high-level calls with Turkey, Pakistan, Gulf states    Madbouly highlights "love and closeness" between Egyptians during Christmas visit    Egypt confirms safety of citizens in Venezuela after US strikes, capture of Maduro    From Niche to National Asset: Inside the Egyptian Golf Federation's Institutional Rebirth    5th-century BC industrial hub, Roman burials discovered in Egypt's West Delta    Egyptian-Italian team uncovers ancient workshops, Roman cemetery in Western Nile Delta    Egypt, Viatris sign MoU to expand presidential mental health initiative    Egypt's PM reviews rollout of second phase of universal health insurance scheme    Egypt sends medical convoy, supplies to Sudan to support healthcare sector    Egypt sends 15th urgent aid convoy to Gaza in cooperation with Catholic Relief Services    Al-Sisi: Egypt seeks binding Nile agreement with Ethiopia    Egyptian-built dam in Tanzania is model for Nile cooperation, says Foreign Minister    Al-Sisi affirms support for Sudan's sovereignty and calls for accountability over conflict crimes    Egypt flags red lines, urges Sudan unity, civilian protection    Egyptian Golf Federation appoints Stuart Clayton as technical director    4th Egyptian Women Summit kicks off with focus on STEM, AI    UNESCO adds Egyptian Koshari to intangible cultural heritage list    Egypt recovers two ancient artefacts from Belgium    Egypt warns of erratic Ethiopian dam operations after sharp swings in Blue Nile flows    Sisi expands national support fund to include diplomats who died on duty    Egypt's PM reviews efforts to remove Nile River encroachments    Egypt resolves dispute between top African sports bodies ahead of 2027 African Games    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Bundesliga Bulletin: Borussia Dortmund flying, Bayern Munich tumbling
Published in Daily News Egypt on 07 - 10 - 2018

What a weekend! League leaders Dortmund produced the game of the season so far as champions Bayern slipped deeper into crisis. Frankfurt's good form continued and the league also has its first coaching casualty.Good week for: Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Hannover, the Bundesliga
Bad week for: Niko Kovac, Bayern Munich, Tayfun Korkut, Nuremberg
The lowdown:
– Borussia Dortmund 4-3 Augsburg was a contender for the game of the season. Goals, saves, penalty claims, shots off the bar and a dramatic final 10 minutes made this one a real thriller. Paco Alcacer scored a hat-trick, including a 30 yard free kick to seal the win in the 96th minute. There will be defensive questions for both sides, but it was a breathtaking match.
Opinion: Forget the title talk, let's just enjoy this Borussia Dortmund team
– The pressure is always on Bayern Munich, but even more so after Dortmund's win. And yet another disappointing performance followed as a ruthless Gladbach side left the Allianz Arena with an historic 3-0 win. Niko Kovac's team never really looked like scoring, which is the biggest concern of all. Four straight games in all competitions now without a win for Kovac and his team. As Oktoberfest ends, the hangover has started to set in for Bayern, and Kovac is under pressure.
– While it's been a bad few weeks for Bayern fans, it's a great moment for fans who have longed for more competition in the league! With seven games played, four clubs (Gladbach, Bremen, Hertha & RB) are level on points behind Dortmund. Bayern finished the weekend languishing in sixth. Could we really have a title race this season?
Analysis: What's wrong with Bayern Munich?
– It was a great weekend for a couple of Americans in the league. Weston McKennie scored the opener for Schalke (his second in the week after scoring in Moscow on Tuesday) and delivered yet another battling performance for the club, pushing his body to the limit. Hannover's Bobby Wood also scored a brace to give his club their first win of the season – and his first was a particularly impressive header.
– "We will learn from this," promised Nuremberg coach Michael Köllner after his side crashed to a 7-0 defeat away at Borussia Dortmund two weeks ago – but few lessons appear to have been learned as "The Club" shipped six away at RB Leipzig, who went joint second. Yet while Nuremberg's away form is disastrous (played four, won none, scored one, conceded 15), they remain unbeaten at home.
– Werder Bremen beat Wolfsburg 2-0 on Friday night thanks to a Davy Klaassen masterclass. The result keeps giving life to Bremen's publically declared European charge. The win came on Florian Kohfeldt's birthday too, which was a nice touch.
Report: Redemption for classy Klaassen as Werder Bremen impress again
– There were mixed fortunes for the Bundesliga's Europa League representatives. Eintracht Frankfurt built on their 4-1 win over Lazio with an impressive 2-1 victory away at Hoffenheim, with Ante Rebic scoring from distance before being sent off. But Bayer Leverkusen struggled to a flat goalless draw away at Freiburg which will increase the pressure on coach Heiko Herrlich.
– Tayfun Korkut (below) became the first coaching casualty of the season after being relieved of his duties at VfB Stuttgart. Despite being the second-best team in last season's Rückrunde, the Swabians have only won of their opening seven games. Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Hannover was the nail in the coffin for coach Korkut – and also the first win of the season for Andre Breitenreiter's Reds.
The stats:
– Gladbach sit ahead of Bayern Munich in the table for the first time since February 2012
– This is Bayern Munich's worst start to a season in eight years and the first time since May 2015 that they have lost two consecutive Bundesliga games.
– Paco Alcacer has needed just 81 minutes to score six Bundesliga goals – this has never happened in the Bundesliga before.
– Borussia Dortmund's subs have scored nine goals after seven games – no Bundesliga team has ever had subs score as many goals in league history before.
– After Werder Bremen's 2-0 home win against Wolfsburg, Bremen have extended their unbeaten run at home to 17 games under Florian Kohfeldt. If the Weserstadion remains a fortress, Europe could well be calling.
– RB Leipzig's 6-0 win over Nuremberg was the highest win in the club's Bundesliga history … if that means anything.
– Augsburg's defeat in Dortmund was their 100th Bundesliga defeat.
– Mario Gomez (below) is now number 11 on the Bundesliga's all-time goalscorer list after scoring his 166th Bundesliga goal.
– Bayer Leverkusen's 0-0 draw away at Freiburg has made it the Werkself's worst start to a season in 21 years.
The quotes:
"Maybe we thought everything would iron itself out. When things were going well, perhaps they were going too well. We're all human and we got a bit complacent and comfortable."
– Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac BEFORE his team's 3-0 defeat to Gladbach.
"That's not Bayern Munich. That's not enough."
– Bayern captain Manuel Neuer post-defeat.
"This wasn't our best game, but it was fantastic for the fans and for us."
– BVB coach Lucien Favre after the 4-3 win against Augsburg
"Sehr, sehr, sehr guter Transfer!" (Very, very, very good transfer!)
– Lucien Favre on Paco Alcacer
"Incredible. We've seen him score free-kicks in training and hoped he would score, and he did. Sensational. He played for 30, 35 minutes and scored three goals. What can you say? It doesn't get any better."
– Marco Reus, running out of superlatives to describe Alcacer
"I feel really comfortable in Dortmund. I can definitely imagine staying on at the end of the year."
– Paco Alcacer on his future
"We're a pretty awesome group."
– Schalke goalscorer Guido Burgstaller after their 2-0 win against Fortuna Düsseldorf
"Sometimes, you just have to leave the church in the village."
– Freiburg coach Christian Streich after his team's 0-0 draw with Bayer Leverkusen, using a German expression which means there's no need to exaggerate.
"The overall results at the start of this season were completely unsatisfactory."
– Stuttgart sporting director Michael Reschke on Tayfun Korkut's dismissal.
"It's perverse, the speed at which these topics become issues. The coach can't always be the fool, that's not right."
Germany legend Matthias Sammer on Stuttgart's dismissal of Tayfun Korkut and the pressure on Niko Kovac in Munich.
The weird:
This week's weird moment comes from Bundesliga 2! In the 94th minute of Union Berlin's home game against Heidenheim, the hosts were trailing 0-1 and on the verge of losing their unbeaten record in the league this season – until Polish goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz popped up at the back post to head home a late cross and rescue a point!
"My twin brother is an outfield player, so maybe I learnt it from him!" said the 30-year-old post-match.
The fans
Fortuna Düsseldorf ultras produced their biggest ever pre-match choreography ahead of kick-off against Schalke on Saturday. The circus-themed display covered both tiers and stretched around half of the Merkur Spiel-Arena. While fans waved red and white flags and held up pieces of red card, a huge image of a circus was hoisted up from the roof behind the goal – even the capo, the ultra with the megaphone, was dressed as a circus ringleader. "We're a circus club – it's always drama here!" one ultra told DW, while collecting donations to cover the €17,000 ($19,600) cost of the display, "and the circus is back in town!"


Clic here to read the story from its source.