Hello everybody,

I'm really sorry for the long delay but I started working on Monday and thus
had some other things on my mind/was too floored to write the reviews during
the week. The match reports for this weekends' Round 4 should be punctually
in Sunday evening though. Thanks for your understanding!

ENGLISH WEEK

Leverkusen got a little revenge on their new nemesis Unterhaching who cost
them the title last season. Schalke continue their best start into the season in
club history. 'Lautern edge out Stuttgart in a controversial match.

Hertha destroy Bochum, Frankfurt crush Rostock. Dortmund fail their first real
test as they fall at home to 1860 and Bayern continue to be top of the table
after the custom victory against Wolfsburg.


5 SEPTEMBER 2000

FREIBURG			0-0			KÖLN

Freiburg's German U-21 winger Tobias Willi had the biggest scoring chance all
game when he struck the post with a left-footed effort. FC 'keeper Pröll denied
Iashvili with a great diving save in the 2nd half. The won point is a success for
Köln.

The highlight of the game was Freiburg coach Volker Finke who substituted his
place on the substitute bench with one in a beach chair they gave him on North
Sea isle Langeroog because he's held preseason training there for 10 seasons
now.

Attendance : 25,000 (sold out)


KAISERSLAUTERN			1-0			STUTTGART
Basler 3

Basler first hammered a free kick into the wall and then blasted the rebound
into the net for the fastest goal of the season so far. Lokvenc had a regular goal
disallowed for offside. Endreß stopped DJ's shot with his hand but no penalty
given. Strasser ran into Pinto in the box - same result.

DJ put through Komljenovic with an awesome heel pass but Schneider cleared
Slobo's shot shortly before the line. Hristov absolutely pathetically blew a
1-on-1 chance with the 'keeper, Basler almost snapped Hildebrand's wrists on
the rebound. Super Mario then had a fantastically lobbed goal disallowed for
offside.

Yakin should have been sent off for an emergency brake on Dundee but only
saw yellow. DJ tried to dribble around the 'keeper when put through by
Lokvenc but Hildebrand clawed the ball off his feet. Lisztes blasted millimeters
wide in the 90th minute. Referee Wack publicly apologized for his many
mistakes after the game.

Attendance : 37,594


LEVERKUSEN			1-0			UNTERHACHING
Ballack 23

Zé Roberto made his comeback for Leverkusen, dito for young 'keeper Tremmel
who was back in the nets for 'Haching. And it was Tremmel who denied Kirsten
a certain goal with a brave rush off the line early on. Kirsten was then brought
down in the box, the ball broke to Neuville who laid it back to Ballack and the
unlucky own-goalgetter from the two teams' last clash made it 1-0 with a good
straight shot from the edge of the box.

Haber was harshly sent off for attemptedly kicking Kovac in the nuts. Tremmel
did well to deny Rink who headed into the near corner from close range and
then made a fantastic save from Kirsten's point-blank header. It has been
revealed that Leverkusen has turned down a £25 million (!) offer for Jens
Nowotny in midweek, my guess is that Milan has made the bid. Leverkusen
has now been unbeaten in 19 straight games at the BayArena.

Red Card:  Haber 41 (Unterhaching)

Attendance : 22,000


SCHALKE			3-0			COTTBUS
Sand 6, 8, 50

Sand powerfully headed in Latal's cross. 2 minutes later Oude Kamphuis once
again released Latal on the right wing with a beautifully weighted pass and
Mpenza headed the ball to Sand who tapped in from close range. Piplica
denied Sand the hattrick with a reflex save only minutes later.

Sand had another 100% chance wrongly whistled off for offside. Möller blazed
just over the bar. Horváth headed straight into Reck's arms from Miriuta's
awesome cross. Hajto stung Piplica's palms with a free kick hammer.

Sand then completed his triple pack from Oude Kamphuis' cross while his
"marker" Mátyus was substituted shortly after. Sand had yet another one on one
chance with Piplica but the Croatian 'keeper who had an excellent game (he was
by far the best Cottbuser) forced him wide.

Piplica robbed the ball off Möller's feet in another 1-on-1 situation. Sebõk
blatantly handballed in the area but Piplica saved Möller's spot kick, the first
penalty in the Bundesliga Möller failed to convert. Wasn't it for Piplica Cottbus
would've received 7, 8 goals that night.

Attendance : 36,200


6 SEPTEMBER 2000

HAMBURG			2-1			BREMEN
Barbarez 26						Bode 47
Hertzsch 82

Werder got off to the better start particularly through the dynamic Andi Herzog
who used the wings well while Hamburg had trouble finding their rhythm. Still
it was the host who struck first when Ketelaer abused Frings on the wing and
Barbarez escaped his marker Eilts to head in the 1-0 against the run of 'keeper
Rost.

Bremen wasn't shocked though and got the deserved equalizer, Bode controlled
Stalerti's long cross and precisely fired across goal and past Butt. But as always
Werder wasn't clever enough to at least bring home a point as they let
themselves push too far back by the Elberatten.

So it came like it had to when Ingo Hertzsch, "The Next Great German
Defender ©" and recently deservedly invited to the national team for the first
time, capped off a great solo by leaving Eilts on his arse and driving the ball
into the net from 22 meters for the game winner.

Attendance : 37,382


BAYERN MÜNCHEN		3-1			WOLFSBURG
Scholl 19 (pen)						Akonnor 59
Jancker 36
Fink 87

Reitmaier made a good save against Andersson's drive. Santa Cruz volleyed into
the ground after a Wolfsburg defender had flicked onto Tarnat's cross. O'Neil
bowled over Jancker in the box, Scholl converted the penalty. Jancker then
made it 2-0 from a goalmouth scramble.

Bayern now took a gear (or two) back and thus Wolfsburg received their
chances. Juskowiak struck the post, Kühbauer hammered the rebound against
the crossbar. Weiser's wicked dipping cross barely scratched past the
post/crossbar. Kahn made a trademark Kahn © save from O'Neil's header.

Akonnor pulled one back from the edge of the box following a poor clearance
from Linke. Maric volleyed Weiser's cross over the bar after a grave positioning
error from Linke. Bayern then put the game away on the counter attack,
Reitmaier couldn't hold on to Brazzo's shot and Fink chipped in the rebound.

Attendance : 41,000


FRANKFURT			4-0			ROSTOCK
Reichenberger 60, 81
Heldt 65 (pen), 79 (pen)

Wibrån drilled Yasser's cross just wide, the Egyptian midfielder made his
comeback from a torn ACL. Wibrån then got even closer to the goal heading
Benken's cross against the bar. Guié-Mien was sent off for a love tap on
Yasser. Reichenberger volleyed Wimmer's cross under the bar for the 1-0.

Heinen made a phenomenal save against Agali's volley and now Rostock totally
broke apart defensively:  Jakobsson chopped down Ciric in the box, Heldt
hammered in the spot kick. Kovacec struck the right post from around 30
centimeters out - D'OH ! Arvidsson headed against theleft post minutes later.

Benken was sent off for an every-day foul after already being booked. Lantz
pulled down Reichenberger in the box, Heldt from the spot and into the right
corner again. "Baby Kirsten" Thomas Reichenberger then completed the rout
from Mutzel's through pass. Hansa coach Zachhuber was sacked after the
game, assistant Juri Schlünz takes over on an interim basis.

Red Cards : Guié-Mien 43 (Frankfurt), Benken 74 (Rostock)
Attendance : 20,500


DORTMUND			2-3			1860 MÜNCHEN
Ikpeba 37						Agostino 34, 86
Herrlich 54						Stranzl 49

Stranzl wrestled down Addo with an armbar-takedown early on but no penalty
given - lucky Lions ! Ikpeba pounced onto Lehmann's loooong goal kick and got
a shot off as Hofmann came out of goal but Zelic cleared shortly before the
line. Lehmann's hospital pass was intercepted by Häßler, Icke released
Agostino and the Aussie striker put the ball through the 'keeper's braces and
into the net.

Ikpeba equalized with a header from Stevic's free kick. Herrlich unluckily
extended Häßler's free kick to Stranzl who had no trouble nodding in at the far
post. Herrlich made up for his mistake by heading in another well-placed Stevic
free kick, poor goalkeeping by 1860 reserve 'keeper Jentzsch who came on for
the injured Hofmann and tried to get to the ball but didn't make it.

Agostino escaped Kohler and volleyed Borimirov's cross against the crossbar.
He then chested down Pürk's corner to volley in the game winner, Stranzl gave
Heinrich a hip toss so he couldn't get to the ball though i.e. it was an irregular
goal. A lively and entertaining match which saw Dortmund come back twice but
eventually lose because of their continuing trouble to successfully defend against
set pieces.

Attendance : 59,000


HERTHA				4-0			BOCHUM
Preetz 20, 60
Alex Alves 35
Hartmann 43

Preetz swapped passes with Alex Alves but blazed over the bar. Double A then
fed the "Lange" again, he turned around and pulled the trigger for his 50th
Bundesliga goal, Mamic unstoppably deflected the ball past Van Duijnhoven.
Beinlich missed by inches from Deisler's pass.

Weber ruined a 100% chance created by the fantastic Buckley who outpaced
Rehmer by a few meters (Rehmer being one of the fastest defenders in the
league himself) ! AA played a give-and-go with Hartmann before nodding
home "Hardy's" cross.

Hartmann then gave it a try from the edge of the box himself ==> 3-0. Preetz
tapped in Hartmann's cross. Van Duijnhoven denied Alex Alves his 2nd goal in
a 1-on-1 and the little Brasilian then ended his fantastic comeback by wide
openly drilling Schmidt's cross over the bar.

Attendance : 30,944


Ciao,

Tim

tim@milanmania.com
http://milanmania.com
http://soccer-europe.com