DAUM SCANDAL OVERSHADOWES BAYERN TAKING BACK TOP OF THE TABLE
It was revealed by Saturday afternoon that the drug test the (now)
former Bayer coach volontarily (!) underwent had a positive result.
Daum immediately resigned as coach of Bayer Leverkusen and will
logically not be the coach for the German national team starting
next spring either.
Daum has retired to Florida for the moment while current German
team boss Rudi Völler has been named (interim) coach for Leverkusen
as well. Even though overshadowed by one of the greatest scandals
in Bundesliga history football was played as well:
Andy Brehme kept his perfect record as coach with a home victory
over Werder Bremen. Stuttgart remained their inconsistent self,
only managing to wrestle a point from visitors Unterhaching.
Hertha solidly won the first Berlin-Brandenburg Derby.
Wolfsburg put six past Köln. Hamburg with a routine home win over
Frankfurt. Bayern bounced back from two defeats last season to win
the Bavarian Derby. As everything he touches turns to gold these
days Rudi Völler led Bayer to victory in his initial game as team
boss over Dortmund.
Finally on Sunday Freiburg prevented Schalke from going back top of
the table while the amazing Rostock racked up another three points,
this time against a shocked Bochum in the Ruhrstadiom.
20 OCTOBER 2000
KAISERSLAUTERN 2-0 BREMEN
Pettersson 14
Klose 85
'Lautern with the (relatively) early lead, Klose flicked Ramzy's
longball to Pettersson who bounced the ball off his chest and rounded
Baumann before lobbing over Rost into the net. Werder wasn't shocked
a bit and continued to attack but found their master in Georg Koch
more than once.
After the break Werder went even closer to scoring, first Bode was
once again denied by Koch, then his header came back off the crossbar
and finally he had a goal disallowed for offside. Krstajic went close
with an acrobatic falling overhead kick as well.
The Red Devils killed off the Fischköppe with a textbook counter attack
5 minutes from time, Klose finishing the action from Strasser's centre.
Werder dominated possession for the whole 90 minutes and even created
a dozen clear chances but were let down by pathetic finishing. [TL]
Attendance: 39,229
21 OCTOBER 2000
STUTTGART 2-2 UNTERHACHING
Seitz 27 Rraklli 8
Balakov 86 (Pen) Spizak 33
Todt hospital headed Hirsch's atomic free kick straight into Rraklli's
run, the Hertha reject beat Hildebrand with a neat half volley to give
the visitors the unlikely lead. Ex-Hachinger Seitz clobbered his former
buddy Straube, penetrated into the area and beat Tremmel with a left
footed stroke into the far corner.
Schwarz fed Bayer-loan Spizak through the braces of Thiam, the long
attacker killed the ball and tunnelled Hildebrand to regain the lead
for the Bavarians. Hildebrand then brilliantly denied Zimmermann 1-on-1
on the counter attack to prevent the VfB from totally falling behind.
Spizak cleared two point-blank Dundee headers on the line. 5 minutes
from the end Hirsch mowed down Pinto in the box and 99% safe penalty
taker Balakov dispatched the spot kick to at least keep one of the
points in Stuttgart. [TL]
Attendance: 17,000
HERTHA 3-1 COTTBUS
Wosz 42 Labak 20
Roy 66
Sverrisson 85
Derby-time in Berlin and the chance to become the new No.1 in the
competition. Cottbus, a small city with 114,000 inhabitants 70 km
south of Berlin at the spring of the river "Spree" visited Hertha
for the first time in Bundesliga history. And 10,000 Energie fans
supported the "suburbanites" in Berlin.
Sunshine and 17°C should have made the derby to a top-event, but
there was a haze of sadness over the game. Last tuesday the fan-
representative Carsten Grab (30) comitted suicide and his unsolved
dead paralyzed the sentiment of us.
After a minute's silence in memory of Carsten Grab at the beginning
of the game, Hertha BSC started a one-way-game Hertha vs. Piplica.
The 1,82 meter tall goalie of Energie Cottbus enlighted everyone
with great saves in that game. The team from the former East Germany
did, what the East Germans have always done: They builded a wall!
Right in front of their goal. 11 players in the box. Catenaccio at
it's worst. Hertha have had great chances in the first 20 minutes,
but the post or Piplica denied Hertha the lead. A stupid mistake of
van Burik, who lost the ball in midfield gave Cottbus their first
counter-attack.
Antun Labak on the half-right side. Andy Schmidt didn't disturb him
and Labak smashed the ball from 18 meters into the right corner.
Unexpectedly Cottbus was in lead. Hertha was shocked for the next
10 minutes, but Hertha-captain Michael Preetz guided the team back
to offensive.
In minute 35 he supposedly egalized the lead with a great shot under
the bar, but the goal was disallowed for handballing. Only 7 minutes
later, Preetz again smashed the ball from 16 meters, this time against
the right post and Hertha's "mighty-mouse" Darius Wosz (1,66 meter tall)
headed the rebound into the goal.
4 more chances for Hertha to get the lead in the last 4 minutes of the
first half, but the luck wasn't with Hertha. The second half started as
the first ended: Hertha tried to tear down the East German wall. It took
another 21 minutes until a marvelous pass by Beinlich got Bryan Roy in
the right corner of the box. He passed 3 players of Cottbus and hammered
the ball in the left triangle.
This goal broke Cottbus' neck. The bricklayers from the suburb weren't
able to strike back. Hertha made the pace. 5 Minutes before the end,
Beinlich again sent a dream pass to the left corner of the box to
Sverisson on the way to his first season-goal in his 200th Bundesliga
game. He dribbled 7 meters and layed the ball into the right corner.
A few more chances for Hertha to get the 4th goal. Unfortunately
they didn't score it. So Hertha missed the opportunity to move
to the top of the ranking. This way Hertha is 2nd behind Bayern
Munich with one goal less. But that will change next Sunday. ;) [BH]
Attendance: 49,457
WOLFSBURG 6-0 KÖLN
Kühbauer 3
Nowak 18
Akpoborie 29
Sebescen 38
Maric 67
Akonnor 90 (Pen)
Kühbauer swung in Sebescen's centre to give the Wolves the early lead.
Juskowiak wasted two great chances before "Brazilian Pole" Krzysztof
Nowak put the home side up 2-0 with a magnificently struck volley from
Hauptmann's candle. Learned play to follow, Juskowiak flicked Weiser's
throw-in to Akpoborie, Jonny with the routine tap-in from close
distance.
Sebescen added a 4th with an "Roberto Carlosque" free kick which took
an incredible flight path *around* the wall in the 38th minute before
last years' 2. Bundesliga topscorer Tomislav Maric (from Kühbauer's
through pass) and Akonnor from the spot (from Rische's dive) completed
the half dozen after the break.
It was the highest Bundesliga victory since Wolfsburg destroyed Gladbach
7-1 on November 7th 1998. [TL]
Attendance: 15,816
HAMBURG 2-0 FRANKFURT
Barbarez 35
Kovac 69
In the beginning Frankfurt was slightly better and made some good
counter attacks and got some semi-chances, including a shot of
Guié-Mien from 18m which missed our goal. With time HSV got better
and had 5-6 chances from crosses -- Barbarez converted after a
Holler cross with a header from 5 meters.
In the second half the Eintracht didn't manage a single chance while
HSV had lots of 'em, mainly through counter attacks. Still, we were
not able to convert them, the only goal of the second half resulted
from a Ketelaer corner Kovac headed in from 5m.
Ketelaer, who came in for Heinz and had a great game as it was easy
for him to run past the slow Eintracht defense, missed two great
opportunities when he was free in the area but got his shots saved
from Heinen. All in all a clear victory for HSV who played with a
surprisingly safe defense (due more to the weakness of Frankfurt
than to our own class *g*) in an average game.
Remarks: HSV-fan and Hertha-representative Carsten Grab died last
week by suicide (probably?). We got no minute of silence, but there
were some banners for him. Kovac cried after he scored -- his mother
is in the hospital (dunno why, but it seems to be s.th. serious...
:-(). [SM]
Attendance: 41,250
BAYERN MÜNCHEN 3-1 1860 MÜNCHEN
Élber 45, 65 Häßler 75
Salihamidzic 56
Bayern went out against 60 with nearly everyone on board, except for
Effenberg and Lizarazu. The three man front of last year's big matches
at the end -- Paulo Sergio, Élber, Scholl -- were together for the
first time this season. Bayern had the play from the beginning, and
although Mykland tried a long shot like that from Riedl which won 1860
their first Derby in over 20 years, it was 1860's goalie Jentzsch doing
all the work.
The best chance was a 3-way pass play ending in a shot by Élber to the
top corner but saved by Jentzsch. In injury time Sagnol overlapped down
the right wing, presaging his activity in the next half, and evaded a
tackle to get a cross in with his weaker left. For once a cross was
long enough and Élber, circling around from behind instead of running
directly to the ball, had his guile rewarded with an easy header to the
far post behind Jentzsch for the 1-0.
A very important goal, since Bayern have often got nervous after
dominating the first half but failing to score. The second half as
well was all Bayern. Scholl and Salihamidzic made many dangerous runs
down the left and right wings, respectively, with Paulo Sergio and
Élber often dropping back to feed them with return passes, and Sangol
often taking over on the right for Salihamidzic to move to the center.
A very offensive play going all out for the 2-0, and it was rewarded
at 56' when Scholl beat his man to the goal line and passed back to
a wide open Salihamidzic. With all this position-trading it was no
surprise that the 1860 back four, many of them subs for the injured
top flight, were often in circles trying to keep up. The 3-0 was very
sweet, as Brazzo turned playmaker after missing a couple of chances.
He ran down the right with the ball, had a pass blocked, passed the
rebound through a narrow open channel to Élber, who took it on the
chest and bounced it with his right twice, side to side as well as
up and down, to get an open turn shot from the right which scored
on a deflection from Bierofka. Bayern, who could have led 5 or 6-0
like Wolfsburg were doing against Cologne, then let the steam out
and 1860 got a free kick on a lazy foul by Andersson.
Häßler showed the form of 1992 putting that just inside the post,
where had Kahn been in correct position it still would have scored.
Borimirov picked up a stupid second yellow fouling Sforza as the
latter ran to the defensive corner stopping an attack. Bierofka,
transferred from the Bayern Amateurs to the 1860 pro side just this
season, tried to make amends with a couple of Scholl-like moves on
the left wing, but the shots were not up to their preparation.
Bayern obligatorily choked the ensuing counter attack chances,
thereby leaving the final score at 3-1. All in all the strongest
Derby performance by Bayern since 1860's reemergence in 1995.
1860 without their best defense and with attackers Agostino and
Max only coming on after 52' and 75' did not have the firepower
on either end of the field. [BS]
Red Card: Borimirov 82 (1860 München)
Attendance: 69,000 (sold out)
LEVERKUSEN 2-0 DORTMUND
Nowotny 25
Neuville 62
Bayer dictated the pace from the beginning and quickly span midfield
with precise through passes from Ballack but wasted several great
opportunities including one where ref Dr. Fleischer should have awarded
a penalty when Lehmann pulled down Brdaric in the box.
Nowotny punished poor defending from Dedê as he unguardedly made his
way into the box on the left side to hammer in Kirsten's cross. Wörns
and Heinrich went close for Dortmund before again Brdaric tested
Lehmann with a wickedly dipping cross.
Just after the hour Neuville took advantage of another defensive lapse
as he wide-openly headed in Zé Roberto's free kick (Little Olli is only
1,71m tall and known to be everything but an "air monster") to virtually
decide the game.
Amazingly Leverkusen was unaffected by the "affair" around their former
coach and put on a solid display. Dortmund had huge problems in defense,
failed to create any kind of pressure in midfield and lacked punch in
attack. [TL]
Attendance: 22,500 (sold out)
22 OCTOBER 2000
FREIBURG 3-1 SCHALKE
Zeyer 33 Waldoch 74
Sellimi 80
Ramdane 90
Möller dangerously turned the ball over near his own area, Zeyer
and Kobiashvili swapped passes before the former gave Freiburg the
lead. Waldoch headed in the equalizer from Böhme's cross.
Zeyer then put through Freiburg's top offensive performer of last
season, Adel Sellimi, who restored the lead for the hosts with a
well-placed shot into the left-bottom corner.
Ramdane sealed the win with a 90th minute solo run. [TL]
Attendance: 25,000 (sold out)
BOCHUM 1-2 ROSTOCK
Weber 56 Arvidsson 67
Kovacec 76
Weber put away Schindzielorz' cross with a textbook diving header.
Arvidsson spectacularly volleyed the visitors level from Rydlewicz'
cross. Hansa now realised that full three points were very much
possible and were proved right when Van Duijnhoven unluckily fisted
the ball against Jakobsson's hand from where it bounced to the feet
of Kovacec who bundled it over the line -- unfortunately the poor
soul tore everything possible in the process as Schindzielorz and
Bastürk awkwardly slid into him trying to clear. [TL]
Attendance: 17,871
Ciao,
Tim
Articles by...
[BH] = Bert Handschumacher rahand@t-online.de
[SM] = Sven Mischkies sm@iworld.de
[BS] = Bruce Scott bds@ipp.mpg.de
[TL] = Tim Leidecker tim@milanmania.com
tim@milanmania.com
http://milanmania.com
http://soccer-europe.com
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