CHALLENGERS, PLEASE ROLL OVER AND DIE, THE CHAMPS ARE COMING!

All match reviews by Tim Leidecker tim@milanmania.com unless otherwise
stated.

With a 2-0 victory at Stuttgart defending Champions Bayern München
are firmly back in the hunt for their record 4th straight Bundesliga
Championship. But only because (almost) all challengers blundered:
League leaders Leverkusen only managed one point away at their bogey
team Freiburg. Dortmund needed a controversial late penalty to draw
second-from-the-bottom St. Pauli. Fellow "Ruhr Power" Schalke were
even better: They lost 0-2 at struggling Cottbus. Last but not least
Kaiserslautern stay in the hunt with a victory over Wolfsburg.


3 MARCH 2002

DORTMUND			1-1		ST. PAULI
Amoroso 83 (Pen)				Patschinski 32

Nico Patschinski, slowly coming into his own as Pauli's best attacker,
splashed between Wörns and Kehl to head in Rahn's 40m free kick to give
the league's 17th the lead after half an hour. St. Pauli should have
been awarded a penalty after Kehl floored Patschinski in the box after
the break. Barely 18-year-old amateur striker David Odonkor came on for
the disappointing Ewerthon and won a penalty which Amoroso converted to
save the home side a lucky point.

Assists: Rahn, Odonkor
Red Card: Meggle 90 (St. Pauli)
Attendance: 65,000


KAISERSLAUTERN			3-2		WOLFSBURG
Hristov 64					Hristov 49 (og)
Klose 74						Munteanu 72
Lokvenc 84

Hristov beautifully headed into his own net after a series of mis-hit
shots. The big Hungarian made up for his mistake by returning Karhan's
short clearance from close range a quarter of an hour later. Petrov
soared down the wing, easily beat Riedl who is one of the league's
faster players himself, whipped in a cross and Munteanu escaped the
FCK defense to volley the Wolves back into the lead. Klose "stole"
the equalizer 2 minutes later after a series of flick-on's and big
Czech Vratislav Lokvenc won the game with a header from Hengen's cross.

Assists: Róbson Ponté, Petrov, Hristov, Hengen
Attendance: 36,816


2 MARCH 2002

FREIBURG			2-2		LEVERKUSEN
Sellimi 41					Berbatov 64
But 53						Ballack 76

Sellimi boxed out Schneider before bouncing Iashvili's long cross
softly off his chest and whacking Freiburg into the lead from an
acute angle. The "Breisgau Brasilianer" had at least another one
perfectly regular goal wrongly disallowed for offside in the first
half.

Highly inconsistent Russian playmaker But, who wasn't even on
Freiburg's roster for the game at Schalke last week, doubled the
lead with a rifling shot into the bottom-right corner assisted by
Kobiashvili's surprise low free kick. Berbatov connected with the
follow-up of Zé Roberto's own shot and who else but Ballack headed
in Neuville's corner to earn Bayer at least a point.

Leverkusen have only taken 2 points from their last 6 road trips.

Assists: Iashvili, Kobiashvili, Zé Roberto, Neuville
Attendance: 25,000 (sold out)


STUTTGART			0-2		BAYERN MÜNCHEN
						Santa Cruz 32
						Scholl 39

Élber flicked Kuffour's long through pass to Santa Cruz with his heel
and the big Paraguayan striker is just ice-cold one-on-one with the
'keeper...0-1. Bordon knocked down compatriot Élber 2m in front of
the half moon, Mehmet Scholl, sporting a new, terrible-looking David
Beckham memorial haircut, drilled the ball through the wall and into
the 'keeper's corner. Old man Balakov had to be taken out after a hard
foul from Effenberg. Hildebrand made up for his mistake with a string
of good saves against Élber and Pizarro.

Bayern have not conceded a goal in 5 straight games (BL+EC) now.
Scholl has been in sizzling form in recent weeks, Bayern climb back
into the upper echelons of the league on the back of his spectacular
performances.

Assists: Élber (x2)
Attendance: 54,300 (sold out)


COTTBUS			2-0		SCHALKE
Miriuta 37 (Pen)
Kaluzny 90

Matellan tripped Topic in the box, Miriuta hit the penalty past Reck.
The awesome Kaluzny powerfully headed in countryman Kobylanski's 90th
minute free kick. Schalke were missing a couple of 1st team regulars
but that was never an issue as Energie was simply the more aggressive,
the stronger team. Cottbus has now won their last 4 home games and has
another 5, if they keep their home form, they stay in the league.

Assists: Topic, Kobylanski
Attendance: 17,060


KÖLN				1-1		HERTHA
Cichon 75					Beinlich 12

Köln broke the eternal Bundesliga record for the longest goal drought
ever in this game -- congratulations! :-> Hertha even took the lead
after Simunic flicked onto a corner and Beinlich headed in at the
near post. Springer should have been sent off and banned at least 5
games for an evil, nasty foul on Rehmer which damaged the defenders'
exterior ligaments. Simunic struck the crossbar with another header.

Defense donkey Cichon ended 1,034 minutes without a goal for the FC
with an unlikely left-footed blast into the bottom-right corner, his
1st ever Bundesliga goal as well. Baranek volleyed against the post
in the dying minutes. Köln established another club negative record,
they have now gone 10 home games in a row without winning.

Assists: Simunic, Timm
Attendance: 22,000


MÖNCHENGLADBACH		1-0		BREMEN
Van Houdt 36

Van Houdt hit the post after a fantastic run down the wing by young
Ghanaian forward Aidoo. The Belgian international scored the eventual
game-winner with a looping header from another Aidoo cross.

Werder sucks! Bremen has now lost 5 of their last 7 games which marks
the worst start into the 2nd leg of the season in club history!

Assist: Aidoo
Attendance: 28,600


HAMBURG			3-1		NÜRNBERG
Kampa 22 (og)					Krzynówek 41
Fukal 39
Antar 86

Kos most stupidly gifted Präger the ball on the wing, Roy whacked the
ball into the middle from the touchline (shot? cross?) and young 'keeper
Kampa palmed it into his own net to give the home side the lead. Fukal
made it 2-0 with a thumping header from Cardoso's corner, the Czech
defender is simply devastating in the air (already his 4th goal of the
season, all from headers). Krzynówek, who has taken over from Michael
Tarnat as the player with the league's most powerful shot, turned Präger
inside out before unleashing a huge right-footed rocket into the roof.

Cacãu, who allegedly has signed for Leverkusen next season after the
Club failed to give him a pro contract in time (can you dig it, he's
*still* playing as an amateur for them -- stupid, stupid, stupid!!!),
volleyed his own rebound against the post. Romeo wasted a huge chance
1-on-1 with Kampa. Benjamin headed Michalke's cross against his own
post under pressure from Gomis. HSV on another counter attack, Romeo
played the ball over the top of the FCN defense but too short, Kos &
Tavcar only had to stop it but it bounced through_their_legs (!!!),
Antar pounced onto it and scored his 1st BL goal to decide the game.

Nürnberg was the better side and would have deserved at least one
point against an once again ultra-defensive HSV which has now won
their last 4 home games with this brand of football though.

Assists: Präger, Cardoso, Cacãu, Romeo
Attendance: 35,033


1860 MÜNCHEN			2-0		ROSTOCK
Max 42, 52

Hansa should have been awarded a penalty after Jentzsch clotheslined
and bloodied Wibrån. Bierofka picked out Weissenberger with a huge 50m
pass and Hansa fright Max (6 goals against Rostock since joining 1860
in '99) easily tapped in the Austrian playmakers' centre at the far
post. He then helped himself to a 2nd from Stranzl's cross thanks to
the huge Schroth who tied 3 defenders in the middle leaving him once
again wide open at the far post.

Assists: Weissenberger, Stranzl
Attendance: 17,200


Ciao,

Tim

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