19 AUGUST 2001

HERTHA				2-3		COTTBUS
Marcelinho 26					Da Silva 56
Preetz 90					Kobylanski 64
						Brasilia 80


Slow start into the match, after around 20 minutes the action started
to heat up. Hertha struck first through Marcelinho "100% Brasil, Hertha
& Paraiba" ;), filling the role of playmaker for the injured Deisler,
after very nice build-up play from fellow Brasilian Alex Alves and
Belgian Bart Goor. A pair of players from the "Pão de Açucar" could be
found on Cottbus side as well, defender Vragel Da Silva headed home the
equalizer 10 minutes into the 2nd half. Marcelinho almost scored his 2nd
of the afternoon when he clashed a corner kick against the crossbar!

When you don't use your chances, the opposing side will strike again,
this time through winger Kobylanski who already gave the cross for
Da Silva's goal, he beat Hertha's Király with a perfect diving, looping
header into the left corner from Reghecampf's long cross. Thielemann,
the first German player to start a game for Cottbus this season (!),
won the ball off a tired Marcelinho in midfield, substitute striker
Brasilia dribbled half the length of the pitch before breaking Hertha's
neck with a left-footed blast from just outside the area.

Michael Preetz did some result cosmetics, chesting down Pinto's cross,
twisting himself around Sebõk and slotting into the far corner.

Assists : Goor, Kobylanski, Reghecampf, Thielemann, Pinto

Attendance: 42,791


KÖLN				0-2		MÖNCHENGLADBACH
						Korzynietz 47
						Van Lent 90

After an even first half Gladbach went ahead 2 minutes after the break:
2-man-counterattack starring Van Lent and Korzynietz, the pair swapped
passes on the edge of the box until Korzynietz took heart and ripped a
fierce bullet past Köln's reserve? 'keeper Bade. The home side stepped
up the pressure now but attackers Kurth and Reich were firmly under
control by the once again more than solid pair of Pletsch (later Ašanin)
and Eberl. So in the 90th minute it came like it had to, Ašanin found
Van Lent on the break with a nice through pass, Gladbach's goalgetter
made no mistake and boosted his tally for the season to 4 lifting him
back up to that n°1 spot on the goalgetter chart.

Assists : Van Lent, Ašanin
Attendance : 42,000 (sold out)


18 AUGUST 2001

DORTMUND AND LAUTERN MOVE FURTHER AHEAD TO NEW MILESTONES

With Effenberg and Scholl out Ciriaco Sforza showed that like
Pearl Jam he's still alive and inspired Bayern to victory over
St. Pauli. Technically tremendously gifted Belorussian Aliaksandr
Hleb set up a hattrick of goals to lift his VfB over Nürnberg
in this Franconian-Swabian battle.

Werder pathetically embarrassed themselves at home as they fall
1-3 to heavily struggling 1860. A new star is born as new FCK
playmaker Lincoln outshines 21 other players in one of 6 away
wins in this round. Leverkusen come back from behind twice to
earn a hard-fought point at Schalke's new jewel of an arena.

Borussia Dortmund, what can you say, the steamroller seems
unstoppable as they extend their perfect starting record to
4 games, 4 wins and 10-0 goals! In Sunday's matches Cottbus
shocks Hertha and Hans Meyer's Gladbach patiently decides
the "Derby on the Rhine" in favour of themselves.

Goals this Round : 34 (3.8 gpg) - new season high!


BAYERN MÜNCHEN		2-0		ST PAULI
Sforza 13
Élber 45

3x only in the stands because of "lacking fitness, agility and match
practise" Bayern's #10 Ciriaco Sforza rose like Phoenix from the ashes
to be the European Champion's playmaker in this game. And he didn't
interpret this role with his usual routine, economic, unspectacular
game but played aggressively, offensively and on the run. The first
chance he created came from a set piece though, Élber headed his corner
against the crossbar.

Élber and Sagnol alone messed up Pauli's defense and jazzed up Bayern's
offense, the French fullback played the ball back from the touchline
into the middle and Sforza came running up from behind to drill the
ball into the net --> 1-0 Bayern! New Bayern defense boss Thiam was
lucky not to have a penalty called against him when he threw himself
into a shot and it hit his outstretched arm.

Exactly at the halftime break Élber and Sforza played give and go, on
the 2nd attempt 'keeper Bulat, who again had a good game otherwise,
couldn't just get to the Swiss playmaker's cross and Élber was left
wide open to head in. Bayern created another good dozen chances in the
2nd half but looked more like wanting to celebrate and put on a show
rather than really score some more.

Assists : Sagnol, Sforza
Attendance : 60,000


WOLFSBURG			1-1		FREIBURG
Munteanu 67					Sellimi 35

Kobiashvili was allowed to roam free in midfield, via Coulibaly the
ball arrived at the feet of Willi, his sharp cross was headed in by
Sellimi who was wide open at the far post. Sorted out playmaker
Munteanu rescued the Wolves a point when he fired a free kick thru
a chaotic wall, Golz got his hands to the ball but couldn't stop it
from going in.

Assists : Willi, Akonnor
Attendance : 11,766


NÜRNBERG			2-4		STUTTGART
Nikl 38						Ganea 4, 61
Wenzel 50 (og)					Todt 58
						Adhemar 88

Viorel Ganea, sporting #9, got only his 2nd start of the season
and shocked the 40,000 at the Frankenstadion when he put away
Hleb's precise centre for the early goal. The Rumanian striker
wasted another 100% chance when cleanly put through by Wenzel
minutes later. Czech hard man Nikl headed the club level from
Frey's cross. A hard, well-placed Müller centre caused complete
havoc in Stuttgart's area, goalmouth scramble, Nikl's shot goes
off the post onto the arm of Wenzel and into the net.

Only 8 minutes later it was again Hleb who dribbled the entire
Nürnberg defense (!), drew it out of the box and then out of the
corner of his his eye fed Todt who shot inside the post for the
equalizer. Ganea finally used the 2nd of his half a dozen high%
chances with a beautiful lob over the 'keeper when being brought
into promising position by, who else on this day but, Hleb.
Adhemar and Tiffert came on for Balakov and Ganea and with one
simple one-two they rounded up the whole FCN backline, Adhemar
with the easy finish for the more than deserved 4-2 victory.

Felix Magath was asked after the game what he did to his team
that hadn't scored this season so far to produce this goal
explosion and this is what he had to say: "I gave them medicine
balls into their hands in midweek and there you go..."
(Vintage Magath!)

Assists : Hleb (x3), Frey, Nikl, Tiffert
Attendance : 40,000


BREMEN				1-3		1860 MÜNCHEN
Herzog 34 (Pen)					Borimirov 30
						Agostino 39
						Schroth 58

Rost spilled Häßler's free kick, Borimirov tapped in the rebound.
Hoffmann clipped Aílton outside (!) the box, Herzog converted the
resulting penalty. Borimirov did his usual shoot/pass across goal
trick, Rost can claim the ball but decides to let it through,
Agostino arrived at the far post to tap in. Schroth struck the
woodwork 2 minutes after halftime after another surging run by
the (by Bode) unstoppable Borimirov.

Resurrected Austrian wizard Weissenberger showed Frings his heels
on the opposite site, his inch-perfect cross was easily headed in
by Schroth as Verlaat, a pathetic excuse for a defender, sailed
through under the ball. Agostino was sent off for a love tap on
Baumann, the first "real" (i.e. non-double yellow) red card of the
season. Still a gutless, spineless, heartless, uncreative, slow
Werder team remained without a chance against 10 "Löwen" as 1860
celebrates their first win of the season.

Assists : Aílton, Borimirov, Weissenberger
Red Card : Agostino 66 (1860 München)
Attendance : 25,968


HAMBURG			2-3		KAISERSLAUTERN
Hoogma 56					Lincoln 18, 22
Meijer 64					Strasser 28

Lincoln got the ball on the edge of the box, tunnelled Tøfting and
coolly slotted into the far corner. Beautiful goal, this one one you
gotta see for yourself :

http://www.sport1.de/coremedia/generator/www.sport1.de/Sportarten/
Fussball/Bundesliga/Videos/Videos__2001/04/HSV_20-_20Kaiserslautern/
hsv_20-_20lautern_20zus.html

His 2nd was maybe not as beautiful but equally brilliant: He pounced
onto a long punt by 'keeper Georg Koch, ran diagonally at Hamburg's
pathetically slow defense and beat Pieckenhagen with a flat shot
across goal. Strasser added a third 6 minutes later with a cross
that slipped off his instep, ideally into the angle.

Props to Hamburg for not packing it in after the break, hard struggle
by Meijer who lobbed the ball back from the touchline with a sliding
tackle to Hoogma who powerfully headed in. Ref missed Ketelaer taking
out FCK defender Harry Koch with an elbow to the shoulder, Lautern
down to 10 men for minutes and this is also where Meijer even pulled
another one back with a looping header from Mahdavikia's cross but
that was as close as they got thanks to some Georg Koch heroics in the
closing minutes.

Pieckenhagen was lucky to escape with a yellow card for emergency
braking Lautern's Riedl.

Assists : H Koch, G Koch, Ratinho, Meijer, Mahdavikia
Attendance : 42,073


SCHALKE			3-3		LEVERKUSEN
Hajto 10						Ballack 58
Böhme 40 (Pen)					Kirsten 73
Mpenza 80					Schneider 90

The first official game in the awesome new arena "AufSchalke", the
World's most modern football stadium! The "inhabitants" off to a
better start, Mpenza struck the crossbar from Böhme's corner at the
5 minute mark. Another 5 minutes later Schalke went ahead after all,
Hajto headed in Böhme's corner, Placente tried to clear but the ball
had already crossed the line! 1-0 "Königsblau". Kirsten imitated
Mpenza's attempt when he volleyed against the crossbar from Zoltan
Sebescen's long throw-in. Leverkusen got screwed when Mpenza dived
over Lúcio's outstretched leg and the ref awarded a penalty! Böhme
sovereignly converted from the spot.

Minutes into the 2nd half Mpenza _has to_ make it 3-0 but Lúcio beat
him in the running duel despite the fact that the Belgian had like a
2m lead. Bastürk won a loose ball in midfield, marched into the box,
dribbled Waldoch and then centred for Ballack who pulled one back for
Bayer with a powerful volley. After an almost similar attack Bastürk
lobbed the 'keeper, Van Hoogdalem's missed scissor kick fell straight
to Kirsten and the "Schwatte" fired into an empty net. 2-2. Schalke
should have been awarded a penalty for a handball by Ramelow. Mpenza
then made up for his earlier misses when he rose higher than Nowotny
to head in Böhme's missle cross!

In the 90th minute Bastürk won a free kick on the edge of the box and
a typical goalkeeping blunder by Reck who too much depended on his wall
allowed Schneider to score with a nice, although far from unsavable
free kick to win Bayer a point and keep Schalke without victory.

Assists : Böhme (x2), Bastürk (x2), Mpenza
Attendance : 60,204 (sold out)


ROSTOCK			0-2		DORTMUND
						Rosický 4
						Oliseh 13

Long punt upfield by Lehmann, Rosický beat his marker Emara to the ball,
cruised into the box and under heavy pressure from Jakobsson lifted the
ball into the far corner. 4th minute, perfect start into the game for
Borussia and what a nice goal! Rydlewicz headed Rosický's corner staight
onto the foot of Oliseh who fired a left-footed blast into the roof.
0-2, 13th minute, game over before it had even begun.

Assist : Lehmann
Attendance : 25,900


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