Geiger made 35 appearances for Hoffenheim across competitions last year, but drew the ire of the higher-ups when he publicly criticized club management. Berisha – impart due to injuries – has proven an absolute flop since joining Hoffenheim from Augsburg on a €14m transfer in August of 2023. Hoffenheim loaned Berisha back to Augsburg last spring, but the striker was unable to earn significant playing time back in the Fuggerstadt. 

Both Berisha and Geiger still possess potential that they will hope to demonstrate in the German third division. Hoffenheim’s reserves attained promotion from the Southern Regionalliga last season and currently find themselves smack dab in the middle of the 3. Liga table in 10th place. Berisha (27, €3.5m) and Geiger (27, €2m) remain in their prime footballing ages and maintain decent estimated market values. 

GGFN | Peter Weis

The past summer, the 23-year-old extended his contract in Sinsheim after a productive spell in the 2.Bundesliga with Elversberg. Now, Asllani is already looking to leave despite his new deal being valid until 2029. 

In his new contract, there is a release clause which is valid from next summer, and the Kosovo international is already attracting interest from bigger clubs in Germany as well as in England and Spain. Asllani’s aim is to play for a team that will compete in the Champions League.

Asllani’s successful Hoffenheim return: 

Since returning from his loan in the Saarland, Asllani has immediately hit the ground running. In seven games, the striker has five goals and two assists and has already formed a strong striker partnership with summer signing Tim Lemperle. 

GGFN | Jack Meenan

Hamburg Make Mince Meat of Mainz 

Hamburg made it back-to-back home wins as they battered Mainz 05 4-0 on Sunday afternoon. HSV were on top from the first minute and found themselves 2-0 up after just nine minutes thanks to goals from Albert Sambi Lokonga and Rayan Philippe. Philippe would add to his first goal in the second half, bringing his tally for the season to three goals from six games. The forward had a failed move to Mainz in the summer and mocked the situation with his celebration by mimicking a phone call. 

HSV head coach Merlin Polzin opted for a new 3-4-3 formation, and it worked a treat against a side that was so successful last campaign. 

“We’re progressing and one can see that in our play with the ball and against the ball. We’ve more steps to take, but one senses – and this is vitally important – that the team is finding out who they are and the connections are getting better. The players need to feel it on the pitch,” explained Polzin. 

HSV move up to 9th in the Bundesliga, whilst Mainz drop to 16th. 

Bayern Breeze Past Frankfurt

Ahead of this one, it was billed as Bayern’s first big test this season. However, when Bayern went 0-1 up after 17 seconds through Luis Díaz, it was anything but a real test. 

Bayern once again dominated and showed just how powerful their forward line is this season. Vincent Kompany’s side went 0-2 before the break through a Harry Kane curled effort from 20 meters out. If you haven’t seen the goal already, I urge you to take a look. 

Diaz added to his first-half goal late into the second half to make sure that Bayern go six wins from six games in the Bundesliga. 

“I don’t think these games should be used as a yardstick to evaluate the boys right now,” Toppmöller insisted when conducting a post-match interview with Sky Germany after the match. “It’s important for us to know that we still have a little room for improvement in order to compete at this level.”

“No one has been able to keep up with Bayern at their level thus far [this year],” Toppmöller continued, adding special praise for Harry Kane’s distance effort that made it 0-2 in the 27th minute. “That was a typical Bayern goal and Harry Kane’s finish was simply world-class.”

For Frankfurt, it’s now 12 goals conceded in four games in all competitions. There’s no question that Frankfurt have an excellent team, but right now, their defensive displays will be worrying head coach Dino Toppmöller. Bayern stay top as Frankfurt drop out of the European places for the first time this season (7th).  

Dortmund Leipzig Stalemate 

Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig played a rather dull 1-1 draw that was billed as “the battle of the Bayern chasers”. In fact, the final xG stats (Dortmund 0.88, Leipzig 1.05) illustrate that the final scoreline was even a little generous. 

Dortmund remain undefeated this season ahead of their showdown with Bayern after the international break. Leipzig, meanwhile, continue their undefeated run since being battered by Bayern on opening night. 

In truth, both teams will probably be satisfied with the draw as Dortmund and Leipzig stay 2nd and 3rd, respectively. 

Around The Grounds

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, FC Heidenheim still remains bottom following a 1-0 loss to VfB Stuttgart. The Swabians scored the winner just past the hour mark from time to add even more misery on Frank Schmidt’s side. Heidenheim stay bottom, whilst Stuttgart shoot up into 4th. 

Bayer Leverkusen have put their early-season woes behind them as they go 5th with a 2-0 win against Union Berlin. It’s the first time that B04 has registered back-to-back Bundesliga wins this season as new head coach Kasper Hjulmand looks to be making a positive impact on his squad. 

Borussia Mönchengladbach still remain winless going into the international break after a 0-0 draw against SC Freiburg. Despite that and amid all the administrative turmoil at Borussia Mönchengladbach, interim head coach Eugen Polanski has been given the green light to continue his audition on the sidelines.

There were also wins for FC Köln (0-1 vs TSG Hoffenheim), Werder Bremen (1-0 vs St. Pauli), and FC Augsburg (3-1 vs VfL Wolfsburg). 

GGFN | Jamie Allen

Historic Harry 

Harry Kane scored a brace on Friday evening as Bayern Munich comfortably brushed aside Werder Bremen to truly kick off the Oktoberfest season. While Bayern are enjoying their best start to a Bundesliga campaign since 2016, Harry Kane also wrote his name into history once again. 

The Englishman’s two goals brought his overall Bayern tally to 100 in just 104 games. He is now the quickest player to register 100 goals for a club in Europe’s top five leagues. He surpasses both Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) and Erling Haaland (Manchester City), who both achieved 100 goals in 105 games. With 10 Bundesliga goals already this season, Kane appears to be in the form of his life as Bayern go marching on. 

The game against Bremen also saw Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka make their 300th Bundesliga appearance, whilst youngster Tom Bischof was granted his first start for Bayern. 

Bayern are now eight wins from eight in the Bundesliga and face Eintracht Frankfurt away in matchday 6. 

The 10-Goal Game 

Borussia Mönchengladbach vs Eintracht Frankfurt may just have hosted the most bizarre and entertaining game of the season as they played out a cracking (and at times hilarious) 4-6. 

Gladbach are yet to win this season, have sacked their head coach, and have been woeful at defending so far. When the halftime whistle blew and Frankfurt were 5-0 up, you feared that the Eagles could easily make it double-figures. Frankfurt immediately made it 0-6 within two minutes of the restart, leaving the Gladbach fans who had stayed in the ground possibly regretting that decision. 

Interim Gladbach coach Eugen Polanski looked dumbfounded as he witnessed the lack of defending. For a top-flight side, it was shambolic. 

However, what transpired almost saved Polanski’s blushes and possibly gives him the most credit at full-time. Gladbach and Frankfurt seemingly reserved roles as the home side went on to score four second-half goals whilst the away side took the role of not defending. 

“During the game I was in shock,” Polanski answered when a reporter asked him what words he found for the team at the half. “It was my job at the half to tell the team that things could be different. After that lifeless first half that doesn’t work at Bundesliga level, it got a little loud at the break.” 

“That was a desolate performance by the team,” BMG sporting director Roland Virkus told Sky Germany. “We lacked everything you need in football and were rightly 0-5 down at half-time. It must be said that the team made progress after the break, but one can’t sugarcoat a game like this. [Interim head coach] Eugen [Polanski] retains our support, but we all have to take a look at this together.“

Gladbach remain winless, and bizarrely, Frankfurt have conceded eight goals in two games.

Dortmund Dominance 

Borussia Dortmund continued their unbeaten start to the season with an impressive 0-2 win away at Mainz 05. 

With the win, BVB stay second, are looking like the early contenders to Bayern, and even set a new Bundesliga record. 

Niko Kovač’s side were in the lead at half-time for the 10th league game in a row – a new milestone in Germany’s top flight.

Daniel Svensson opened the scoring for Borussia Dortmund, netting his second Bundesliga goal for his new club after capping off a fine counter-attack after Mainz’ Paul Nebel hit Gregor Kobel’s post at the other end. Karim Adeyemi then doubled Dortmund’s lead in the 40th minute after another superb counter-attack, giving BVB a 0-2 lead.

Speaking after the game, Kovač commended his team’s performance: “The team played very disciplined and organised for 90 minutes. We scored the goals at the right time and were a bit lucky with the shot that hit the post, which led us to score our first goal right afterwards. I saw a team today that finished the game the way we should on the road. We didn’t concede anything else – or at least very little. So I’m very happy and proud of the boys that they rewarded themselves with this performance.”

Around The Grounds

Union Berlin and Hamburg played out a 0-0 draw, but the main story came from the stands. Union fans were protesting the pre-match deployment of the federal police against supporters of the Berlin club. HSV fans were also protesting the late kick-off on Sunday evening, having made the two-hour train journey to the capital. Banners expressed that the late kick-off should only be reserved for those competing in European competitions. Given the notorious Deutsche Bahn delays, the protests seem justified.

FC Heidenheim secured their first win of the season as they beat FC Augsburg 2-1. FCA drop to 16th as the pressure mounts on head coach Sandro Wagner. 

Elsewhere, there were wins for Bayer Leverkusen (1-2 vs St. Pauli), RB Leipzig (0-1 vs VfL Wolfsburg), and VfB Stuttgart (1-2 vs FC Köln). SC Freiburg and TSG Hoffenheim played out a 1-1 draw. 

GGFN | Jamie Allen

Harry Hat-trick

Following on from his brace in the Champions League midweek, Harry Kane notched his 9th Bundesliga hat-trick as Bayern Munich beat TSG Hoffenheim 1-4 in Sinsheim. In doing so, Kane also broke a new Bundesliga record. Following on from his first goal, the England captain went on to convert two penalties – this is the first time in the league’s history that a player has converted all of their first 17 penalties. 

Vincent Kompany made five changes from the side that beat Chelsea in midweek, but it did little to disrupt their early-season flow. It was one-way traffic from the majority of the game, and a late Joshua Kimmich own goal did little to dampen the spirits as Bayern maintained top spot and their 100% record. 

Union Upset Frankfurt 

Union Berlin pulled off a shock result on Sunday evening as they came out 3-4 winners away at Eintracht Frankfurt. The Eagles had hammered Turkish champions Galatasaray 5-1 in midweek and were favourites to do something similar against Union. 

However, a front-three masterclass from Union took Frankfurt and possibly the league by surprise. 

Summer recruit, Ilyas Ansah, got Union going with a superb finish and bringing his season record to four goals in as many games. Scotsman Oliver Burke then doubled Union’s lead just past the 30-minute mark, with Union only registering around 30% possession. Frankfurt did manage to pull one back before halftime, but it couldn’t stop what was to come.

Two goals in three minutes from Oliver Burke not only secured his hat-trick, but put Union in a commanding lead with 30 minutes still to play. Burke’s second was a fantastic towering header, and his third was a delicate chip over the onrushing goalkeeper. 

Can Uzun and Jonathan Burkardt (his first for Frankfurt) scored two goals late on, but Union hung on for a famous three points. 

Speaking after the game, Union head coach Steffen Baumgart, who was sent off for complaining about Burkardt’s penalty goal, spoke frankly after the match: 

“I’m sorry, but actually I’m not sorry because I don’t want to hold back on my emotions. I kicked the paper onto the pitch because I saw others do it. The lads will have to do without me next week.“

Gladbach Goal!

Music to the ears of Borussia Mönchengladbach fans, they’ve finally registered a goal this season, and it’s come at the expense of their rivals, Bayer Leverkusen. 

Gladbach went into Sunday’s game as underdogs but put on a valiant performance and scored late on to secure a much-needed point and first goal of the campaign. Following last week’s 0-4 loss to Bremen, Gladbach looked refreshed under the interim management of Eugen Polanski. 

The former Polish international declared himself largely satisfied with his team’s performance, which sees them move to two points, but now with the opportunity to really kickstart their campaign. 

After the game, Gladbach sporting director Roland Virkus confirmed that Polanski is being considered as a permanent candidate. 

Polanski himself thought Gladbach were unlucky not to win it:

“With a little luck, we could have won,” Polanski continued, referencing Jens Castrop’s disallowed goal in the 23rd minute. “In the Regionalliga, that goal would have counted. I ended my playing career [in 2018] when there was no VAR, and I’m very happy about that. Now, I have to put up with this crap.“

Around the Grounds

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Hamburg secured their first win of the campaign in what seemed like an early six-pointer against FC Heidenheim. Both clubs occupied the bottom two spots going into this won, but it’s HSV who move away following a convincing 2-1 win. Goals on either side of the half from Luka Vušković and Rayan Philippe were enough to get HSV over the line. A late consolation for Heidenheim did little as they look to already be in danger of relegation.   

Borussia Dortmund stay within two points of Bayern after overcoming VfL Wolfsburg 1-0 on Sunday night. A first-half wonder striker from Karim Adeyemi was enough for Niko Kovač’s side as they go back to second in the table. 

Elsewhere, there were wins for RB Leipzig (3-1 vs FC Köln), VfB Stuttgart (2-0 vs St. Pauli), SC Freiburg (0-3 vs Werder Bremen), and Mainz 05 (1-4 vs FC Augsburg). 

GGFN | Jamie Allen

Reliable sources such as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and others confirm that club patron Dietmar Hopp, Wittmann, and the third subject of the TSG stadium ban, former TSG academy head Dirk Mack, were at the game yesterday. Hopp, after initially recusing himself from the Wittmann matter, did eventually take a stand against the club leadership’s decision to bar the two men from the arena.

The Heidelberg regional court ruled that Wittmann and Mack could not legally be kept out of the Sinsheim venue as it constituted a public space. The ruling did allow Hoffenheim to continue to forbid both Wittmann and Mack from entering either club headquarters or the team’s training ground. The fact that Wittmann perjured himself during oral arguments in the case ultimately ended up having no bearing on the verdict.

Historical Parallels

What to make of the TSG protests? To begin with, it’s interesting to think back some five-and-a-half years to another match between Bayern and Hoffenheim at the PreZero Arena. At that time, just prior to the pandemic, it was Bayern ultras who brought the game to a standstill when a “Huhrensohn” banner directed at Hopp was unveiled late in the fixture.

Match official Christian Dingert, like several Bundesliga referees around that time, halted the match due to the fact that protests against Hopp were considered a violation of UEFA “anti-discrimination protocols”. The game was nearly abandoned. After play resumed, players simply kicked the ball around until full-time came.

The TSG fans remained firmly behind Hopp on that day, chanting his name for nearly 15 full minutes until the solidarity gesture from the players was complete. Bayern’s Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – among others – stood beside Hopp in the center circle after the match was officially completed. Hopp enjoyed full support inside the PreZero on February 29th, 2020.

Matters are very different now. 

Editorial

From the prospective of German fans who hold the principle of 50+1 sacred, the manner in which matters have unfolded over the last 72 hours doesn’t make for a pleasant story. Dietmar Hopp promised the supporters of this club that he would return the organization back to fan control. In a legal sense, the 85-year-old has done this. On a moral level, Hopp initially did the right thing by remaining out of the board’s way when they decided to sever ties with Wittmann.

Hopp eventually did decide to become involved in the matter, and then publicly embraced the two men yesterday. It once again demonstrates that the club patron isn’t interested in respecting their desire of club management or the fans to move forward and establish their own unique identity. The matter of “TSG identity” itself proves problematic here. 

Given that Wittmann and Hopp were both involved in installing the current duo of sporting director Andreas Shicker and head coach Christian Ilzer, one wonders if this club even stands a chance of establishing its own identity all all. Hoffenheim continue along the presaged path towards sporting success this season. We arrive at quite the contradiction. 

Can the fans keep up this specific protest movement without explicitly rooting against their team? It’s quite the thin needle. One certainly has sympathy for those who have chose to adopt Hopp’s “vanity project”. Over the past 17 years or so, the fans are the ones who have leant their time and energy to this club. 

The absolute least Hopp can do for them is truly step back as he promised. His work is done. Irrespective of what Hopp and Wittmann have done to build this club up over the years, the two fabulously wealthy clearly wish to continue to enrich and control. 

Should Hopp and Wittmann remain defiant, fans paying good money to show up to the match and flash placards becomes the real “contradiction in terms” here. This isn’t the best form of protest when it comes to an issue like this. 

What is the best form of protest? Fans staying outside of the stadium themselves. One doesn’t necessarily recommend that they stay home entirely. Coming to the grounds and protesting outside is the best option. 

Make it clear to Hopp that, if Wittmann is allowed inside the PreZero Arena, it’s not worth patronizing this project by buying a ticket! Over the years, Hopp has proven that there’s nothing a billionaire can’t buy. 

Except potentially the loyalty of German football fans.

There’s a message worth fighting for.

GGFN | Peter Weis

Penalties in both Bayern’s 1-4 away win at Hoffenheim and Freiburg’s 0-3 away win over Bremen nevertheless attracted controversy. Match officials refereeing both fixtures have publicly defended their decisions, yet may still find themselves censured. At best, Robert Hartmann (TSG-FCB) and Timo Gerach (SVW-SCF) will receive poor marks in the German press. At worst, the DFB may contradict them in the a coming report.

The German FA has issued such scathing reports on improperly executed handball calls in the past, with the last two coming in the autumns of 2022 and 2024. Germans – as evidenced by the fact that the Allianz Arena crowd loudly cheered Bayern’s Michael Olise for pushing Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella to ground in Wednesday night’s Champions League fixture – remain uniquely sensitive about this issue. 

Hoffenheim-Bayern

There were actually two penalties awarded in the Bayern match. Kane completed his latest Bundesliga hat trick after Olise drew contact from Hoffenheim defender Bernardo in the box in the 75th-minute Referee Hartmann awarded the spot kick after a VAR review confirmed that the foul took place in the box. Prior to that, Hartmann himself revealed the scene that enabled Kane to score the crucial 0-2 from the spot in the 48th-minute. 

Many were surprised by Hartmann’s decision after replays confirmed that the ball inadvertently bounced off Hoffenheim defender Albian Hajdari’s thigh and onto his outstretched elbow after a shot from Bayern’s Sacha Boey. Hajdari could do nothing to prevent the ball from hopping up onto his arm. Most Bundesliga journalists will surely agree that the penalty should not have been given in accordance with the rulebook.

In an interview with Sky Germany afterwards, Hartmann explained that he had received confirmation from Germany’s famed “Kölner Keller” [the basement VAR review center in Germany’s cathedral city] that a penalty should have been awarded. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Hartmann and the Köln staff were correct. Köln has gotten it wrong in the past. 

Bayern Munich were the only team to play European football in midweek. Following a 3-1 win against Chelsea, they faced Hoffenheim in Sinsheim. Augsburg would host Mainz, Hamburger played Heidenheim in what looked like an early relegation six-pointer, and Werder Bremen played against Freiburg. 

Here are the three things we learnt:

Harry Kane is better without Jamal Musiala: 

In Bayern’s 4-1 win against Hoffenheim, Kane scored his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick. He opened the scoring from a corner in the first half, before two penalties in the second half completed his hat-trick. This is also his second hat-trick of the season, having scored in the opening day win against RB Leipzig. 

Now, to the main point. 

The absence of Jamal Musiala in the early stages of the season has allowed Kane to make use of all of his qualities. Musiala’s absence means that Serge Gnabry plays alongside Michael Olise and Luis Diaz, as Gnabry is not the type of forward to drop deep to receive the ball, which has allowed Kane to start dropping deeper to receive. On top of this, the directness of both Diaz and Gnabry allows this to be an effective tactic for Bayern. 

It will be interesting to see how this changes once Musiala returns to the team and is back up to speed later this year. 

Dominik Kohr may be the dirtiest player in Bundesliga history:

Not quite yet, but Kohr is well on his way to being the dirtiest player in the history of the Bundesliga – at least statistically.

Via transfermarkt, Kohr has collected the second most points (points are awarded for yellow and red cards) in Bundesliga history, behind only Steffen Effenberg. His sending off in Mainz’s 4-1 win against Augsburg now puts him less than 10 points behind the former midfielder. Considering Kohr is only 31, it is very likely that he could overtake Effenberg this season. However, Kohr’s sending off does mean he is the joint record holder for sending offs in the league’s history, alongside Jens Nowtony and Luis Gustavo. 

Away from Kohr, Mainz put in a strong performance as they comfortably beat Augsburg. The 05ers had struggled to score from open play, but they were finally able to when Arminido Sieb opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Kohr would make it 2-0, then Paul Nebel 3-0, before Sieb scored his second of the game to make it 4-0. Samuel Essende would score a consolation for Augsburg to make it 4-1.

If you have noticed, Augsburg have rebranded its tunnel so it is like an entrance to a Roman colosseum. (One for the history nerds) The city of Augsburg was founded in 15 BC by Augustus, who was the founder of the Roman Empire. 

To be fair to Augsburg, they did embody the Roman spirit. If that spirit was from the Battle of Cannae, where the Romans lost to Hannibal, one of the great wins for Carthage during the Punic Wars (Google it). 

Hamburg wins their first game back in the Bundesliga:

As the saying goes, you wait for a bus, and two come at once. That is what happened with HSV.

Only HSV and Borussia Mönchengladbach had failed to score in the league, and they finally scored their first Bundesliga goal in seven years when Luka Vuskovic scored late in the first half.

Then in the second half, Rayan Phillippe would make it 2-0 for HSV following an assist from Arsenal loanee Fabio Vieira. Hamburg were able to hold off a late Heidenheim revival to win their first game of the season.  

Considering most of this team has little Bundesliga experience, the win will provide them with a big confidence boost. HSV can now build on as they look likely to be battling relegation this season, plus they have also beaten a relegation candidate. 

HSV also have a favourable run of games on the horizon – Union Berlin (A), Mainz (H), RB Leipzig (A), Wolfsburg (H). Points from three of those games would be considered a major success. 

GGFN | Jack Meenan

Hoffenheim press, but it’s Bayern Munich who broke the deadlock

After their midweek UEFA Champions League win over Chelsea, Vincent Kompany made five changes to his squad, awarding first Bundesliga starts for Lennart Karl and Nicolas Jackson in place of Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry. Joshua Kimmich and Dayot Upamecano were also rested, while Josip Stanisic is out for the foreseeable future with a knee injury.

From the off, Bayern Munich’s second youngest starter, Karl (17), showed confidence throughout the first half, not shying away from taking on his opposing marker. But despite their dominance in the early exchanges, it was Hoffenheim who came closest when Fisnik Asllani hit the post after 15 minutes, capitalising on Manuel Neuer’s risky short pass.

That was an early warning sign for Bayern Munich as Harry Kane combined with Luis Diaz and Jackson before his shot went out for a corner via a deflection. Hoffenheim then went pressing for the opening goal with Asllani and Alexander Prass both having shots blocked – before the latter then tested Neuer just after the half hour mark.

But it was Bayern Munich and Kane that broke the deadlock in the 44th minute. Karl assisted an unmarked Kane on a corner, with the Englishman connecting with the ball, sending it past Baumann into the bottom corner for his sixth Bundesliga goal of the season.

Although Hoffenheim went toe-to-toe with Bayern Munich in the first half, Kane effectively put the game to bed two minutes after the break when he converted a penalty after the ball flicked up onto the hand of Hoffenheim defender Albian Hajdari courtesy of Boey’s effort.

In what was a quiet affair in the second half, the introduction of Joshua Kimmich, Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry breathed some life into Bayern, and it was Olise that drew a foul from Bazoumana Touré who brought the Frenchman down inside the Hoffenheim penalty area. And it was Kane who dispatched another spot kick to complete his hat-trick, for his ninth in the Bundesliga for Bayern, sending Oliver Baumann the wrong way and his side into a 3-0 lead.

Hoffenheim did manage to pull a goal back in the final 10 minutes via Kimmich’s deflection over Neuer before Gnabry added a fourth late on as Bayern extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga in comfortable fashion.

Hoffenheim 1-4 Bayern Munich Player Ratings

Hoffenheim: Oliver Baumann (5) – Vladimír Coufal (6), Robin Hranáč (4), Albian Hajdari (3), Bernardo (5) – Bazoumana Touré (3), Leon Avdullahu (6), Wouter Burger (5), Alexander Prass (5) – Muhammed Damar (5), Fisnik Asllani (6)

Others: Andrej Kramarić (6), Grischa Prömel (-), Ilhas Bebou (-), Umut Tohumcu (-)

Bayern Munich: Manuel Neuer (5) – Sacha Boey (6), Jonathan Tah (6), Kim Min-jae (7), Konrad Laimer (6) – Leon Goretzka (6), Aleksandar Pavlović (6) – Lennart Karl (7), Nicolas Jackson (4), Luis Díaz (5) – Harry Kane (8)

Others: Joshua Kimmich (6), Serge Gnabry (5), Michael Olise (6), Dayot Upamecano (-), Tom Bischof (-)

GGFN Player of the Match: Harry Kane (8)

Lennart Karl impressed on his first Bundesliga start for Bayern Munich, but it’s difficult not to give the Player of the Match to Harry Kane, who netted his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick. Although two of his goals on Saturday afternoon came from the spot, his first was an exquisite goal, assisted by Karl.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder

The court ruled that Hoffenheim’s PreZero Arena constitutes a public space. The fact that Wittmann insulted club figures proved insufficient grounds to keep the duo out. When it comes to the club’s headquarters, however, the court upheld Hoffenheim’s decision to protect its privately owned space from a potentially hostile party. 

Hoffenheim and the two plaintiffs might consider the ruling unsatisfactory and may still appeal the result. Hoffenheim have issued comment on the matter. An appeal from the club’s side will be considered. TSG board members Dr. Markus Schütz and Jörg Albrecht – both targets of Wittmann’s verbal abuse – have issued separate statements. 

“Our values are non-negotiable,” Schütz’s statement read “More important than anything else, this includes treating each other with respect. Anyone who grossly insults others or addresses a person not as a human being but as a ‘monkey’ crosses a line that we will not tolerate either on or off the pitch.”

“Given its special responsibility in the education of children and young people, TSG Hoffenheim sees itself as a club that rejects any form of disrespect and defamation,” Albrecht added. “Our firmly established values form the basis for our actions in all area, from youth development to professional football to the club environment. That will not change.”

GGFN | Peter Weis