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

Köln head coach Lukas Kwasniok placed El Mala on the left-hand side of his attacking trident. The teenage sensation added his individual piece of sparkle to an otherwise blasé affair. In the 16th-minute, El Mala sliced through four Hoffenheim markers with a silky solo dribble before nutmegging TSG keeper Oliver Baumann for the 0-1. No other goals were scored on the evening as Köln prevailed over Hoffenheim by that scoreline. 

“He made the decision for me,” Kwasniok said of the decision to start El Mala when speaking to Sky Germanyafterwards. “He trained well and scored three goals during the final training session. Said is a good lad; a street-footballer with God-given talent. That speed and dribbling. Said is so lucky that he has so much to offer.“

Kwasniok wasn’t the only one praising El Mala on Friday night. Two footballing journeymen who undoubtedly wished they had El Mala’s “God-given-gifts” raved over the ultra-talented young man with a full promising career ahead of him. Swiss veteran Joël Schmied (27) and Germany’s “Neustadt Nomad” Dominique Heintz (32) – both know what a privilege it remains to earn a start at the highest level. 

“He deserved to play from the start,” Heintz – whose start constituted his first minutes for Köln this season – remarked in the mixed zone. “Because he always brought energy to the game whenever he came on.“

“Before the game, I told him ‘Get into the game with your simple moves’,” Schmied added. “And then he delivered a game like this. My tip paid off. He’s doing incredibly well.

“Said has a healthy self-confidence and has proven that he has what it takes to play in the Bundesliga,” Schmied continued, being sure to add. “We [still] have to keep the lad grounded.”

“[I also told him],’You don’t have to prove right away that you’re the ultimate dribbling artist’,” Schmied concluded. “[With grounding], everything will be just fine.“

El Mala’s opportunity to showcase his skills with his Bundesliga club may have to wait for a couple more weeks, but the Krefeld-native is among the DFB-Juniors once again tapped to represent Germany at the highest youth level with Antonio Di Salvo’s Germany U21s during the forthcoming October international break.

Should El Mala’s development truly continue apace, it’s entirely possible that he will be featuring for Julian Nagelsmann’s senior team during the forthcoming World Cup in the North America next summer.

GGFN | Peter Weis

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

Kwasniok was nevertheless ecstatic to finally be headed back to the RheinEnergieStadion; the site of by far Köln’s best performance of the season. Hosting heavily-favored Freiburg on matchday two, Kwasniok’s team exploded to score four unanswered goals in an eventual 4-1 home triumph. Kwasniok found himself bursting with energy and excitement at the pre-match press conference, to the point that he stopped making sense. 

At a press conference a couple of weeks ago, Kwasniok dropped a modern television reference. This time, instead of referencing on ongoing talent variety show (“Deutschland sucht den Superstar“), the 44-year-old travelled all the way back to the 1960s. Kwasniok wasn’t even close to being alive when American television stopped airing “The Flintstones” back in 1966. 

In any event, Kwasniok quoted Fred Flintstone’s iconic line from the animated series’ opening segment when asked what it felt like to be preparing for just his second home match in charge of die Geißböcke. Flintstone’s triumphant yell upon hearing the full-time-whistle at his place of employment meant that he could hardly wait to head home. 

The “Flintstone Frenzy” then completely went off the rails. Kwasniok tried to conjure up a metaphor involving the German word “Kür”, traditionally used to refer to freestyle sporting events such as skating, swimming, and gymnastics. To be absolutely fair to Kwasniok, he was attempting to reference a legitimate German metaphor. 

To take an example from the Olympics, sports like figure-skating and gymnastics typically have the “Pflicht” (obligatory judged competition in which the participants are competing for medals) and the “Kür” (un-judged competition for which athletes can voluntarily opt to engage in free-form art) after the medals are awarded. 

The German expression “Pflicht und Kür” can be applied to all sorts of different form of art, work, and everyday life. “Pflicht” (“obligation”) refers to what one must do while “Kür” (“unencumbered art”) refers to what one wants to do. The world of “Pflicht” involves meeting other people’s expectations while “Kür” allows one to simple have fun meeting one’s own. 

In principle, the improvisational – yet still structured – nature of football renders the sport a perfect example of a balance between “Pflicht und Kür“. Kwasniok ended up backing himself into a corner by comparing home and away fixtures with “Pflicht und Kür“. Halfway through his rant, Kwasniok realized he could not give the impression that winning away matches weren’t important.

That’s when he stopped making sense. 

“First I’d like to say ‘Yabba, Dabba, Doo!’, we’re finally headed home,” Kwasniok said. “I accepted this reality before the season started and kept track of the advantages. I think four points from three away games for a team that’s just been promoted to the Bundesliga is something we can live with in spite of the fact that we wanted more. 

“We’re itching for more and it’s a great advantage to be playing at home in front of 50,000 positively crazy people.” Kwasniok continued. “You head out [onto the pitch], the hymn is sung. It’s a totally different feeling, it’s very intimate, one has the desire to show the people something. It’s different for us and the spectators.“

“We played an orderly match in Leipzig [last week], but this is free-style fun,” Kwasniok went on, before trailing off a bit. “There’s the obligation. The free-form voluntary style is the manner in which one reaches the obligation. It’s not the other way around….if everyone understands what I’m talking about. I now think that was a little bit too complex.“

“Okay,” Kwasniok continued in a desperate attempt to recover everyone (literally everyone) he had lost in the room. “When one consistently fulfills the obligation, but the free-form isn’t good, then it’s not a consistent meeting of the obligation. But one can fulfill the obligation with consistently solid free-form. Bad free-form can lead to good results but only that.”

“That was far too complicated,” Kwasniok concluded before switching to English, “Nobody’s perfect.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

Ache made 24 Bundesliga appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt between 2020 and 2022. The now 27-year-old struggled mightily in the only German top flight start of his career; a 2-0 away loss against Gerardo Seoane’s Bayer Leverkusen on May 5th, 2022.

Ache spent three seasons in the 2. Bundesliga playing for SpVgg Greuther Fürth and 1. FC Kaiserslautern before switching to Köln this summer. The Frankfurt native – who also scored once for Eintracht in the Bundesliga – racked up 41 German second division goals for the Middle Franconian Kleeblätter and the Pfälzer Red Devils during that time.

Thus far this year, Ache has collected three assists in five substitute appearances across all competitions. Kwasniok does have other options to lead his attack. The returning Luca Waldschmidt could serve as the lone lead striker. Linton Maina and young phenom Said El Mala can also work on the top axis. Kwasniok nevertheless appeared to lean toward Ache. 

“I have an embarrassment of riches [in attack],” Kwasniok noted at his Friday pre-match press conference. “And that’s what’s great about it. We still have to make up for a lack of physicality in Bülti’s absence. I think he [Ache] deserves it.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

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

“The bottom line is that we simply allow too many set pieces and concede too many goals from them,” Kwasniok told Sky Germany. “I think that’s five so far this season. That makes it difficult overall because you fall behind too easily.”

Köln conceded two goals from set-pieces in the opening half. The second instance, David Raum’s 3-1 at 45+4, proved an absolute back-breaker. Kwasniok revealed to Sky that he had been hoping to keep influential midfielder Eric Martel on the pitch for the duration of the game. The fact that Martel earned a yellow card on the foul leading up to Raum’s goal nevertheless led to Kwasniok taking him off in the 59th-minute. 

“Sometimes one can get frustrated with oneself,” Kwasniok told Sky afterward, noting that he did regret the decision, “It just wasn’t meant to be today. We had all our offensive players on the field. In any event after three away games in the first four games, it was clear that sooner or later we would lose away. That has now happened.“

“I thought we had the game under control after the [23rd-minute] 1-1,” Martel himself added in his own visit to the Skysports pitch-side desk. “But then we conceded two unnecessary goals before the break and didn’t clear the ball well. When you concede two goals here, it becomes difficult. Every time the ball came into our box [of dead balls], it was like a fire had broken out.”

Though neither Kwasniok nor Martel commented on it specifically, there was also the matter of Köln substitute Ragnar missing two clear-cut chances to equalize after his introduction in the 59th-minute. Domstädter sporting director Thomas Kessler did allude to it briefly in his own comments to Sky, noting “We have to blame ourselves for not having the necessary punch up front.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

Köln Spoil Wolfsburg Party 

FC Köln continued their unbeaten start to the season with a thrilling 3-3 draw in Wolfsburg. The Wolves were celebrating the occasion with the club’s 80th birthday. Head coach, Paul Simonis, thought he had gifted the club with three points not once, but twice. 

Wolfsburg were in the lead 2-1 going into the 90th minute, with a whopping 14 minutes added on. However, in the 91st minute, midfielder Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson scored his first goal for Köln to make it 2-2. 

Party spoiled? Perhaps not. Wolfsburg fans would have thought it was written in the stars when club legend Maximilian Arnold scored a trademark free kick in the 99th minute to make it 3-2. You can forgive the players and fans alike for celebrating as if the three points had been rescued. 

However, Köln became the ultimate party-poopers in the 104th minute when midfielder Jakub Kamiński scored to make it 3-3. Since the recording of the precise minute of injury time goals began in the 1992/93 season, no German top-flight professional has scored so late. 

Oh, and it just so happens that Kamiński is playing for the Billy Goats on loan from Wolfsburg! 

The draw continues Köln’s impressive start to the campaign and keeps them in 3rd position. For Wolfsburg, they also remain unbeaten but have now drawn twice and won once. They occupy 8th position after a birthday thriller no one will forget in a hurry. 

Debut Win for Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen

Kasper Hjulmand began life at Bayer Leverkusen with an impressive 3-1 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday night. 

The former Mainz 05 man didn’t have to wait long for his first goal when Alejandro Grimaldo fired in a free kick after just ten minutes. Before halftime, a Patrick Schick penalty doubled B04’s lead. 

Can Uzun pulled one back for the Eagles, and when Robert Andrich was sent off for a second bookable offence just five minutes later, Hjulmand was made to sweat. 

Leverkusen showed what they’re made of, held off Frankfurt’s attack, and wrapped up the evening with another Grimaldo free kick in stoppage time. 

After the victory, Hjulmund expressed his happiness to be back in football and Germany: “I’ve missed working in football. My last game with the national team was also here in Germany, but I’ve also missed the Bundesliga. I really like the Bundesliga. Football here in Germany is for the people. There’s great passion for the game. I love it. It was really nice.”

B04’s first win of the season puts them in 10th, whilst Frankfurt drops to 5th. 

For both sides, their attention now turns to the Champions League. Hjulmand takes Leverkusen to his homeland’s capital, Copenhagen. Frankfurt hosts Turkish side Galatasaray. 

Derby Day Delight for Freiburg 

SC Freiburg claimed the bragging rights in the Baden-Württemberg derby by scoring three goals in 11 minutes to overcome VfB Stuttgart. 

The visitors were leading for the vast majority of the game thanks to an outrageous backheel goal by Ermedin Demirović. The former Freiburg man made no mistake about where his loyalties now lie during his celebration. 

However, a late rally starting in the 81st minute would ultimately flip the game on its head. Igor Matanović got the sides level before Derry Scherhant gave Freiburg the lead just five minutes later. The game was wrapped up with Matanović’s second in stoppage time. 

A first brace in German football for Matanović as the super subs showed their worth in the derby. 

There was time for one more piece of drama when Johan Manzambi was sent off for Freiburg for dangerous play. 

Freiburg’s first win is welcomed and puts them level on points with Stuttgart. 

Around The Grounds

Elsewhere, Borussia Monchengladbach head coach Gerardo Seoane is under increasing pressure as Gladbach lost 0-4 at home to Werder Bremen. As reported by GGFN, Borussia Mönchengladbach’s next game will be decisive when it comes to the future of head coach Gerardo Seoane. Gladbach’s next game will be against Bayer Leverkusen this Sunday, and it is said that the game against his former employer will be his ‘final’. If he wins, he could be given more time; however, if Gladbach loses, the Swiss could be sacked. 

St. Pauli continue their best start to a top-flight campaign following a 2-1 home win against FC Augsburg. The rebel club now sit in 4th position and travel to Stuttgart on Friday. With their city rivals yet to score and goal this season, it’s a great time to be a Pauli faithful! 

Speaking of, Hamburg succumbed to a 5-0 hammering at Bayern Munich. The Bavarians with just too much firepower, as Harry Kane scored twice. The Englishman keeps up his record of scoring against every Bundesliga club he’s come up against. 

There were also wins for Borussia Dortmund (0-2 vs FC Heidenheim), RB Leipzig (0-1 vs Mainz 05), and TSG Hoffenheim (2-4 vs Union Berlin). 

GGFN | Jamie Allen

Kaminski’s 3-3 technically constitutes a new Bundesliga record. Since the recording of the precise minute of injury time goals began in the 1992/93 season, no German top flight professional has scored so late. The previous “record holder” was actually Kaminski’s Köln teammate Marius Bülter, who scored the winner for Schalke at 90+12 in a 3-2 win over Mainz on matchday 31 of the 2022/23 campaign. 

Football fans may not necessarily be impressed by such a record as, after all, the concept of injury time has shifted radically over the years. What was once something more arbitrary has now become a precise science. Match officials are instructed to take every second of delay into account when adding stoppage time to a match, in large part due to more VAR, weather, and pyro delays. 

Most every German football journalist will nevertheless surely declare themselves impressed with what Lukas Kwasniok has done with newly promoted Köln. A highly successful summer personnel overhaul has seen Kwasniok’s Geißböcke go undefeated through four competitive fixtures. Two league wins and a draw place the cathedral city club in third place in the Bundesliga table. 

Former Wolfsburg professional Luca Waldschmidt scored in Saturday’s frenetic six-goal-affair, as did new signings Kaminski and Isak Johannesson. Kaminski technically remains a Wolfsburg player presently working at Köln on loan. It was for this reason that Kaminski opted not to celebrate after netting the late equalizer. Speaking to Sky Germany afterwards, Kaminski mere noted that it had been a “great game“.

Other Köln professionals offered more. 

“I want to see exactly this attitude and this spirit in the upcoming games,” Kwasniok noted afterwards at the post match press conference. “So far, after the first ten weeks, I am very proud of my boys.”

“Once again, the guys who came off the bench were decisive,” Bülter added in the mixed zone. “We deserved this point. We didn’t just get seven points, we earned them.”

GGFN | Peter Weis

The teams in action included Borussia Dortmund against Heidenheim, VfB Stuttgart travelling to Freiburg, Mainz versus RB Leipzig, Köln looking to poop Wolfsburg’s 80-year anniversary and Union Berlin against Hoffenheim. 

Serhou Guirassy is one of the top five strikers in the world:

Borussia Dortmund saw off 10-man Heidenheim with a 2-0 win. Serhou Guirassy scored his fourth Bundesliga goal of the season in his third game. The 29-year-old is slowly reaching an upper echelon of strikers to have played in the league, as his goal today means he has now scored in his eighth Bundesliga game in a row, which puts him behind only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Robert Lewandowski in terms of non-German players.

Guirassy’s stats over the last calendar year speak for themselves, and it is becoming increasingly harder to argue that the Guinean is not among the top five best strikers in the world right now. The ones who are ahead of him are Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé, then potentially Alexander Isak when he is fit. 

With the form that Guirassy is in this season, he looks like the only player who will be able to go toe to toe with Kane for the Torjägerkanone this season.

SC Freiburg kick-starts their Bundesliga season:

It looked as if Frieburg and Julian Schuster had been diagnosed with a healthy dose of second-season syndrome after losing their opening two games of the season comfortably to both Augsburg and SC Freiburg. The first 80 minutes of the game looked as if this would continue after a tidy backheel from Ermedin Demirovic meant they were 1-0 down. 

However, the substitutions that Schuster made swung the game in Freiburg’s favour. Ex-Karlsruher striker, Igor Matanovic, levelled it before Derry Scherhant scored the winner, and Matanovic then converted a penalty to make it 3-1. 

A well-deserved win for Freiburg, and they can finally kick-start their Bundesliga campaign.

For Stuttgart, they continue to suffer from teething problems. It has been a slow start for the Swabians with two close wins in the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal, and with the Europa League league phase around the corner, they will need to find their rhythm sooner rather than later. 

How good are 1.FC Köln:

Wolfsburg were celebrating their 80th anniversary as a club, and it looked as if they had secured a fairytale win when record appearance holder Maximilian Arnold scored the winner. However, if you want even more narrative, Jakub Kaminski (who is on loan at Köln from Wolfsburg) scored the equaliser in the 104th minute (the game had three lengthy stoppages – rain, pyro, VAR) to maintain Köln’s unbeaten start to the season.

But how good at Effzeh, and how far can they actually go?

From an attacking point of view (via FotMob), Köln are one of the better sides in the league. They are in the top for xG and big chances created. However, they do find themselves in the midtable for important defensive stats.

Köln’s first big test of the season will be against RB Leipzig next weekend, but so far, they already look like a team that will be able to avoid relegation this season. 

GGFN | Jack Meenan