Bundesliga Sunday Round-Up: Schalke Share Spoils With Hamburg, Bremen Move Third

Hertha Berlin 0-0 Wolfsburg
Schalke 3-3 Hamburg
Bochum 1-4 Werder Bremen


To the surprise of all of Germany, Hertha came out today with the same kind of organized defensive tactical approach that saw the capital club lead the league until late last season. Throughout the first half, Hertha were the more dangerous team, but failed to score, and the score was 0-0 at the break.

In the second half, Wolfburg began to find their feet but Hertha remained resolute in defense, and had their fair share of opportunities. Gustavo Ramos had a chance to win it late for the home side but his shot struck the woodwork. Hertha will be happy to have taken a point today, their fourth of the season.


Hamburg controlled the ball well and went ahead after 26 minutes thanks to a fine run from Eljero Elia and a cool finish from Marcus Berg. The visitors made it 2-0 just before the half after Piotr Trochowski fired in a superb free kick.

After the break, the home side switched from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3, a change that had immediate effect. Early on, Kevin Kuranyi headed home to pull one back before David Rozehnal was sent off for a rash challenge. A man up, Schalke equalized in the 62nd, and for long spells had the visitors pinned down in their own half. Hamburg made defensive substitutions and Schalke responded by perhaps committing too much to the attack. With ten minutes to go, Berg completed his brace against the flow of play, apparently giving Hamburg the victory.

But it was not to be. In the game's closing moments, Kuranyi headed in a Heiko Westermann cross to earn a point for Schalke.


It took just under a minute for Bochum to end Bremen's streak of more than five league matches without conceding a goal. Moments after the opening whistle,  Stanislav Sestak beat Tim Wiese from just outside the box. Shortly thereafter, Mimoun Azaouagh and Christian Fuchs fired shots off the woodwork and the score remained 1-0. In the ninth minute, Bremen struck back. Marko Marin whipped in a cross that Aaron Hunt nodded in to level the score. After the half hour, Marin raced into the penalty area and fired home a goal of his own, making the score 2-1.

In the second half, Werder were well in control. Tim Borowski put his team two goals ahead with a breakaway goal before Mesut Oezil took a strike of his own on the stroke of full time.

Clark Whitney, Goal.com