Joint leaders
August 6, 2011
At the close of the opening weekend of the 2011/12 Bundesliga season, Stuttgart and Wolfsburg are sharing the top spot – in a surprise turnaround from last season. Faltering starts from Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen mean both title favorites have work to do.
A gaffe from Bayern Munich's new goalkeeper Manuel Neuer resulted in a 0-1 loss at home against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Neuer misjudged the ball, gifting Igor de Camargo the goal in the 62nd minute.
The goal seemed to snap Bayern awake after a dozy first half, but Gladbach dug in and defended solidly for the last 20 minutes.
Gladbach's 19-year-old goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen played impressively. It's the first time Gladbach have beaten Bayern in Munich since 1995.
"Bayern have a lot of quality but we showed they can be beaten," said ter Stegen after the match.
In Sunday's other game, Bayer Leverkusen also only have themselves to blame after losing to Mainz 2-0.
Sami Allagui opened the scoring in the 32nd minute after stand-in goalkeeper Fabien Giefer mistimed his clearance kick. Mainz sealed the game after a sliding tackle by defender Ömer Toprak rolled into the goal past his own goalkeeper.
Leverkusen coach Robin Dutt called it a "totally terrible start to the season."
New signing and former Mainz player Andre Schürrle added: "It just simply didn't click today. The balance between attack and defense didn't work."
Showcasing their new stadium, it was a great start for Mainz, who earlier in the week failed to qualify for the Europa League.
Strong start for Stuttgart
Stuttgart dealt a humiliating defeat to last season's Champions League semi-finalists Schalke, beating the visitors 3-0 on the opening Saturday of the Bundesliga season.
Brazilian striker Cacau warmed up for an international friendly this week by scoring the opener for Stuttgart, a header, on 37 minutes.
The hosts added a second in the 56th minute, again with a header but this time from Austria striker Martin Harnik.
To put the result beyond any reasonable doubt, striker Shinji Okazaki hit home with a spectacular strike in the 89th minute, making his side joint league leaders.
Cacau, who could be playing for Germany against Brazil on Wednesday, said he hoped the victory was a harbinger for the season.
"We are very happy with the result and hopefully this is the start of a good season for us," he said.
Sharing the top spot with Stuttgart after the earlier games on Saturday were Wolfsburg, which chalked up a 3-0 victory of their own over Cologne.
Former Cologne man Patrick Helmes scored twice against his ex-employers, with Marcel Schäfer netting the other goal.
Winner from penalty spot
Hanover also managed a win at home, albeit in less emphatic style, beating Hoffenheim in a match that ended 2-1.
The Lower Saxony side's Jan Schlaudraff scored in the 15th minute with a free kick before midfielder Sejad Salihovic equalized only three minutes later.
However, another chance to lead presented itself when Schlaudraff was brought down and a penalty was awarded to Hanover half an hour into the game. Norway striker Mohmeed Abdellaoue put the side in front once again and Hoffenheim was unable to respond with an equalizer.
Werder Bremen's home fans observed the opening of the Bundesliga season with a 2-0 victory against Kaiserslautern.
Both Bremen goals were scored by Markus Rosenberg, who spent last season on loan at Spanish club Racing Santander.
Freiburg draw, Dortmund dazzle
Newly-promoted Augsburg, playing in the top division for the first time, were able to secure their first point by twice coming from behind to hold Freiburg 2-2.
Hertha Berlin faced Nuremberg in the late Saturday soccer game, having returned to the top flight of German football after a season in the second division.
The Berliners slumped to a 1-0 defeat in a dull match, the only goal coming in the 80th minute though new Nuremberg signing Tomas Pekhart.
Champions Borussia Dortmund opened their defense of the title with a 3-1 victory against Hamburg on Friday evening.
A stunning display of attacking football picked up from where they left off last season.
Kevin Grosskreuz gave the home side the lead in the 17th minute after receiving a through ball from Mario Götze, who then went on to score a great solo effort himself. Grosskreuz added a third for Dortmund just after the restart.
Hamburg substitute Robert Tesche pulled one back for the visitors in the 79th minute, but could not dent the vibrant football being played by the men in black and yellow.
Author: Catherine Bolsover, Richard Connor (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Kyle James