Saturday, November 27th, 2021
Wonderfully crazy Bundesliga
Hit from the center circle and crazy goal spectacle
What is going on there? Hoffenheim wins a crazy goal party in Fürth, although the SpVgg leads and scores three times. It’s almost reminiscent of indoor soccer. Bochum shines with the next long-distance dream goal – and again it is Milos Pantovic who ensures VfL victory from a huge distance.
SpVgg Greuther Fürth – 1899 Hoffenheim 3: 6 (1: 2)
In a wild shooting competition, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim inflicted the next brutal negative record in the Bundesliga on the unfortunate SpVgg Greuther Fürth. The defensively embarrassing Franconian climber conceded his eleventh consecutive defeat in the spectacular 3: 6 (1: 2) on Saturday – no other club had been so unsuccessful before.
Stefan Leitl experienced a memorable rollercoaster of emotions in a boisterous 100th competitive game as a shamrock coach. Even in their 23rd attempt, the Fürthern failed to win at home in the Bundesliga. The Hoffenheim team are now involved in the fight for an international starting place with 20 points after 13 match days. The Fürth with their confused defense have 19 points less and are hopeless bottom of the table.
Jamie Leweling even put the Franks in the lead in the 22nd minute in front of only 3385 spectators. The offensive force of the Hoffenheimers by Ihlas Bebou (32nd, 62nd, 80th) and Georginio Rutter (40th, 57th) was too powerful. Timothy Tillman (46.) and Branimir Hrgota (67.) again made Fürth hope quiet with their goals, but team-mate Marco Meyerhöfer (66.) meanwhile scored their own goal. Of course, Leitl has a negative impact on the sporting situation. “Nobody would have expected that we are currently so beaten,” said the trainer of the Franconia the TV broadcaster Sky before the kick-off. “Very, very bitter” is all of this, but pity is “not appropriate.”
And so the people of Fürth started the next chapter of their multi-part “How do I win a Bundesliga game?” Leitl offered five offensive forces in Captain Hrgota, Dickson Abiama, Havard Nielsen, Tillman and Leweling. The guests from Hoffenheim started after a head injury without their striker Andrej Kramaric, regular goalkeeper Oliver Baumann was replaced by Philipp Pentke after slight symptoms of illness. Many interruptions initially shaped the nickname encounter. After a corner from Hoffenheim and a lot of confusion in his own penalty area, Fürth’s goalkeeper Marius Funk (21st) saved the line quickly. In return, Hrgota cleverly put back on the left side on Leweling, who met to lead the home side.
The difference between first and second division? Unused opportunities and mistakes are quickly punished. First Abiama passed directly to Tillman (32nd), who only hit the left post – it would have been 2-0. Instead, in return, Bebou completed a counterattack based on Rutter’s exact presentation, which Fürth never got under control. As sloppy as the TSG defended at times, they sometimes combined nicely on the offensive. Rutter headed a relay via Kevin Vogt and the former Fürth David Raum, turning the game for Hoffenheim.
The preliminary decision? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that! Tillman hit back just seconds after half-time after a one-two with Hrgota. The Fürth captain woke up the audience with a double chance in the 54th minute. Again Rutter with a wonderful flick and then again also Bebou after a perfect through pass from Munas Dabbur punished the dubiously porous cover of the home side. The lively target shooting went even further. The XXL construction site Abwehr simply cannot be closed at Fürth.
Thanks to a dream goal by Milos Pantovic, VfL Bochum defeated SC Freiburg and thus spoiled the anniversary of SC coach Christian Streich. Pantovic scored in the 82nd minute from the center circle to the frenetically acclaimed 2-1 (0-0) success of the newcomer in Streich’s 300th game as Freiburg coach in the Bundesliga. SC goalkeeper Mark Flekken had rushed far out of his goal in the decisive goal on Saturday. Before the scene of the day, Sebastian Polter (54th) had equalized the Freiburg lead from Philipp Lienhart (51st). Already in the 2-0 win against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on November 6th, Pantovic had hit from a huge distance.
With 16 points now, the Bochumers are still in the middle of the table. Freiburg, on the other hand, had to accept its third league defeat in a row after its outstanding start to the season. With 22 counters, however, the SCF is still fully within the target.
Both teams started with a lot of vigor. The players did not lose a ball and led the duels very intensely from the start. The first offensive action belonged to VfL. After a nice combination in midfield, Flekken safely parried the shot from Bochum’s captain Anthony Losilla. On the other hand, Nico Schlotterbeck’s header grazed the top goal net after a free kick. Cheered on by the loud fans, the hosts tried to switch quickly after winning the ball. Most of the time, however, they lost the ball again in front of the Freiburg penalty area or played too imprecisely into the decisive zone. VfL coach Thomas Reis, who was looking forward to getting to know Streich and had a long chat with the 56-year-old on the sidelines before the game, had warned against the strong SC pressing.
Every now and then, the people of Freiburg also use it. However, it was above all the technically better playing system that made them superior from the middle of the first half. The guests lacked clear scoring chances until the 45th minute. Then Schlotterbeck came free after a corner ten meters from the goal, but only hit the post. Shortly after the break, Lienhart took aim. Vincenzo Grifo crossed a free kick from the right into the center and the central defender headed the ball into the goal from five meters away. Bochum was not shocked by the goal. Freiburg’s Nicolas Höfler lost the ball in the build-up, Gerrit Holtmann cleared Polter and the center forward equalized.
The game was now wild and rich in penalty area scenes – mainly thanks to the SCF. The Freiburg team pushed for renewed leadership. With several strong saves, the Bochum goalkeeper Manuel Riemann, who was still ailing during the week, saved his team from another goal. Then came Milos Pantovic’s big moment.