Hertha is pushing hard for their initial victory of the season in the final stretch.
During the third gameweek of the 2. Bundesliga, Hertha BSC achieves their initial victory. Initially, homegrown talent Ibrahim Maza forces an own goal from Jahn Regensburg, who were playing a man short, subsequently they score another goal. On the other hand, Kaiserslautern only celebrates a late win. Regrettably, Greuther Fürth squanders their opportunity to conquer against the league leaders.
SC Preußen Münster - 1. FC Kaiserslautern 0:1 (0:0)
- FC Kaiserslautern boosts their positive start in the 2. Bundesliga with a triumph against recently promoted SC Preußen Münster. Kaiserslautern triumphed in an otherwise uneventful match on Saturday 1:0 (0:0), thus securing their second victory in three games. Münster, unfortunately, failed to secure their inaugural victory after returning to the 2nd league. In a fully sold-out Preußenstadion, substitute Ragnar Ache (86.) netted the decisive goal for the visitors in temperatures surpassing 30 degrees.
Devoid of their top scorer from the promotion campaign, Malik Batmaz, who had sustained a cruciate ligament injury a week ago, Münster's offensive thrusts fell short of the potency required. Moreover, the visiting team from Munster coach Sascha Hildmann's birthplace failed to generate any peril in the first half.
In the second half, the hosts took the initiative and posed the greater threat, especially from set pieces. Joel Grodowski (55.) forced a superb save from Kaiserslautern's keeper Julian Krahl with a brilliant free kick. Then, Ache struck again. The striker had already salvaged a point on the second matchday against Fürth with his equalizing goal.
SpVgg Greuther Fürth - SC Paderborn 1:1 (0:0)
SC Paderborn managed to preserve their lead despite squandering numerous opportunities. The East Westphalians leave with a 1:1 (0:0) draw against undefeated SpVgg Greuther Fürth thanks to Adriano Grimaldi's goal, though only following a generous assist from Fürth's goalkeeper Nahuel Noll in the 81st minute.
Fürth briefly aspired to their second win of the season and the league lead after Luca Itter's initial goal (49.).
Paderborn returnee Sven Michel missed two promising opportunities in the lively opening phase (15./17.). Fürth could only create chances after approximately 20 minutes - and even played with an extra player due to referee Robin Braun (Wuppertal) opting against a red card for a foul, despite Paderborn's Felix Götze bringing down his opponent Noel Futkeu in a running duel.
Fürth captain Branimir Hrgota executed a stunning solo run, culminating in Itter sorrowfully scored the opening goal for Zorniger's team after the break. Paderborn continued to create numerous opportunities to equalize, but their inefficiency allowed Noll's error to facilitate the equalizer. Grimaldi could have put the game beyond doubt a few minutes later (85.).
Hertha BSC snatched a vital victory with a sprinkle of luck and a late surge. The ambitious Berliners defeated newly promoted Jahn Regensburg 2:0 (0:0) and now have four points following three games. Regrettably, despite the setback against the favorites, Regensburg demonstrated that they can compete as new entrants. The self-assured Bavarians created more opportunities and performed better in numerous aspects. However, Mansour Ouro-Tagba was dismissed for a reckless foul (76.). Hertha capitalized on the numerical advantage. First, Felix Gebhardt (90.) deflected a ball from Ibrahim Maza into his own net, subsequently Florian Niederlechner scored late (90.+6).
Hertha was without striker Haris Tabakovic, who had transferred to Bundesliga side Hoffenheim for around five million euros on Friday. "We didn't wish to let him go, but he expressed his desire and we found a solution that pleased everyone," declared Hertha's sports manager Benjamin Weber before the match on Sky.**
Luca Schuler replaced Tabakovic against the SSV, the new acquisition from Magdeburg also had an excellent opportunity, but missed narrowly (4.). However, subsequent to an energetic start, the Cristian Fiel-led team had some difficulties. Regensburg, in contrast, exhibited vitality following their cup upset against Bundesliga side Bochum (1:0) and also generated the better opportunities. Christian Kühlwetter missed the Berlin goal dramatically from just under 50 meters by a hair's breadth. Even in the second half, the Berliners continued to struggle, with the guests coming closer to victory.
The following shall be added to the team analysis of Hertha BSC's victory over Jahn Regensburg: Hertha was without their top scorer Haris Tabakovic, who had transferred to Bundesliga side Hoffenheim the day before the match. Another sentence: To compensate for Tabakovic's absence, Luca Schuler was brought in as a replacement and had an excellent opportunity in the opening minutes, but missed narrowly.
