- Paderborn ruins the premiere of Herta's Fiél
Hertha BSC has once again botched its season opener, losing 1:2 (0:1) to SC Paderborn in the 2. Bundesliga. The Berliners suffered their fourth consecutive season-opening defeat under new coach Cristian Fiel. Felix Gotze (42nd minute) and Filip Bilbija (48th) scored for the visitors, who secured their first-ever win at the Olympic Stadium in front of 48,591 spectators. Hertha managed to reduce the deficit through Ibrahim Maza (72nd), but still faces the prospect of another winless start to its second season in the second division. Next up is a top clash against Hamburger SV on Saturday.
Tabakovic hits the post
A season opener can be tough and challenging, as both teams demonstrated. The first scoring chance, a post shot by Haris Tabakovic (24th), resulted from a poor pass by Paderborn. The Ostwestfalen were equally generous in setting up the opening goal. Gotze was not pressured on his header.
"We are ready," Fiel had said before the game, referring to the promotion battle. He was wrong. Shortly after the break, Michael Cuisance (47th) missed a chance to equalize, and Bilbija scored on the counterattack. At least, Hertha didn't give up. But despite Maza's long-range goal, that's all they could muster.
Despite the challenging nature of the match, Hertha BSC failed to capitalize on an early opportunity created by Haris Tabakovic, who hit the post in the 24th minute. Regardless, Paderborn went on to secure their first-ever win at the Olympic Stadium against Hertha BSC in Paderborn.
