Bundesliga Roundup, Matchday 1
The opening matches of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season showcased thrilling contests and remarkable displays of skill. Below is a summary of the games from the weekend.
Monchengladbach 2-3 Bayer Leverkusen
Florian Wirtz scored a last-minute goal to secure a thrilling 3-2 win for defending Bundesliga champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen against Borussia Mönchengladbach in their 2024/25 season opener at Borussia-Park. Xabi Alonso’s team created late drama, a foul by Itakura on Amine Adli resulted in a penalty for the visitors in the 100th minute after a VAR review. Wirtz’s initial penalty was saved, but he quickly followed up to secure the win. Although it was a tough start for Gerardo Seoane’s team, the Swiss coach will be encouraged by their ability to come back from being two goals down.
RB Leipzig 1-0 Bochum
Antonio Nusa scored his first goal, leading RB Leipzig to a 1-0 win over Bochum in their Bundesliga opener, keeping the Red Bulls unbeaten in their last eight home league openers. Even after Willi Orbán received a straight red card late in the match, Rose’s team maintained their strong home form, starting the league season well while showcasing their defensive strength, having conceded only twice in their last eight matches at the Red Bull Arena. On the other hand, Bochum’s new manager Peter Zeidler has had a rough start, with two losses and no goals scored in their first two games.
Mainz 1-1 Union Berlin
Mainz 05 and Union Berlin faced off in their Bundesliga opener for the second year in a row, ending in a 1-1 draw at Mewa Arena. Jonathan Burkardt from Mainz squandered a significant opportunity in injury time, leaving Mainz still searching for their first competitive win within 90 minutes this season. On the other hand, Union has now recorded their fourth consecutive unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season.
Hoffenheim 3-2 Holstein Kiel
Andrej Kramarić scored a hat-trick to lead Hoffenheim to a 3-2 victory over newly-promoted Holstein Kiel in their opening match of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season at the PreZero Arena. This win also marked Hoffenheim’s fifth consecutive unbeaten home match in the league. Kiel’s Machino scored a late goal to provide some consolation, but Hoffenheim secured all three points. Unfortunately for Kiel, their return to the German top flight after 61 years ended in disappointment, though they can take pride in their determination.
Freiburg 3-1 Stuttgart
Freiburg kicked off Julian Schuster’s tenure with a solid 3-1 win against Stuttgart at the Europa-Park Stadion, marking their sixth consecutive unbeaten start to a Bundesliga season (5 wins, 1 draw). As the match neared its end, the home team was in control and nearly scored again with 15 minutes left when Roland Sallai’s shot from the edge of the box forced Nübel to dive, but it just missed the left post. Freiburg comfortably managed the remainder of the match, securing a win to complement their 4-0 triumph in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.
Augsburg 2-2 Werder Bremen
Mitchell Weiser played a crucial role by providing two assists for Werder Bremen in an exciting 2-2 draw against Augsburg at the WWK Arena. Despite Essende’s attempts to shine, Augsburg appeared to be a team in transition following Ermedin Demirović’s summer move to Frankfurt. On the other hand, Werder Bremen can be fairly pleased with their performance, having scored two or more goals in five out of their last six Bundesliga matches.
Dortmund 2-0 Frankfurt
Nuri Şahin began his tenure as manager of Borussia Dortmund on a high note, with Jamie Gittens scoring two impressive goals in the second half to secure a 2-0 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt, who have now gone five Bundesliga away games without a win. This is likely the ideal start Şahin envisioned after being promoted from assistant coach, while Frankfurt will need to enhance their away performance if Dino Toppmöller hopes to lead his team into the top five in his second year at the helm.
Wolfsburg 2-3 Bayern Munich
Vincent Kompany had a successful debut as Bayern Munich’s manager, leading the team to an exciting 3-2 win against Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena, which marked their 21st consecutive match without a loss against them. The Bavarians have now gone 13 seasons without losing on the opening weekend, while Wolfsburg has suffered their first league defeat of the season for only the second time in a decade.
St Pauli 0-2 Heidenheim
Heidenheim started their Bundesliga season with a 2-0 victory over St. Pauli at the Millerntor-Stadion. Although they had some fortunate moments, a win is still a win, and Heidenheim coach Schmidt can feel more confident as they prepare for their UEFA Europa Conference League second-leg play-off against Swedish team Hacken next week. St. Pauli showed promise at times, but after a disappointing performance in their first match, their chances of remaining in the league will depend on improving their scoring ability.