TSG Hoffenheim and FC Köln reaffirmed their lofty positions on matchday 9 with impressive home wins. Four days after the two sides met in a hotly contested DFB Cup tie, they each picked up their fifth victory of the season. Hoffenheim defeated Hertha BSC thanks to a first-half goal from Niklas Süle, before Köln were 3-0 winners against ten-man Hamburger SV, with Anthony Modeste helping himself to a hat-trick.
The results saw both teams leapfrog Hertha in the table, with Hoffenheim four points behind leaders FC Bayern München, and Köln five off the top. Bottom club Hamburg, meanwhile, were plunged deeper into crisis, having broken an unwanted club record by going 662 minutes without scoring a Bundesliga goal. What’s more, their total of two goals after nine matches is a new league record.
Hoffenheim seize the initiative
28,015 spectators were treated to an attacking performance from Hoffenheim, and it took them just over half an hour to get their noses in front when Niklas Süle met Kerem Demirbay’s free-kick with a powerful header that found the back of the net.
They would have made the game safe sooner but for the heroics of Hertha goalkeeper Rune Jarstein, who made a string of second-half saves to deny Sandro Wagner and Andrej Kramaric in particular. The closest the visitors came to an equaliser on an ultimately disappointing afternoon was when Oliver Baumann kept out Vedad Ibisevic’s header.
Wood sees red, Modeste in red-hot form
At the Rheinenergiestadion, Köln started confidently and put their visitors under a lot of early pressure, but it took them some time to create clear-cut opportunities. They won a penalty in the 41st minute when Yuya Osako was brought down in the area by Ashton Gotz, but Modeste’s effort rebounded back out off the post.
Hamburg went down to ten men early in the second half, after Bobby Wood was involved in a tussle with the home side’s Dominique Heintz, and was given a straight red card. The hosts took full advantage nine minutes later, when Modeste helped Simon Zoller’s cross into the back of the net. The French forward then scored two more in the latter stages of the game to complete his treble.
TSG Hoffenheim and FC Köln reaffirmed their lofty positions on matchday 9 with impressive home wins. Four days after the two sides met in a hotly contested DFB Cup tie, they each picked up their fifth victory of the season. Hoffenheim defeated Hertha BSC thanks to a first-half goal from Niklas Süle, before Köln were 3-0 winners against ten-man Hamburger SV, with Anthony Modeste helping himself to a hat-trick.
The results saw both teams leapfrog Hertha in the table, with Hoffenheim four points behind leaders FC Bayern München, and Köln five off the top. Bottom club Hamburg, meanwhile, were plunged deeper into crisis, having broken an unwanted club record by going 662 minutes without scoring a Bundesliga goal. What’s more, their total of two goals after nine matches is a new league record.
Hoffenheim seize the initiative
28,015 spectators were treated to an attacking performance from Hoffenheim, and it took them just over half an hour to get their noses in front when Niklas Süle met Kerem Demirbay’s free-kick with a powerful header that found the back of the net.
They would have made the game safe sooner but for the heroics of Hertha goalkeeper Rune Jarstein, who made a string of second-half saves to deny Sandro Wagner and Andrej Kramaric in particular. The closest the visitors came to an equaliser on an ultimately disappointing afternoon was when Oliver Baumann kept out Vedad Ibisevic’s header.
Wood sees red, Modeste in red-hot form
At the Rheinenergiestadion, Köln started confidently and put their visitors under a lot of early pressure, but it took them some time to create clear-cut opportunities. They won a penalty in the 41st minute when Yuya Osako was brought down in the area by Ashton Gotz, but Modeste’s effort rebounded back out off the post.
Hamburg went down to ten men early in the second half, after Bobby Wood was involved in a tussle with the home side’s Dominique Heintz, and was given a straight red card. The hosts took full advantage nine minutes later, when Modeste helped Simon Zoller’s cross into the back of the net. The French forward then scored two more in the latter stages of the game to complete his treble.
