Hertha stay perfect, Zoma keeps scoring and Hannover bounce back - 2. Bundesliga Matchday 6 recap

The second tier enters the extended international break with plenty of talking points and shocks so far, with Hertha sitting at the summit after winning all six of their league fixtures.

Nürnberg remain hot on their heels after extending their unbeaten start in Karlsruhe, while Heidenheim were forced to settle for a point at Arminia Bielefeld.

A little further down the table, Wolfsburg returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion, Kaiserslautern edged Braunschweig, and St. Pauli rescued a point despite playing for more than an hour with ten men.

With the international break now upon us, here are five of the major stories from Matchday 6.

Hertha refuse to slow down

Hertha BSC entered Saturday’s trip to Dynamo Dresden knowing that victory would take them to six wins from six.

They eventually got there, although the league leaders had to come from behind before securing another three points.

Dynamo made the brighter start and deservedly took the lead after just ten minutes. Patrice Čović drove through the Hertha defence before seeing his effort take a deflection and wrong-foot Marius Gersbeck.

The visitors gradually grew into the contest and found their equaliser through Jón Dagur Thorsteinsson in the 29th minute.

The Icelandic winger had already played an important role in Hertha’s excellent start to the campaign, but he saved his biggest contribution for the closing stages.

With ten minutes remaining, Thorsteinsson collected the ball outside the penalty area before unleashing a long-range effort that found the net to complete his brace.

Dresden had opportunities of their own, but Hertha once again found a way to get over the line.

The victory means Hertha remain perfect after six matches, with 18 points from a possible 18 and a two-point advantage over second-placed Nürnberg. 

There is also an increasingly impressive consistency to the way Hertha are collecting results, especially on the road. 

Out of their six victories so far, four have come away from the Olympiastadion, a feat they didn’t achieve until the 29th November last season. 

There is still a long way to go, but with six wins from six, Hertha have given the rest of the division plenty to think about during the international break.

Zoma’s scoring run shows no sign of ending

Nürnberg may not be producing quite the same headlines as Hertha, but their own start has been remarkably consistent.

Der Club travelled to Karlsruhe on Saturday with a chance to remain unbeaten, and Mohamed Alì Zoma once again provided the decisive moment.

After a goalless opening half-hour, Javi Fernández split the Karlsruhe defence with a perfectly weighted pass.

Zoma raced through before calmly lifting his finish over the advancing Hans Christian Bernat to give Nürnberg the lead.

The goal was enough to secure a 1-0 victory and extend Nürnberg’s unbeaten start to six matches.

More significantly, it was Zoma’s sixth league goal of the season in as many games.

The youngster’s form has already earned him an Italy call-up, and his latest goal came just one day after that news was confirmed.

Nürnberg have now collected five wins and one draw from their opening six fixtures, leaving them second in the table with 16 points.

They also boast a +10 goal difference, matching Hertha’s tally in that department.

The title race is obviously nowhere near being decided, but Nürnberg are making sure Hertha cannot afford many mistakes.

For now, the two sides have established a gap over the chasing pack.

Wolfsburg make a statement

Wolfsburg had endured a somewhat uneven beginning to life in the 2. Bundesliga, but Friday’s meeting with Darmstadt provided a timely reminder of their attacking potential.

The Wolves eventually ran out 5-1 winners, recording their first home victory of the season in emphatic fashion.

Alexander Bernhardsson opened the scoring after 14 minutes, only for Darmstadt to level when Milan Smit capitalised on a defensive mistake.

Robert Glatzel restored Wolfsburg’s advantage shortly before half-time, and from there the floodgates opened.

Bernhardsson completed his brace shortly after the restart before Muhammed Damar made it 4-1.

Glatzel then added his second of the evening in the 79th minute to put the finishing touch on a convincing victory.

The result moved Wolfsburg onto 11 points and fourth place, with their record now standing at three wins, two draws and one defeat.

It also continued a positive attacking trend for Tobias Strobl’s side.

Wolfsburg have already scored 15 goals this season, the third-highest total in the division, while only Hertha and Nürnberg have a better goal difference.

Consistency remains the next challenge, but Friday’s performance demonstrated just how dangerous Wolfsburg can be when everything clicks.

For Darmstadt, meanwhile, it was another difficult evening. A fourth defeat in six games leaves them bottom of the table with just four points.

Hannover respond when they needed to

It had been a chaotic week in Hannover.

Christian Titz was dismissed following the defeat to Nürnberg, while Sandro Wagner was appointed as his successor.

Before Wagner officially takes charge, however, interim coach Lars Barlemann was handed the task of overseeing Sunday’s meeting with Bochum.

He could hardly have asked for a better response.

Hannover secured a 2-1 victory, ending a two-match winless run and giving the club a much-needed lift before the international break.

Stefán Teitur Thórdarson opened the scoring after 24 minutes, finishing from close range following a promising Hannover attack.

Marcel Hartel then doubled the advantage shortly before half-time after some good work from Kolja Oudenne.

Bochum improved after the interval and Tom Meyer pulled one back with 13 minutes remaining, setting up a nervy finish.

Hannover survived the pressure, however, with goalkeeper Leo Weinkauf playing a major role in preserving the three points.

The victory takes Hannover onto seven points and into 10th place, as Wagner is now tasked with pushing them back into promotion contention, a feat which they so narrowly missed out on last campaign. 

The new coach now has almost three weeks to prepare before Hannover return to competitive action. For a club that had won just once in its first five games, Sunday’s result could prove an important psychological boost.

St. Pauli show their fighting spirit

St. Pauli’s trip to Energie Cottbus appeared to be slipping away from them when Tomoya Andō was sent off after just 21 minutes.

The Japanese defender received two yellow cards in quick succession, leaving St. Pauli to play more than an hour with ten men.

Cottbus eventually made their numerical advantage count when Justin Butler fired home in the 37th minute.

The hosts remained in control for much of the second half and had plenty of opportunities to put the game beyond St. Pauli as the home crowd became more restless by the minute. 

They were unable to do so, though, and the visitors punished them ten minutes from time.

Ricky-Jade Jones produced an excellent delivery from the left and substitute Martijn Kaars arrived in the right place to head beyond Cottbus goalkeeper Marcel Lotka.

Despite having significantly less of the game after the red card, St. Pauli had done well to find a way back into the contest.

The 1-1 draw leaves St. Pauli unbeaten in five of their six league matches, although four of those have ended level.

They sit eighth with seven points, while Cottbus remain seventh with eight.

For Energie, it will feel like two points dropped after spending almost 70 minutes with an extra player.

For St. Pauli, however, the point represents another example of their resilience and keeps them just in touch with the chasing pack, with a consistent run of victories almost sure to fire them into the promotion conversation. 

What’s to come

With the international break now arriving, the 2. Bundesliga table is beginning to take shape at both ends.

Hertha and Nürnberg have opened up an early gap at the top, while Wolfsburg, Kaiserslautern, Magdeburg and Heidenheim remain within touching distance.

At the other end, Darmstadt, Dresden, Braunschweig and Kiel are already facing pressure to turn their fortunes around.

Some key fixtures await in matchday seven following the break, with Heidenheim set to welcome Kaiserslautern while Braunschweig and Kiel face off at the wrong end of the table. 

The pick of the fixtures however is undoubtedly Nürnberg vs. Wolfsburg, as two of the league’s top scorers go head-to-head in what is sure to be a blockbuster Topspiel. 

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