By Rich
Hertha Berlin overcame an early deficit on Friday to defeat visiting Fortuna Düsseldorf 3:1. The match’s first goal, and the only goal for the visitors, came in the 32nd minute when Rouwen Hennings converted a penalty kick to take the early lead. The lead was short-lived, however, as Hertha’s Vedad Ibisevic scored a goal in the 37th minute off a cross from Marius Wolf. Hertha’s 2nd goal came in the 44th minute, when Javairo Dilrosun converted a pass from Vladimir Darida, and their 3rd goal came in the 62nd minute when Darida himself netted a goal from substitute Dodi Lukebakio. For both Dilrosun and Ibisevic, it was their 3rd goal each of the season, and this was Hertha’s 1st victory over Düsseldorf since December 1979. The competition for the top spot in the table will continue on Saturday when 2 clubs tied at 13 points each face off: Leverkusen and Leipzig. Leipzig fell off the top spot in the league last weekend, and striker Timo Werner and his teammates will have their hands full visiting Kai Havertz, Kevin Volland, and the rest of the Leverkusen squad. Havertz has 3 career Bundesliga goals against Leipzig, and no German player has been involved in more goals this calendar year than Volland. An equally important match will be played at the same time, when Freiburg host Dortmund. Freibug have had their best-ever season start this year, and are sitting just behind Bayern and Leipzig. U21 international Luca Waldschmidt, who came off the bench last weekend to score a stunning late goal, made his Bundesliga debut against Dortmund while playing for Eintracht Frankfurt back in April 2015, and has 12 goals in his last 13 matches for his club and for Germany. Dortmund has a chance, however, to set a new club record: they are unbeaten in 16 Bundesliga matches against Freiburg, and a 17th would be a new club record against any single opponent. The club that knocked Leipzig off the top spot last weekend, FC Schalke 04, could also capture that spot for themselves when they host struggling 1. FC Köln later on Saturday. Only Bayern have scored more goals in their last 4 matches than Schalke, while Köln have managed just 2 goals in the same timeframe. The Billy Goats do have 2 bright spots to look to: they are unbeaten in their last 4 visits to Gelsenkirchen, and they have more wins against Schalke (36) than they do against any other club. In any event, the top spot may not be decided until Sunday, when Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach both play at home against Union Berlin and Augsburg.
Hertha Berlin overcame an early deficit on Friday to defeat visiting Fortuna Düsseldorf 3:1. The match’s first goal, and the only goal for the visitors, came in the 32nd minute when Rouwen Hennings converted a penalty kick to take the early lead. The lead was short-lived, however, as Hertha’s Vedad Ibisevic scored a goal in the 37th minute off a cross from Marius Wolf. Hertha’s 2nd goal came in the 44th minute, when Javairo Dilrosun converted a pass from Vladimir Darida, and their 3rd goal came in the 62nd minute when Darida himself netted a goal from substitute Dodi Lukebakio. For both Dilrosun and Ibisevic, it was their 3rd goal each of the season, and this was Hertha’s 1st victory over Düsseldorf since December 1979. The competition for the top spot in the table will continue on Saturday when 2 clubs tied at 13 points each face off: Leverkusen and Leipzig. Leipzig fell off the top spot in the league last weekend, and striker Timo Werner and his teammates will have their hands full visiting Kai Havertz, Kevin Volland, and the rest of the Leverkusen squad. Havertz has 3 career Bundesliga goals against Leipzig, and no German player has been involved in more goals this calendar year than Volland. An equally important match will be played at the same time, when Freiburg host Dortmund. Freibug have had their best-ever season start this year, and are sitting just behind Bayern and Leipzig. U21 international Luca Waldschmidt, who came off the bench last weekend to score a stunning late goal, made his Bundesliga debut against Dortmund while playing for Eintracht Frankfurt back in April 2015, and has 12 goals in his last 13 matches for his club and for Germany. Dortmund has a chance, however, to set a new club record: they are unbeaten in 16 Bundesliga matches against Freiburg, and a 17th would be a new club record against any single opponent. The club that knocked Leipzig off the top spot last weekend, FC Schalke 04, could also capture that spot for themselves when they host struggling 1. FC Köln later on Saturday. Only Bayern have scored more goals in their last 4 matches than Schalke, while Köln have managed just 2 goals in the same timeframe. The Billy Goats do have 2 bright spots to look to: they are unbeaten in their last 4 visits to Gelsenkirchen, and they have more wins against Schalke (36) than they do against any other club. In any event, the top spot may not be decided until Sunday, when Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach both play at home against Union Berlin and Augsburg.
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