TSG 1899 Hoffenheim had Isaac Vorsah to thank for a late goal on Saturday night that gave them a 1-0 win at newcomers St Pauli and with it the joint early lead in the Bundesliga.
The Ghana defender headed home in the 87th minute to earn his side the three points that put them top of the league on the second weekend of the season after last week’s 4-1 win over Werder Bremen.
“We had a few problems in the first half, but we changed a few things around and played better,” said Hoffenheim coach Ralf Rangnick, whose side are now top and level with Kaiserslautern, shock victors over Bayern Munich on Friday. “It was important to get three points. I didn’t like the first half, but the second was much better.”
PHOTO: AFP
Earlier, VfL Wolfsburg playmaker Diego marked his return to the Bundesliga with a goal, but was unable to prevent his new side’s shock 4-3 defeat by FSV Mainz 05, while Schalke 04 also crashed at home to Hannover 96.
After an unproductive season with Juventus, Diego joined Wolfsburg on a four-year deal for a fee of 15.5 million euros (US$20 million) on Friday and the former Werder Bremen man showed his class with a well-taken goal against Mainz, but Wolfsburg coach Steve McClaren, the former England boss, was left unimpressed as his side squandered a 3-0 lead and three points.
“It is hard to explain what happened today,” McClaren said. “It is something I have not previously experienced — neither as a player, nor as a coach. If you lose after holding a 3-0 lead, then there are obviously problems of character and mentality. I have never seen such a dramatic loss of quality. My team has already shown two faces, but Diego and Dzeko have proved they can cause teams problems.”
Edin Dzeko, last season’s top scorer in Germany, proved McClaren’s point by scoring twice early on, before Diego netted the homes side’s third, but Mainz fought their way back into the game by scoring either side of halftime through Denmark striker Morten Rasmussen and Colombia midfielder Elkin Soto.
Andre Schuerrle equalized in the 58th minute, with Adam Szalai netting five minutes from time to complete McClaren’s misery as his side capitulated.
Last season’s runners-up Schalke were shocked 2-1 at home to Hannover, with defender Konstantin Rausch and striker Mohammed Abdellaoue scoring either side of halftime as die Konigsblauen suffered their second consecutive defeat.
Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones scored a consolation with a header in the last 10 minutes, but the home fans booed the side’s poor performance and Germany defender Christoph Metzelder was singled out.
Hamburg SV had to come from behind to win 3-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt as Dutch defender Joris Mathijsen scored a 61st-minute equalizer to spare his side’s blushes, before Ruud van Nistelrooy claimed his third goal in two games.
Peruvian Jose Paolo Guerrero netted in the 89th minute to seal the three points for Hamburg.
Werder Bremen bounced back from their hammering on the opening day of the season against Hoffenheim when they beat Cologne 4-1, while SC Freiburg beat Nuremberg 2-1 after coming from behind thanks to two goals by Senegal striker Demba Cisse.
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