Looking Around the League: Away Wins and Predictable Outcomes

Matchday two of the Bundesliga gave Borussia Dortmund fans the familiar taste of points dropped in Bochum yet again, while Bayern Munich eased past Augsburg. But these were the weekend’s most boring results, and there was so much more Bundesliga action going on elsewhere. The weekend kicked off with FC Energy Drink hosting VfB Stuttgart on Friday night, with the visitors hoping to upset Marco Rose’s men as they took a one-goal advantage into halftime. But Leipzig turned things round in the second half, hammering Stuttgart with five goals to create a rather unflattering scoreline for Die Roten.

Saturday saw four traveling teams win all three points in impressive displays. Union Berlin traveled to Bundesliga newcomers Darmstadt, where the capital club took an early lead through summer-signing Robin Gosens. Things looked grim in the twenty-first minute when American Brendan Aaronson was sent off after receiving a second yellow, and Darmstadt equalized minutes later. But the ten-man Union still found the net three more times, embarrassing the home-side.

Elsewhere, Hoffenheim overturned a three-goal deficit to defeat Heidenheim while Wolfsburg fought from behind to defeat Köln, and on Saturday evening Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen cruised past Borussia Monchengladbach in Borussia-Park. The Spaniard has certainly made an impact since he became manager, and Leverkusen show no sign of slowing down

Here’s how the Bundesliga’s matchday two played out:

Results

RB Leipzig 5-1 VfB Stuttgart

VfL Bochum 1-1 Borussia Dortmund

Darmstadt 1-4 Union Berlin

Heidenheim 2-3 Hoffenheim

FC Köln 1-2 Wolfsburg

Freiburg 1-0 Werder Bremen

Borussia Monchengladbach 0-3 Bayer Leverkusen

Mainz 1-1 Frankfurt

Bayern Munich 3-1 Augsburg

Standings

Trouble for the Newcomers?

The newly promoted teams, Darmstadt and Heidenheim, are finding life difficult in the Bundesliga so far, as neither team has recorded any points. The same can be said for Werder Bremen and FC Köln. Is this a hint of things to come, or will these teams get back on track?

Darmstadt recorded over thirty shots between their two opening matches but only found the net once, yet Heidenheim has scored just twice from 30+ shots. To put that in to perspective, Leipzig have had a comparable number of shots on goal, but have scored seven in two games, while Bayern have recorded 40+ shots with seven goals. Dortmund has yet to record 30 shots.

Photo by Stefan Puchner/picture alliance via Getty Images

Your Thoughts?

While I try not to look too much at the table this early in the season, I have made a few observations and would love to hear yours in the comments!

• As FTW’s writers have predicted, Leverkusen continues to look strong.
• Union Berlin is showing form consistent with top clubs and they’re making a statement about their staying power in the Bundesliga’s top six.
• Harry Kane might not speak German, but he certainly speaks football with three goals and an assist in his first two Bundesliga appearances.
• Leipzig look set for table ascension and I’m not quite sure what to make of Dortmund thus far.

Will BVB hand FC Heidenheim their first EVER Bundesliga win next weekend? I sure hope not!