Bundesliga Matchday 1 Review: Season Starts with 30 in 9

Photo: DFL

Nine matches in the Bundesliga to start the season and 30 goals, not much more to be said.

Borussia Dortmund ran close in 2018-19 to the title, but fell at the final hurdle. So they brought in reinforcements and to start their long season of 34 matches to gain their first title since 2011-12. FC Augsburg were merely visitors and spectators in this 5-1 drubbing.

Oddly, the visitors Augsburg found themselves drawing first blood within the first minute, but the lead was short lived. Paco Alcacer equalized in the third minute, but the second half blew the doors open. Goals from Julian Brandt, Marco Reus, Alcacer’s second, and Jadon Sancho. Dortmund laid down a marker that will need to be countered

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga

Bayern opened the season as the champion does with the first match of the first matchday. And for the first time in over a decade, they didn’t produce a win on their home turf as they came from behind to draw with Hertha Berlin, 2-2.

Bayer Leverkusen found promoted SC Paderborn to be a handful as a back an forth affair ended 3-2 in favor of Bayer. While this was entertaining for the new boys, the question is in October if they can win the rematch in the DFB Pokal.

Union Berlin, debutante to the Bundesliga, found their start harder to the 2019-20 season against Leipzig, 4-0 to the visitors who are looking to make the title race a three team competition.

American Zach Steffen was on show for his club Fortuna Dusseldorf as they put up a stubborn defense to Werder Bremen to win 3-1 in a notable road result.

SC Freiburg left all things late as they found three goals in the final 10 minutes to dispatch Mainz to start their final season at the Schwarzwald Stadion.

Wolfsburg, under new management with Oliver Glasner, had little difficulty in dispatching newly promoted FC Koln, 2-1, only conceding the lone goal in the final minute of the match.

Eintracht Frankfurt started their Bundesliga season in the same manner as their Europa League qualifying as they scored early and never let go vs Hoffenheim 1-0.

In the only 0-0 match of the season, there were more eyeballs with Borussia Monchengladbach and Schalke 04, each with new managers.

Player of the Week

Zach Steffan was on fire as he stood firm against all the pressure that Werder Bremen put on him. This could be a great season for the American