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║ Bundesliga Season 2013-14 ║
- Thread starter BayernMunich
- Start date
Bundesliga Preview: Bayern Munich v Borussia Moenchengladbach
7 August 2013
Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben says his team-mates are raring to go ahead of their season opener against Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday.
Bayern – who swept the board in German football last season, winning the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and DFL Super Cup, as well as the UEFA Champions League – start with a tricky home clash against a side who finished eighth last term.
The European champions lost just one of their 34 Bundesliga fixtures last term and won the league by a massive 25 points.
Gladbach have a good recent record against the Bavarian giants, winning two of the last four meetings and drawing one.
But Robben is confident that his side, who lost their first competitive game of the season against Borussia Dortmund 4-2 in this season's Super Cup final, will start with a win.
"We're ready," Robben told the Bundesliga's official website.
"Everyone is looking forward to the fact the season is starting and that it's finally about collecting points again.
"Naturally we're not perfect just yet and are still not playing at 100 per cent, but I believe that's normal at this stage of the campaign.
"We're definitely in a good mood though, and determined to pick up a win in the first match."
Robben says that last season is not on Bayern's minds, nor is the 5-1 thrashing they handed out to Gladbach in the Telekom Cup final last month.
"It's a brand new season so we don't want to focus on what happened in the previous campaign," he said.
"The fact we beat them 5-1 in the Telekom Cup counts for absolutely nothing.
"It's a new game with new chances and we've got to make sure we're fully prepared for it."
The match will be the first in the Bundesliga for manager Pep Guardiola, who is sure to call on new signing Thiago Alcantara, while Mario Goetze is unlikely to feature after only just returning to training following a muscle injury.
Doubts emerged over midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger after he limped off in Bayern's 5-0 DFB Pokal win over Schwarz-Reiss Rehden on Monday.
But Schweinsteiger has responded well to treatment and is now likely to play.
Gladbach will be desperate to bounce back from a poor showing in the DFB Pokal on Saturday, in which they lost on penalties to third-tier Darmstadt 98.
Manager Lucien Favre is likely to include new signings Raffael and Max Kruse to give them an important boost in the attacking third.
Bundesliga Preview: Bayern defence starts with tough tie
7 August 2013
Bayern Munich's defence of their Bundesliga crown begins against one of just five teams who denied them league points last term.
Borussia Monchengladbach are the visitors to the Allianz Arena on Friday, and will hope to emulate the performance that saw them grab a hard-earned 1-1 draw there last time around.
But, after Pep Guardiola suffered defeat in the DFL-Supercup in his first competitive fixture in charge, he will surely be keen for his troops to send out a message in a difficult opening game.
A good start is made all the more important for Bayern by the fact that their likely title rivals, Borussia Dortmund, face a decidedly easier-looking trip to Augsburg on Saturday.
Bayer Leverkusen will also hope to improve on last season's third-placed finish to challenge Bayern, but host a Freiburg team who narrowly missed out on UEFA Champions League qualification in their final game.
The standout match of the opening round arguably comes on Sunday, when Schalke take on Hamburg in a fixture which saw nine goals in total last term.
Elsewhere, Hoffenheim will simply be glad to take part in another Bundesliga season when they face Nuremberg, having avoided relegation courtesy of victory in a play-off in 2012-13.
Their survival meant that just two teams jumped into the German top flight ahead of the new season: Eintracht Braunschweig and Hertha Berlin.
Braunschweig's first Bundesliga campaign in 29 years begins with a home meeting with a Werder Bremen side who will hope to do better than their disappointing finish of 14th under the guidance of new manager Robin Dutt.
Meanwhile, Hertha face an Eintracht Frankfurt outfit that must juggle their domestic commitments with a jaunt into the UEFA Europa League this year.
Hannover and Wolfsburg will surely view their opening-day encounter as a good measure of the progress made during the close-season, with the teams having been separated by just two points last season.
And it is the same story for Mainz and Stuttgart, who go head to head after being separated by just one place and one point in 2012-13.
Rummenigge: Mandzukic and Lewandowski could play together
The Bavarians' chief has fuelled speculation the Poland international will move to the Allianz Arena, while revealing Luiz Gustavo will be allowed to leave
Subotic unhappy with Dortmund defence
The Serbia international believes his side conceded too many goals last season and must get back to basics defensively if they are to compete for major honours
Sammer: Bayern want five titles
The former Germany international is full of ambition ahead of the 2013-14 season and wants to win each and every competition up for grabs
Kroos criticises careless Bayern
The versatile midfielder has urged his team-mates to up their game ahead of their Bundesliga opener against Borussia Monchengladbach
Bayern open door to Luiz Gustavo exit
The Bavarians are willing to listen to offers for the Brazilian, with Wolfsburg leading the chase for his signature ahead of rumoured interest from Premier League sides
Bayern will find it tough to repeat success, says Shaqiri
The Switzerland international believes the club will find it difficult to replicate their stunning achievements of 2012-13 but is determined to fight for every trophy
Freiburg deny Ginter is set to move to Arsenal
The Bundesliga side's sporting director dismissed reports suggesting the Gunners had agreed a fee for the 19-year-old as "nonsense" and intends to keep him at the club
Klopp: I always know what Kagawa's up to
The Borussia Dortmund boss has revealed that he still has a great relationship with the Japan international amid rumours linking him with a return to the Bundesliga
Kevin-Prince Boateng hints at Bundesliga return
The AC Milan star, who is still in regular contact with Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp, says he could imagine returning to Germany's top flight
Bayern Munich: No more summer signings
Aug 6, 2013 10:32:00 AM
Karl-Heinz Rummmenigge has stressed that they are unlikely to further strengthen their squad this summer as they are happy with their current pool of players
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has made it clear that the club do not intend on making any more signings this summer.
The Champions League holders have already secured the services of Jan Kirchhoff, Mario Gotze and Thiago Alcantara ahead of the 2013-14 campaign, with a number of reports suggesting Bayern were in the market for Chelsea defender David Luiz.
However, Rummenigge has reaffirmed what Pep Guardiola said last week: that the player is not a transfer target for Bayern, and they will not be making further additions to the team.
"We will not make any more signings. The team looks exactly as we want it right now," Rummenigge was quoted as saying by Bild.
"We deliberately brought in Gotze - as well as Thiago - as we believe he is the biggest talent in Germany and Europe in his age group."
Die Roten kicked off their defence of the DFB-Pokal with a comfortable victory over Schwarz-Weiss Rehden, with Thomas Muller getting amongst the goals on Monday.
Bayern don't need Lewandowski, says Hitzfeld
By Stefan Coerts107
Aug 6, 2013 1:26:00 PM
The former FCB boss feels there's no room for the Poland international at the Champions League holders under new head coach Pep Guardiola
Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld believes Bayern Munich do not need Robert Lewandowski.
Last year's first choice striker Mario Mandzukic has struggled to secure regular first team action at Bayern during pre-season following the arrival of Guardiola and Hitzfeld thinks a similar scenario would have been on the cards for Lewandowski in the Bavarians' 'false nine' system.
"Bayern do not need Lewandowski in normal circumstances. They already showed last season how strong they are," Hitzfeld was quoted as saying by TZ.
"I really liked Mandzukic a lot. He fought himself into the team and brought a winner mentality with him. If Mandzukic is not going to play as a real No.9, then how is Lewandowski going to get playing time?
"Lewandowski is a real No.9 as well, he's no [Lionel] Messi. That's what I'm wondering about. Do you really need Lewandowski in [Pep] Guardiola's system..."
The Poland international, 24, was widely expected to join Bayern this summer, but BVB eventually vetoed the move and refused to let their star striker follow in the footsteps of Mario Gotze and join their arch-rivals.
Lewandowski's contract with Dortmund runs out in the summer of 2014, though, and he still seems destined to make the move to Bayern next year.
Robben: We won't change the world under Guardiola
By Shane Callaghan23
Aug 6, 2013 11:26:00 PM
The 29-year-old insists there has been no major upheaval at the club following the Spaniard's arrival and says he hopes to be deployed on the right this season
Bayern Munich attacker Arjen Robben has stressed there have been no dramatic changes at the club since Pep Guardiola's arrival this summer.
The former Barcelona boss became the most high-profile appointment of the past season when it was announced he would replace Jupp Heynckes at the Allianz Arena for 2013-14, but Robben insists there has been no major upheaval at the club despite the fanfare which heralded the Spaniard's arrival.
"It’s quite funny how much of a spectacle was made of the new head coach. The pre-season preparations were nothing out of the ordinary," he told the official Bundesliga website.
"There’s no point exaggerating and thinking we’re all of a sudden going to change the world.
"There were a few small alterations, but that always the case under a new head coach. It was the same under [Jupp] Heynckes and [Louis] van Gaal.
"At the end of the day, we’re still playing football and concentrating on our own qualities as players."
Guardiola continued to experiment with his system in the 5-0 DFB-Pokal victory over BSV Schwarz-Weib Rehden on Monday, in which the Netherlands international was handed several different roles throughout.
However, while admitting he was content being deployed in any position, Robben admits he hopes to be used from the right in the coming campaign - a role he feels is his most effective.
"During the first half [against BSV Schwarz] I was predominantly operating on the left of midfield, but it’s ultimately up to the coach where we play," he continued.
"I think I’m at my best on the right wing, but have no problem whatsoever playing in different positions. It’s okay with me."
The Bavarians begin the defence of their Bundesliga crown on Saturday by hosting Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Allianz Arena.
Dortmund without Piszczek until 2014
The 28-year-old went under the knife on Thursday and is likely to be missing until after the winter break
Muller: Bayern can't afford early season slip-ups
The Germany international is aware of the high expectations at the club ahead of the new season, with a Bundesliga opener against Borussia Monchengladbach to come on Friday
Rummenigge: Mandzukic and Lewandowski could play together
The Bavarians' chief has fuelled speculation the Poland international will move to the Allianz Arena, while revealing Luiz Gustavo will be allowed to leave
Subotic unhappy with Dortmund defence
The Serbia international believes his side conceded too many goals last season and must get back to basics defensively if they are to compete for major honours
Sammer: Bayern want five titles
The former Germany international is full of ambition ahead of the 2013-14 season and wants to win each and every competition up for grabs
Kroos criticises careless Bayern
The versatile midfielder has urged his team-mates to up their game ahead of their Bundesliga opener against Borussia Monchengladbach
Schweinsteiger shouldn't have won Player of the Year, says Van der Vaart
By Henry Jackson142
Aug 7, 2013 5:30:00 PM
The 30-year-old believes one of two other high profile candidates were more deserving winners, while claiming Bayern Munich's second XI would win the Bundesliga
Hamburg midfielder Rafael van der Vaart says Franck Ribery or Marco Reus should have been named Germany's Footballer of the Year and not Bastian Schweinsteiger.
The Bayern Munich man was given the award last month, with the decision raising several eyebrows amid suggestions the 29-year-old had not done enough across the entire campaign to win the prize.
And Van der Vaart believes two other high profile candidates were far more deserving of the accolade on the back of their performances in 2012-13.
"Schweinsteiger is obviously a top player, but I would've chosen either Marco Reus or Franck Ribery. I like them both very much," he told Bild.
The 30-year-old former Tottenham man added his belief that Bayern will retain their Bundesliga crown at a canter, claiming they could still lift the title even if they fielded a virtual second string side.
"Bayern Munich have a squad full of Galacticos," Van der Vaart told Bild.
"I think that even the B-team of Bayern would have a great opportunity of winning the league."
The Dutchman then spoke about the delight it would bring him if Hamburg were win their first German trophy in 26 years this season.
"If we won I would clean the entire trophy cabinet in the HSV museum and polish all the existing trophies to a high gloss," he said.
"We might not be the best team in the country but why not win a trophy? Stuttgart reached the DFB-Pokal final last season and proved there is a chance."
Van der Vaart joined Hamburg in 2012, having spent another spell there between 2005 and 2008.
At international level he has made 105 appearances for the Netherlands, scoring 23 times.
Wolf unhappy with Monaco spending
By Alex Moretto8
Aug 8, 2013 2:09:00 PM
The 31-year-old is excited about the prospect of playing alongside the likes of Radamel Falcao, but fears the side will be left in financial disarray in the future
Monaco defender Andreas Wolf has revealed his unhappiness with the club's summer spending spree and warned their new look squad will take time to gel.
After winning promotion to Ligue 1 last season, owner Dimitry Rybolovlev has spent €146 million on the likes of Radamel Falcao, James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho in a bid to take the division by storm.
But Wolf is yet to be convinced that his side's grand transfer outlay will be a guarantee of success and fears the club will be left in a mess if their wealthy owner decides to withdraw his investment in the future.
“On the one hand I am pleased that I have the opportunity to play football with such people,” he told Kicker.
“On the other hand I see it with some scepticism, because so much money is being spent.
“I think that it makes the football somewhat broken. If the donors leave, the clubs are stuck.
“You should look at this season with caution, finally we have a new team, but we need time. Nothing is guaranteed.”
Wolf arrived at the Stade Louis II in January 2012, starting 19 games for the club last season, but will face fierce competition for a starting slot this term, with Ricardo Carvalho and Eric Abidal both reinforcing the defence.
Guardiola: Bayern can´t win every game 6-0
9 August 2013
Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola has attempted to dampen expectations ahead of his first season at the club.
The German side won the UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal last season, losing just three games in all competitions under the guidance of Jupp Heynckes.
Despite their unprecedented success in 2012-13, Heynckes stepped down at the end of the season, and was replaced by former Barcelona coach Guardiola.
And, despite the 42-year-old having built up a sizeable reputation during his trophy-laden spell in Catalunya, he has insisted fans should not expect Bayern to somehow improve on last season's incredible achievements.
"It’s not easy always having to win. People believe we’ll win six or seven nil, but that’s just not possible," he said.
"The supporters want more and more and more, but I have only been with the team for six to seven weeks, I need more time. I’m just a normal coach, I’m not some super trainer."
Bayern suffered a 4-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the DFL Super Cup in Guardiola's first competitive fixture in charge.
The Bavarian club will get their Bundesliga campaign under way against Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday.
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich 3 Borussia Monchengladbach 1
10 August 2013
Pep Guardiola enjoyed a winning start in the Bundesliga as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 at the Allianz Arena on Friday.
Two goals in four first-half minutes from Arjen Robben and Mario Mandzukic put Bayern comfortably in front, before Dante put the ball into his own net before half-time.
David Alaba's penalty, just a minute after a Thomas Mueller spot-kick was saved, gave the Bavarians a comfortable opening to their Bundesliga campaign.
In Guardiola's first Bundesliga game, he was forced to leave out two of the club's close-season acquisitions with Mario Goetze still recovering from injury and Thiago Alcantara suffering from illness.
Recent signings Christoph Kramer, Raffael and Max Kruse started for the visitors, with Lucien Favre having led his side to a draw and victory in their previous two visits to the Allianz Arena.
Gladbach were put on the back foot immediately as Bayern swarmed forward in the early stages, and the hosts were rewarded for their pressure in the 12th minute.
Franck Ribery lofted a well-executed pass over the top of the visitors' defence, with Robben racing onto the ball and prodding the ball past Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal.
Bayern's dominance was reinforced just four minutes later as Mandzukic double his side's lead, pouncing on a rebound after Ter Stegen had kept Ribery out from Robben's free-kick from the right.
Favre's side still managed to force chances with Manuel Neuer forced into a smart reflexes stop by Raffael, but struggled to contain the constant wide threat of Ribery and Robben.
However, Gladbach were given a route back into the game, shortly before the break thanks to a Dante own-goal.
Juan Arango played the ball across the Bayern goal from the left flank with Dante poking past Neuer as the keeper came to claim the ball just behind him.
Ter Stegen was then forced into two wonderful saves to keep the score at 2-1, first tipping a Toni Kroos effort before denying Mandzukic's header from the resulting corner.
The second half began frantically, with Kruse having two good opportunities to equalise within 11 minutes.
Kroos then hit Ter Stegen's left-hand post from long range after 59 minutes before Bayern got the crucial breakthrough in a crazy three-minute period.
Alvaro Dominguez handled the ball in the box in the 66th minute but Mueller saw his effort saved. However, bizarrely, Dominguez handled the ball again immediately after Ter Stegen's save and a second penalty was awarded.
Alaba took over duties and scored to restore Bayern's their two-goal lead, in the strangest of circumstances.
Despite the blow of conceding the third goal, Gladbach still threatened in the remainder of the game, the bright Kruse just being smothered by Dante as he raced towards goal.
However, they were unable to breach the hosts' defence and threaten a comeback, as Bayern took all three points against their opponents, just as they did in the final game of last season at Borussia-Park.
Bundesliga Preview: Dortmund v Augsburg
8 August 2013
Borussia Dortmund's Nuri Sahin believes his side are well prepared for their Bundesliga opener against Augsburg on Saturday.
Juergen Klopp's men enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win at Wilhelmshaven in the first round of the DFB-Pokal on Saturday thanks to goals from Kevin Grosskreutz, Marvin Ducksch and Robert Lewandowski.
Sahin played the entire game but despite the win, he admits there is still work for the team to do.
He told the Bundesliga website: "We moved the ball around pretty well.
"We could have maybe injected a bit more pace into the match, but then Wilhelmshaven were playing very deep. That doesn't make it any easier for us deeper-lying midfielders to pick out the gaps."
Sahin, on loan from Real Madrid, believes his team-mates can kick off their campaign in positive fashion at the SGL Arena as they look to challenge champions Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title.
"We've got a few days to go till it kicks off, but from here on we're settling into the normal Bundesliga rhythm," Sahin continued.
"The win at Wilhelmshaven was a successful start, which is all that matters."
Augsburg, who also won their DFB-Pokal first-round tie, are more likely to be involved in a scrap at the bottom end of the table rather than the top, having avoided the relegation play-off by just two points last season.
Despite the signing of Halil Altintop from Trabzonspor in the close-season, sporting director Stefan Reuter believes the club's only priority is to stay in the league.
"All we're thinking about is avoiding relegation," he confessed recently.
Dortmund did the double over Markus Weinzierl's side last season, winning 3-1 away and 4-2 at home.
Aubameyang savours 'dream' Dortmund debut
The 24-year-old joined BVB from Saint-Etienne this summer and marked his first game for the club with three goals
Klopp hails Supercup-like intensity as Dortmund destroy Augsburg
The coach was proud of die Schwarzgelben for replicating their early-season promise at SGL Arena, praising the commitment his team showed to secure an opening-day win
Robben: Bayern must improve
The Dutchman has admitted that the reigning German champions are not on top of their game yet, while Philipp Lahm insists a winning start to the season was vital
Guardiola: Victory will give Bayern confidence
The 42-year-old is happy to have his first Bundesliga win under his belt, but knows there is work to be done moving forward
Javi Martinez happy to play centre-back
The Spain international may well have to adapt to a new role under Pep Guardiola but does not believe he will have any issues in dropping back into defence
Reus dismisses Dortmund exit talk
The Germany international stresses he is keen to stay at Signal Iduna Park and believes his side can reach the Champions League final again in 2013-14
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich 3 Borussia Monchengladbach 1
10 August 2013
Pep Guardiola enjoyed a winning start in the Bundesliga as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 at the Allianz Arena on Friday.
Two goals in four first-half minutes from Arjen Robben and Mario Mandzukic put Bayern comfortably in front, before Dante put the ball into his own net before half-time.
David Alaba's penalty, just a minute after a Thomas Mueller spot-kick was saved, gave the Bavarians a comfortable opening to their Bundesliga campaign.
In Guardiola's first Bundesliga game, he was forced to leave out two of the club's close-season acquisitions with Mario Goetze still recovering from injury and Thiago Alcantara suffering from illness.
Recent signings Christoph Kramer, Raffael and Max Kruse started for the visitors, with Lucien Favre having led his side to a draw and victory in their previous two visits to the Allianz Arena.
Gladbach were put on the back foot immediately as Bayern swarmed forward in the early stages, and the hosts were rewarded for their pressure in the 12th minute.
Franck Ribery lofted a well-executed pass over the top of the visitors' defence, with Robben racing onto the ball and prodding the ball past Marc-Andre ter Stegen in goal.
Bayern's dominance was reinforced just four minutes later as Mandzukic double his side's lead, pouncing on a rebound after Ter Stegen had kept Ribery out from Robben's free-kick from the right.
Favre's side still managed to force chances with Manuel Neuer forced into a smart reflexes stop by Raffael, but struggled to contain the constant wide threat of Ribery and Robben.
However, Gladbach were given a route back into the game, shortly before the break thanks to a Dante own-goal.
Juan Arango played the ball across the Bayern goal from the left flank with Dante poking past Neuer as the keeper came to claim the ball just behind him.
Ter Stegen was then forced into two wonderful saves to keep the score at 2-1, first tipping a Toni Kroos effort before denying Mandzukic's header from the resulting corner.
The second half began frantically, with Kruse having two good opportunities to equalise within 11 minutes.
Kroos then hit Ter Stegen's left-hand post from long range after 59 minutes before Bayern got the crucial breakthrough in a crazy three-minute period.
Alvaro Dominguez handled the ball in the box in the 66th minute but Mueller saw his effort saved. However, bizarrely, Dominguez handled the ball again immediately after Ter Stegen's save and a second penalty was awarded.
Alaba took over duties and scored to restore Bayern's their two-goal lead, in the strangest of circumstances.
Despite the blow of conceding the third goal, Gladbach still threatened in the remainder of the game, the bright Kruse just being smothered by Dante as he raced towards goal.
However, they were unable to breach the hosts' defence and threaten a comeback, as Bayern took all three points against their opponents, just as they did in the final game of last season at Borussia-Park.
Bundesliga: Augsburg 0 Borussia Dortmund 4
10 August 2013
A hat-trick from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on his Bundesliga debut guided Borussia Dortmund to a 4-0 win away to Augsburg on Saturday.
The 24-year-old was a constant threat at the SGL Arena and became the sixth player in Bundesliga history to net a treble on debut.
Augsburg put in a workmanlike performance but failed to trouble the Dortmund defence on many occasions.
After a tepid opening, Aubameyang opened Dortmund's account for the season with a diving header. He followed that up in the second half with a low drive from a Reus throughball, before rounding the goalkeeper for his third.
A Robert Lewandowski penalty with just five minutes remaining capped the rout for the visitors.
Juergen Klopp was without goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller through suspension, with Mitchell Langerak coming in, while full-back Lukasz Piszczek and new signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan missed out through injury.
Augsburg had trouble of their own in the goalkeeping department with Mohamed Amsif deputising for the injured Alex Manninger, while Halil Altintop made his debut up front.
The away side almost made the perfect start in the opening minute when a Kevin Grosskreutz long ball ricocheted into the path of Aubameyang. He broke down the right and played the ball into the path of Lewandowski but the Pole’s effort was blocked by Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker.
But Markus Weinzierl's side were not overawed and pressed their opponents high up the pitch, going close through Altintop’s first-time volley, although it went wide of goal.
The Bavarian side's gutsy plan came undone, however, as the visitors broke the deadlock in the 24th minute.
Marcel Schmelzer received the ball on the left-hand side of the pitch before delivering an exquisite lofted cross straight into the six-yard box where Aubameyang stole away from his marker to finish with a low diving header.
That goal re-energised a lacklustre Dortmund with Reus and Lewandowski becoming more involved further up the pitch.
Raphael Holzhauser went close twice shortly before the break as an effort was cleared off the line before Langerak strongly palmed away the Austrian’s 30-yard effort.
Dortmund almost doubled their lead five minutes after the restart. Holzhauser's pass was intercepted and the away side launched a swift counter-attack.
The ball was moved to Aubameyang on the right where the Gabon international strode into the box and fired an effort towards the near post and was only denied by a good save from Amsif.
But he was not to be denied in the 67th minute.
Reus took ownership of the ball in the middle of the opposition half and slid a well-timed through-ball into the path of Aubameyang on the left-hand side of the box and the new-boy coolly slotted his effort across the goalkeeper into the far corner.
It got better for the forward with 10 minutes remaining. He sprung the offside trap to latch onto a Lewandowski through-ball before rounding Amsif and firing into the empty net.
There was time for one more as Jonas Hofmann was fouled in the box by Kevin Vogt. Lewandowski powered his effort beyond Amsif to open his account for the season and complete a comfortable opening-day victory for Dortmund.
Bundesliga Wrap: Borussia Dortmund, Hertha Berlin record dominant wins
11 August 2013
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang inspired Borussia Dortmund to a 4-0 opening-day victory over Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The close-season signing from Saint-Etienne stole the show on his league debut with a hat-trick, the sixth player in Bundesliga history to do so, while want-away striker Robert Lewandowski added a fourth with a late penalty.
Jurgen Klopp's side were not at their fluent best but Aubameyang was a magnet for the ball in goalscoring positions.
The Gabon international broke the deadlock midway through the first half with a diving header, and added two more after the break following neat link-up play with Marco Reus and Lewandowski.
Hertha Berlin announced their return to the top flight in style with a 6-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Bundesliga 2 champions led 2-0 with just over 30 minutes gone, and although Alexander Meier pulled a goal back before the break, four second-half strikes sealed an emphatic win for the hosts.
Sami Allagui and Adrian Ramos both scored twice, with debutant defender John Anthony Brooks and substitute Ronny also finding the net.
After their third place-finish last season, Bayer Leverkusen had a comfortable start to the new campaign with a 3-1 triumph over Freiburg.
New signing Son Heung-Min impressed on his debut, and got his name on the scoresheet 20 minutes after Stefan Kiessling had opened the scoring in the first half.
Sidney Sam sealed the win for Sami Hyypia's side with a 52nd-minute strike, Leverkusen hitting their opponents on the break for a second time in five minutes.
Elsewhere there were opening-day wins for Hannover and Werder Bremen over Wolfsburg and Eintracht Braunschweig respectively, while Hoffenheim were held 2-2 at home by Nurnberg.
Guardiola is not a magician - Sammer
By Stefan Coerts26
Aug 10, 2013 10:34:00 AM
The Bundesliga champions got off to a winning start against Borussia Monchengladbach but the 45-year-old has warned that the Spanish coach will need more time to adapt
Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer insists that Pep Guardiola "is not a magician" and will need time to adapt to his new surroundings.
Expectations at the Bavarians are sky-high following the 42-year-old's arrival this summer on the back of the club's treble-winning campaign of 2012-13, but Sammer feels people cannot expect Guardiola to replicate such success straight away.
"Jupp Heynckes did not win anything in his first year at Bayern Munich. Jupp is a superb trainer, no doubt about that, but he needed a bit of time as well," Sammer told Sky.
"Now everybody says Pep Guardiola doesn't need any time to adapt and this is something I cannot understand.
"We have a new coach, who will need time to get used to his players, tactical formation and the board of directors.
"He is not a magician. He works hard, talks a lot with the players and does so in German. The fact that there's a big hype surrounding him and that he won everything he could win at Barcelona counts for nothing now."
Guardiola guided Bayern to a 3-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach in his Bundesliga debut on Friday.
Bundesliga Wrap: Hamburg hold Schalke, Mainz edge Stuttgart
12 August 2013
A second-half strike from Adam Szalai earned Schalke a 3-3 draw with Hamburg in a thrilling game at the Veltins Arena on Sunday.
On his Bundesliga debut for Schalke, Szalai netted 18 minutes from time to ensure a share of the spoils for Jens Keller's men after a thrilling encounter in which the lead regularly changed hands.
Schalke took the lead after just two minutes, Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar finding the net with a superb first-time finish after being put through by Julian Draxler.
However, their lead proved to be short-lived, Hamburg levelling just nine minutes later as Rafael van der Vaart converted from the spot after Joel Matip was adjudged to have handled Marcell Jansen's left-wing cross.
Thorsten Fink's men then turned the game on its head after 21 minutes, Maximilian Beister meeting Dennis Diekmeier's delivery with a bullet header which cannoned off the underside of the bar and into the net off Schalke keeper Timo Hildebrand.
Schake equalised just before the interval though. Huntelaar netted his second with a headed effort from point-blank range following a well-worked corner from Christian Clemens and Christian Fuchs.
Hamburg gained the advantage for a second time early in the second half as Lasse Sobiech nodded in Van der Vaart's corner at the far post, but again they could not hold on and substitute Szalai secured a point for the hosts, reacting quickest to slot home after Rene Adler had spilled Clemens' effort from range.
Nicolai Mueller was the hero for Mainz in their opening game of the season, netting a double for Thomas Tuchel's men as they overcame Stuttgart 3-2 at the Coface Arena.
Mueller opened his Bundesliga account for the season 14 minutes into the game as he capitalised on some sloppy play from the visitors to steal possession before surging forward and firing confidently beyond goalkeeper Sven Ulreich.
However, just two minutes later Stuttgart tied things up, Vedad Ibisevic turning in Ibrahima Traore's right-wing cross in at the near post.
That was the way it stayed until the 65th minute when Shinji Okazaki - playing against the club he left in July - gave Mainz the lead again with a close-range finish.
Mueller stretched the advantage 13 minutes later as he rifled home following an incisive pass from Maxim Choupo-Moting and, although Martin Harnik pulled one back eight minutes from time, Mainz were able to hold on and claim the points.
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