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Former Germany boss Berti Vogts believes the Welshman should not be considered a world-class player, though he paid tribute to Arsene Wenger for signing Mesut Ozil
Gareth Bale will struggle to live up to his world-record fee and succeed at Real Madrid, according to former Germany coach Berti Vogts.
The Wales international joined the Liga giants for €100 million shortly before the close of the summer transfer window, and is set to make his eagerly-anticipated debut against Villarreal this weekend.
Vogts, however, is not convinced the 24-year-old will become a hit at Santiago Bernabeu.
"Bale is not an absolute world class player," he told Sky Sports News.
"I know him and I’m very surprised about this transfer fee. Now he has to prove himself.
"I do not think he will make it at Real Madrid.”
The current Azerbaijan boss was quick to praise Arsene Wenger, however, following Arsenal's €50m deadline-day move for Mesut Ozil.
He added: "Congratulations to Arsene Wenger. Mesut Ozil is the type of player that Arsenal have been waiting for."
Hoeness: Bayern 100 per cent right to replace Heynckes with Pep
By Mark Doyle28
Sep 14, 2013 8:04:00 AM
The Bavarians made the decision to bring in the former Barcelona boss months before his predecessor led the club to a historic treble
Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness believes the club were "100 per cent right" to replace former coach Jupp Heynckes in favour of Pep Guardiola.
The Bavarians parted company with the man who had led them to a historic treble last season, having already agreed a deal with ex-Barcelona boss Guardiola.
The Catalan coach has been criticised in some quarters for his tactical tinkering this term, but Hoeness is enthused by what he has seen so far from Guardiola's Bayern and says that there is no point in constantly bringing up Heynckes given the German was always likely to step down.
"Jupp Heynckes has again confirmed to me that it was the right decision to end his coaching career, so I personally think that we have made a 100 percent right decision with Pep Guardiola," the German giants' president told Sport1.
"In Prague [in the Uefa Super Cup] we saw against Chelsea what the team is capable of doing under him, and I think that we still have a lot more fun to be had with him."
Hoeness acknowledged, though, that Bayern will still be hard pressed to emulate their treble success of last season.
"Getting to the top is one thing; to stay above everyone else for a long time is much more difficult," he pointed out. "But that is the Herculean task which the club is now looking forward to facing."
Meanwhile, when asked if Bayern would have been interested in signing Mesut Ozil had the club known the former Real Madrid man was on the market before Arsenal swooped to sign the playmaker, Hoeness simply stated: "We would not have bought him."
Reigning champions Bayern currently sit second in the Bundesliga but can overhaul leaders Borussia Dortmund - temporarily at least - should they defeat Hannover at the Allianz Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Bundesliga Wrap: Dortmund, Bayern maintain strong starts
15 September 2013
Borussia Dortmund set a new club record as a 6-2 victory over Hamburg gave them a fifth straight win of the Bundesliga campaign.
Jurgen Klopp's side had never had more than 12 points after five league fixtures but they ruthlessly picked Hamburg apart with four goals in 16 second-half minutes.
Dortmund raced into a 2-0 lead through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan but the visitors pegged them back.
Zhi Gin Lam pulled a goal back four minutes after Mkhitaryan's strike with Heiko Westermann levelling in the 49th minute.
But that only served to spark Dortmund into life as Aubameyang added his second, before Robert Lewandowski struck twice – either side of Marco Reus' second goal of the season.
Earlier on Saturday, defending champions Bayern Munich maintained their unbeaten start with a 2-0 win over Hannover.
Pep Guardiola's side sit two points behind Dortmund thanks to goals from Mario Mandzukic and Franck Ribery that secured their win.
A Stefan Kiessling double and an early Sidney Sam strike saw Bayer Leverkusen continue their good start to the season with a 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg, who had Luiz Gustavo sent off late on.
Ivica Olic had equalised for the visitors in the 39th minute but they struggled to contain a rampant Leverkusen side in the second half.
Mainz fell to their first home defeat of the season as Schalke took all three points at the Coface Arena.
Kevin-Prince Boateng scored his first goal for Schalke in the 34th minute to seal the win and lift his side into the top half of the table.
Vaclav Kadlec continued his good start at Eintracht Frankfurt as he struck twice in their 3-0 victory over Werder Bremen at the Weserstadion.
The former Sparta Prague striker scored two first-half goals before a Sebastian Prodl own goal compounded the misery of Werder, who had seen Franco Di Santo sent off.
The result sent Robin Dutt's men to their third consecutive defeat in the league.
Freiburg continue to search for their first win of the season as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Augsburg.
After a goalless first half, Freiburg opened the scoring in the first minute of the second period before Halil Altintop equalised for the hosts.
Tobias Werner won the game for Augsburg in the closing minutes, the midfielder firing past Oliver Baumann after a neat ball from Jan Moravek.
Bundesliga Wrap: Braunschweig claim first point, Hoffenheim bounce back
16 September 2013
Eintracht Braunschweig and Nurnberg remain in the bottom three of the Bundesliga after sharing the points in a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
Adam Hlousek gave the visitors a surprise first-half lead before Emar Elabdellaoui levelled to give Braunschweig their first point of the season.
Despite having only found the net once so far this term, home side Braunschweig made a decent start and nearly had an early lead when Karim Bellarabi was denied one-on-one by goalkeeper Raphael Schafer.
Nurnberg took the lead after 28 minutes when Hlousek managed to get on the end of Timothy Chandler’s low cross at the far post to tap home.
The goal was harsh on Braunschweig, who nearly responded in the perfect manner when Deniz Dogan’s free-kick forced a good save from Schafer.
The home side continued to press and were rewarded after 70 minutes when Elabdellaoui netted with a well-hit drive.
The result leaves Braunschweig bottom of the Bundesliga with just a point, while Nurnberg, who are also still looking for their first win of the season, remain in 16th place.
In the day’s only other game, Hoffenheim bounced back from their 6-2 mauling at Stuttgart last week to earn a 2-1 win at home to Borussia Monchengladbach.
Goals from Anthony Modeste and Kevin Volland gave the home side a commanding 2-0 lead before the visitors replied though Branimir Hrgota 15 minutes from time.
The result moves Hoffenheim up to seventh in table, while Monchengladbach, who are yet to pick up a point on the road this season, slip to 11th.
Hoffenheim see off Gladbach Eintracht Braunschweig and Nurnberg remain in the bottom three of the Bundesliga after sharing the points in a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
Klopp: Low harsher on BVB stars The BVB boss is unhappy with the treatment of his players on international duty with Germany, but the national team boss has rejected the outburst out of hand
Boateng accepts Sammer critcism The 25-year-old admits die Roten have not reached their full potential under Pep Guardiola yet and also hopes to make a good start in the Champions League on Tuesday
Klopp thrilled with 'crazy' Reus The Dortmund coach was full of praise for the Germany international, insisting his piece of improvisation that led to his side's fourth goal had earned him "a place in heaven"
Low deserves new deal - Netzer The Germany legend has hailed the impact of the 53-year-old on the nation's football in recent years and claims Jerome Boateng merits a regular place in the first XI
Kiessling goals gives Bayer win As Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich stormed to wins in their matches, Goal looks at what else happened in the Bundesliga on Saturday
The BVB boss is unhappy with the treatment of his players on international duty with Germany, but the national team boss has rejected the outburst out of hand
Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has accused Germany boss Joachim Low of singling out BVB players for criticism after Mats Hummels lost his place in the national side.
The centre-back was omitted from the starting line-up for the World Cup 2014 qualifiers against Austria and Faroe Islands last week and played no part in either contest.
Low instead opted to pair Bayern Munich’s Jerome Boateng with Per Mertesacker at the back for both games, dropping the BVB man after his glaring error against Paraguay, which led to the South American’s third goal.
Low stated after both games that he was right to drop Hummels, but after Marcel Schmelzer received similar treatment from the Germany boss, Klopp is sure there is a hidden agenda.
“When there are mistakes pointed out, then it is not unlikely that it’s a Borussia Dortmund player who has made it,” the 46-year-old told reporters after his side’s 6-2 win over Hamburg.
“I was a little surprised when it happened to Marcel Schmelzer and now it is happening to Mats. These things really have to be cleared up.
“The error is still hanging over him even today, as if Mats was the only one to screw up.”
Low was at pains to stress there is no favouritism in his selection policy however, making it clear that he admires the work of Klopp and the strength of the German contingent in the Die Schwarzgelben squad.
“There is no question that Dortmund have made excellent progress under Klopp,” Low told Sport Bild.
“I have recently stressed again and again that Mats Hummels is a very good central defender who plays an important role in our plans.
“Against Paraguay, the defensive behaviour of the entire team did not fit, I’ve addressed this. I’ve given preference to Jerome Boateng alongside Per Mertesacker, because I thought that he had earned it due to his consistently strong performances for Bayern in recent months.”
Dortmund are laughing their arse off over Bayern unrest, says Hoeness
By Stefan Coerts55
Sep 16, 2013 10:38:00 AM
The Bayern president believes their Bundesliga rivals will smilingly look at the situation at the Allianz Arena following the recent public criticism
Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness believes sporting director Matthias Sammer's recent criticism of the team can only serve to harm them.
The Germany legend voiced his dissatisfaction with his side's performance in the 2-0 win over Hannover at the weekend, but Hoeness believes any unrest within the club will leave their rivals laughing.
"If you criticise the team too often, it becomes less effective. I'm in favour of occasionally criticising things to make sure nobody is getting carried away, but the situation at Bayern doesn't merit any criticism at the moment," Hoeness told Bild.
"The people at Dortmund are laughing their arse off. You almost get the impression that we have to apologise for a sovereign 2-0 win.
"I will definitely discuss this with Sammer, because people get the wrong impression, which is a bad thing. It's almost as if we have lost three games and drew the other two."
Bayern currently sit second in the Bundesliga table with 13 points from five games, trailing leaders Dortmund by two points.
Sammer laments lack of Bayern emotion
15 September 2013
Matthias Sammer has criticised Bayern Munich for "playing without emotion", despite their unbeaten start to their Bundesliga title defence.
Bayern sit just two points behind leaders Borussia Dortmund having dropped just two points in their first five games of the season, and they picked up another win against Hannover at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
After a goalless first-half, Pep Guardiola's side sparked into life after the break and claimed victory through goals from Mario Mandzukic and Franck Ribery.
However, sporting director Sammer has questioned the champions' desire to emulate their feats of last season, which saw them land an historic treble.
"We are playing lethargically at times, playing football without any emotion and just going through the motions," he said.
"When you are struggling in the first half, then you've got to help each other out in the tackles and bring a bit more emotion into play.
"Instead, we are too relaxed and just watch - we've won five titles in the last 15 months, Franck Ribery's been named best player in Europe and he'll probably also win the Ballon d'Or.
"It's not that we are not working, just we're not showing any emotions at all."
Sammer also defended new manager Guardiola, and feels the players have failed to show the same commitment they showed last term.
He added: "It's all about Pep. Pep here, Pep there, Pep's great, Pep's poor - we're finding it all great because we're no longer in the limelight and this affects you subconsciously.
Guardiola: This is Bayern's style of play, not mine
By Keeghann Sinanan20
Sep 17, 2013 11:45:00 PM
After watching the Bavarians make an impressive start to the defence of their European crown, the Catalan coach insisted that he deserved no credit for the performance
Pep Guardiola was quick to deflect all of the praise onto his players after Bayern Munich’s 3-0 win over CSKA Moscow in their Champions League clash on Tuesday.
Goals from David Alaba, Mario Mandzukic and Arjen Robben did the damage at the Allianz Arena, and their Catalan trainer felt that it was the team, and not the coach, that deserved the credit for an impressive performance.
“The style we play is Bayern’s style, not mine. I’m here to support my new players and I’m very proud of them today,” Guardiola told reporters after the one-sided Group D encounter.
Bayern are aiming to be the first team in Champions League history to win the competition in two consecutive seasons, but Guardiola stressed that retaining the title is an onerous task right from the off.
“The first game after winning the Champions League is never easy. Everyone always thinks it’s easy, but it’s not,” he insisted.
“But I’m very satisfied with the performance, especially our first-half display, which was very pleasing.”
Bayern’s performances this season have come in for criticism from some quarters, as club director Matthias Sammer hit out at the players’ lack of effort, though his comments were not taken to heart by Guardiola and president Uli Hoeness.
The 49-year-old USA coach says he would hand the Bayer Leverkusen forward a place in his squad if he was still in charge of Germany
Former Germany boss Jurgen Klinsmann says he would include Bayer Leverkusen marksman Stefan Kiessling in his World Cup squad if he was still in charge.
Due to a series of recent snubs, the 29-year-old has declared himself unavailable for selection while trainer Joachim Low remains in control of the Mannschaft national team.
Kiessling has been absent from the international scene since 2010, but Klinsmann has revealed that he would include last season's Bundesliga top scorer in his squad for the World Cup next summer.
"I don't know if he would play or not because there are many options but I would include him in the squad," he told Bild.
Klinsmann, who now coaches USA, has already booked his team's place at the tournament in June, while Germany are almost certain to seal their ticket to Brazil, with Low's men sitting top of Group C with two fixtures remaining.
Bundesliga Preview: In-form Dortmund face Nuremberg, Schalke host Bayern
19 September 2013
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has warned that Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund want to improve heading into the latest round of fixtures.
Jurgen Klopp's men have won all five of their league games this season, scoring 15 goals and conceding just four, although they did fall to defeat in their UEFA Champions League opener at Napoli on Wednesday - a game that also saw both Klopp and keeper Roman Weidenfeller sent off.
Dortmund's most recent Bundesliga success came on Saturday as last season's runners-up beat Hamburg 6-2, with Aubameyang scoring twice to take his league tally for the season to five.
The Gabon international believes Dortmund can get better and, furthermore, feels this is essential if the club are to improve on their second-place finish last term.
"We played very well (against Hamburg) and keep on picking up points which is just great," he told the club's official website.
"We are far from perfect yet and have room for improvement. And we have to keep improving. It's important that we understand and do this."
Saturday's opponents Nuremberg, who are without a league win this season, have not beaten Dortmund in the Bundesliga in their last nine attempts.
Champions Bayern Munich and third-place Bayer Leverkusen both face testing away ties against Schalke and Mainz respectively.
Schalke have won their last two games in the league and also beat Steaua Bucharest 3-0 in their first Champions League fixture, while Mainz sit in fifth but have lost their previous two outings.
Managerless Hamburg will contest the Nordderby against Werder Bremen, having dispensed with coach Thorsten Fink on Tuesday.
Hamburg have won just once in the league all season, but things have been equally testing for Bremen, with Robin Dutt's side having lost their last three Bundesliga games.
Bremen's latest defeat came against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, but the club's director of sport Thomas Eichin feels too much has been made of their start to the season.
"I cannot deal with this almost fearful expectation," he told the club's official website.
"You can really be mad about that game, but this end-of-the-world atmosphere, this negative thinking around the team doesn't help anybody move forward."
The win over Bremen was only Frankfurt's second of the season and they will look to make it three when they take on Stuttgart at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
However, they will need to be aware of the in-form Vedad Ibisevic. The former Hoffenheim striker is one of three players with five league goals alongside Aubameyang and Mainz's Nicolai Muller.
Freiburg and Eintracht Braunschweig, two of the three Bundesliga sides yet to record a league victory this season, can put an end to their winless run when they face Hertha Berlin and Borussia Monchengladbach respectively.
Sixth-place Augsburg can leapfrog Hannover with a win at the HDI Arena but should Markus Weinzierl's men drop points, they could be caught by Hoffenheim.
Markus Gisdol takes his side to the Volkswagen Arena to take on a Wolfsburg side beaten 3-1 last time out by Leverkusen.
Bundesliga Wrap: Dortmund falter, Bayern move joint-top
22 September 2013
Bayern Munich moved level on points with Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund with a 4-0 win over Schalke on Saturday.
Dortmund dropped points for the first time this season earlier in the day, as Per Nilsson cancelled out Marcel Schmelzer's opener to help Nuremberg to a 1-1 draw.
And Pep Guardiola's side quickly underlined their intention to take full advantage at the Veltins Arena, as they raced into a 2-0 lead after just 22 minutes thanks to Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Mandzukic.
Schalke had won their last three games in all competitions going into the fixture, keeping clean sheets in all of them, but they were powerless to prevent second-half goals from Franck Ribery and Claudio Pizarro extending Bayern's unbeaten run in the league to 31 matches.
Elsewhere, Third-placed Bayer Leverkusen bounced back from their UEFA Champions League defeat against Manchester United on Tuesday to beat Mainz 4-1.
A Robbie Kruse brace allied to goals from Lars Bender and Stefan Kiessling put Sam Hyypia's men 4-0 up within the hour before Yunus Malli scored a consolation for the home side - who drop to seventh after their third consecutive defeat.
With their win, Hyypia's charges became the first Leverkusen side to amass 15 points from the opening six league games.
Hamburg's first game of the post-Thorsten Fink era began with defeat, as they lost the 99th Nordderby to Werder Bremen 2-0 thanks to goals in either half from Nils Petersen.
While at the other end of the table, an Ivica Olic double helped Wolfsburg come from behind to take all three points against Hoffenheim.
Anthony Modeste opened the scoring for the visitors after 15 minutes before the Croatia international equalised a minute before the break.
And four minutes into the second half, he was on hand again to ensure Wolfsburg moved up into the final UEFA Europa League qualification spot.
Saturday's other game saw Hannover take all three points against Augsburg thanks to a late Szabolcs Huszti penalty.
Paul Verhaegh had put Augsburg ahead six minutes after the break from the spot, but Artur Sobiech equalised nine minutes later and Huszti won it for Mirko Slomka's men a minute from time.
The Germany international feels there are certain aspects to football you cannot improve upon, yet insists that the matter cannot be ignored
Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm has stressed that football should take the doping problem seriously, but believes performance enhancing drugs are less effective in football than in other sports.
The likes of cycling and sprinting have been plagued by doping scandals in recent years and Lahm feels it would be wrong to think there is no use of prohibited substances in football.
"I am not naive when it comes to doping. There have already been doping cases in football and this could happen again," the Germany international told Spiegel.
"There is a big difference with other sports, though. Understanding of the game and technique are vital in football and you cannot improve those areas by using doping.
"It's reassuring that you can play football at the highest level without the use of doping.
"I am all in favour of fair play and against cheating in any form. I would be perfectly fine with it if an anti-doping law would be put into place."
Lahm underwent six doping tests during Bayern's treble winning 2012-13 campaign, two of which were unannounced and conducted at his home.
Marcel Schmelzer opened the scoring at Grundig-Stadion but Per Nilsson's second-half equaliser ultimately saw the visitors drop points for the first time this season
Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp had no complaints after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Nurnberg on Saturday.
The Schwarzgelben had gone into the game with a 100 per cent record in the Bundesliga and took the lead through Marcel Schmelzer eight minutes before the break.
However, Per Nilsson equalised just after half-time and Dortmund, who left Robert Lewandowski, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Nuri Sahin on the bench after their exertions in the Champions League in midweek, were ultimately forced to settle for a share of the spoils.
"We did not want them to overwhelm us, so we tried to bring some freshness to the starting line-up," Klopp is quoted as saying by his club's official website.
"So we are not unhappy with the point. It was an intense game with many duels.
"After the break, we had to make two changes again and we had a weaker period in which we clearly did not defend well enough.
"But we came back into the game well after conceding a goal and had some really great chances.
"But it was a fair result. The Bundesliga is a tough business and my team fought well today."
Up next for Dortmund is a DFB-Pokal meeting with 1860 Munich on Tuesday.
Schalke rout was Bayern's best performance this season, says Guardiola
By SW Lim22
Sep 21, 2013 10:16:00 PM
The Spaniard was ecstatic with the efforts of his side after they drew level with Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga table
Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola declared his side's 4-0 win over Schalke on Saturday as their best performance under his tenure to date.
Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Mandzukic seized on slack defending by the hosts to send the Bavarians into the lead, before goals from Franck Ribery and Claudio Pizarro sealed a comfortable win.
The emphatic result, which sees the German champions move level on points with leaders Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga, prompted Guardiola to declare the win his best with die Roten yet.
"That was our best Bundesliga performance of the season so far," the 42-year-old announced to reporters after the match. "I’m satisfied and proud of this performance and my players.
"In other games we only played well for 30 or 45 minutes, but this time we did very well over 90 minutes. We totally dominated one of the strongest teams in Germany."
Schweinsteiger celebrated his return to the fold with his first goal this term and similarly praised the team for maintaining the right approach throughout against their opponents.
"We took it very seriously from the start, our mentality was right. We were determined to take all three points," he said.
"It’s not easy to come here and win, so we’re doubly delighted about doing just that. We were definitely very good at times.”
The win lifts Bayern level on 16 points with Jurgen Klopp's men, after the latter drew 1-1 with Nurnberg earlier on Saturday.
A multi-million euro German football museum under construction in Dortmund will delay its opening by at least six months until 2015 after the construction company went into insolvency administration.
Reuters – Fri, Sep 20, 2013 12:18 BST
Jerseys of German football clubs Bayern Munich (R) and Borussia Dortmund are pictured on May 2, 2013 in Paris.
Eurosport - Jerseys of German football clubs Bayern Munich (R) and Borussia Dortmund are pictured on May 2, 2013 in Paris. Bayern and Borussia will face in an all-German UEFA Champions League 2013 final on …more
The German Football Association (DFB) said on Friday construction had continued throughout the contractor's insolvency administration earlier this year and it had since awarded the project to a different firm.
The opening is now planned for the first half of 2015 instead of late 2014.
A budget of 36 million euros (£30.5m) for the museum, that will showcase the country's long football history and success, will not be affected by the setback.
"Under the circumstances we found the best possible option for the project although the opening delay is something that is painful for us," said Manuel Neukirchner, the museum foundation's managing director.
The museum in central Dortmund, criticised by some German tax payers as unnecessary, will showcase German football's biggest successes including items related to the country's three World Cup and three European championship victories.
Bundesliga Wrap: Dortmund falter, Bayern move joint-top
22 September 2013
Bayern Munich moved level on points with Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund with a 4-0 win over Schalke on Saturday.
Dortmund dropped points for the first time this season earlier in the day, as Per Nilsson cancelled out Marcel Schmelzer's opener to help Nuremberg to a 1-1 draw.
And Pep Guardiola's side quickly underlined their intention to take full advantage at the Veltins Arena, as they raced into a 2-0 lead after just 22 minutes thanks to Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Mandzukic.
Schalke had won their last three games in all competitions going into the fixture, keeping clean sheets in all of them, but they were powerless to prevent second-half goals from Franck Ribery and Claudio Pizarro extending Bayern's unbeaten run in the league to 31 matches.
Elsewhere, Third-placed Bayer Leverkusen bounced back from their UEFA Champions League defeat against Manchester United on Tuesday to beat Mainz 4-1.
A Robbie Kruse brace allied to goals from Lars Bender and Stefan Kiessling put Sam Hyypia's men 4-0 up within the hour before Yunus Malli scored a consolation for the home side - who drop to seventh after their third consecutive defeat.
With their win, Hyypia's charges became the first Leverkusen side to amass 15 points from the opening six league games.
Hamburg's first game of the post-Thorsten Fink era began with defeat, as they lost the 99th Nordderby to Werder Bremen 2-0 thanks to goals in either half from Nils Petersen.
While at the other end of the table, an Ivica Olic double helped Wolfsburg come from behind to take all three points against Hoffenheim.
Anthony Modeste opened the scoring for the visitors after 15 minutes before the Croatia international equalised a minute before the break.
And four minutes into the second half, he was on hand again to ensure Wolfsburg moved up into the final UEFA Europa League qualification spot.
Saturday's other game saw Hannover take all three points against Augsburg thanks to a late Szabolcs Huszti penalty.
Paul Verhaegh had put Augsburg ahead six minutes after the break from the spot, but Artur Sobiech equalised nine minutes later and Huszti won it for Mirko Slomka's men a minute from time.
Bundesliga Wrap: Freiburg, Stuttgart held as Ibisevic misses late penalty
23 September 2013
Vedad Ibisevic missed a late penalty as Stuttgart were held to a 1-1 draw by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
With the scores level going into stoppage time, Ibrahima Traore was fouled inside the area to give the 29-year-old Ibisevic the chance to win the match from the spot.
However, the Bosnia-Herzegovina international skewed his effort high and wide of Kevin Trapp's goal to ensure the points were shared.
Frankfurt had taken a 14th-minute lead through Marco Russ but saw their advantage wiped out almost immediately as 17-year-old Timo Werner equalised for the hosts.
Werner's strike made him the youngest-ever goalscorer for Stuttgart and the third youngest in Bundesliga history.
Meanwhile, Freiburg's search for their first win of the campaign goes on after they were held to a 1-1 home draw by Hertha Berlin.
Admir Mehmedi broke the offside trap to open the scoring for Christian Streich's side in the sixth minute - his third goal of the season - but Hertha equalised just before the break.
Ronny's long throw-in was not dealt with by the Freiburg defence and Per Ciljan Skjelbred ghosted in at the back post to level for the visitors.
Both sides squandered good chances to win the game after the break, with Gelson Fernandes and Matthias Ginter missing the best openings for the hosts.
Hamburg appoint former Netherlands coach Van Marwijk
Netherlands' coach Bert van Marwijk gestures during his team's Group B Euro 2012 football match against Portugal at Metalist stadium in Kharkiv, June 17, 2012. REUTERS/Yves Herman
BERLIN | Mon Sep 23, 2013 8:29pm BST
(Reuters) - Former Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk has taken over at struggling Hamburg SV with a deal until 2015, the Bundesliga club said on Monday as the former European champions seek to lift themselves out of trouble.
"We are delighted that we won over Bert van Marwijk, a coach with vast experience who has proven his skills many times," Hamburg sports director Oliver Kreuzer said on the club website (www.hsv.de).
The 61-year-old Van Marwijk, who led the Dutch national team to the 2010 World Cup final where they lost to Spain, succeeds Thorsten Fink, who was sacked last week.
Van Marwijk, who won the UEFA Cup with Feyernoord and also coached Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, takes over with Hamburg in 16th place on four points from six matches.
Hamburg are the only club in Germany to have played top-flight football every season since the creation of the Bundesliga in 1963 but have struggled in the past three seasons.
The Dutchman, who will bring in Roel Coumans as his assistant, will take charge of his first training session on Wednesday when he will also be officially presented to the media, the club said.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Sonia Oxley)
The former Bayern boss feels the board should have avoided to openly oppose the sporting director following his criticism of the team's performances
Matthias Sammer's authority at Bayern Munich has been put at risk by Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, according to legendary coach Ottmar Hitzfeld.
The club's sporting director had openly slammed the team's lack of passion after the 2-0 win over Hannover, prompting critical responses from their president and chief executive.
"I was surprised that Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge criticised Matthias," Hitzfeld told Sky.
"It wasn't good to do that in public, because that way Sammer is losing some of his authority. However, I can imagine that Sammer didn't talk to Pep Guardiola about the matter beforehand.
"Guardiola does not like this, because he's very protective of his team.
"Sammer stirred up a hornet's nest. Rummenigge and Hoeness wanted to set an example, the board wants to protect the coach."
Hitzfeld also commented on the unusual pairing of Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger in the defensive midfield since the arrival of the Spanish coach.
"I can only think of it as a temporary solution. Pep wants to keep up the focus of his players and looks for alternatives in case something happens.
"[Javi] Martinez is injured, Thiago [Alcantara] is injured, Schweinsteiger isn't fully fit.
"Schweinsteiger, however, has reacted superbly. He is one of the best players in the world anyway. At the moment, Bayern can't do without Schweinsteiger."
