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Bundesliga Bulletin: BVB in seventh heaven, Schalke in hell

September 27, 2018

It was a midweek of firsts in the Bundesliga, as five players scored their first ever goals for their new clubs. There was an historic victory for one side, a surprise draw for another and a fifth defeat for Schalke.

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Bundesliga, BVB Borussia Dortmund vs 1. FC Nürnberg
Image: Getty Images/M.Hitij

Good week for: Werder Bremen, Christian Pulisic, Leverkusen, Lucien Favre

Bad week for: Schalke, Stuttgart, Hannover, Nuremberg,

The lowdown:

- Lucien Favre has been pleading patience since he arrived in the job at Borussia Dortmund but after the astonishing destruction of Nuremberg on matchday five, he will struggle to temper expectations. Dortmund scored seven goals, rather eerily exactly 32 years to the day the last time they won 7-0.

- While Nuremberg paid the price for just not being good enough, the other promoted side, Fortuna Düsseldorf, paid for not taking their chances. A 2-1 defeat to Leverkusen was unjust on the basis of the first hour's play, but Kevin Volland snuck in two goals and showed that sometimes a little bit of quality is all you need.

- Perhaps it was the smell of the Oktoberfest air that led Bayern Munich to drop points, but for the first time this season that's what they did. In truth, it was more because Sandro Wagner and Renato Sanches (who impressed again) failed to convert chances in the usual Bayern spell of dominance. Unlike most opponents, Augsburg made them pay and, perhaps fittingly, it was former Bayern player Felix Götze (borther of Mario) who chested home the equalizer late on. Augsburg's spirited performance merited a point, especially as Andreas Luthe (in for Fabian Giefer) made some startling saves.

- Schalke can't catch a break. Five defeats in a row it is after Ralf Fährmann spilled the ball and Florian Niederlechner said thank you to make Christian Streich go crazy. Freiburg got the win, but Schalke won't know how after a first half where they twice hit the post and had a goal disallowed. Domenico Tedesco cut a dejected figure afterwards on Tuesday night, and his side were similarly disconsolate. Will the run continue against Mainz on the weekend?

Felix Götze
Felix Götze was all smiles after his late equalizer for AugsburgImage: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Balk

- In the most unexpected of early season top four battles, Werder Bremen beat Hertha Berlin to make good on their European ambitions. There's a long way to go, but maybe this is the year for Werder.

The stats:

- For the fifth game in a row, Hertha Berlin conceded a penalty (from five different players). This has never happened before in the Bundesliga.

- Max Kruse has scored all 12 of his penalties in the Bundesliga.

- The 7-0 victory for Dortmund was the biggest of Lucien Favre's career as a Bundesliga head coach.

- Achraf Hakimi scored on debut for Borussia Dortmund with his first shot. Not a bad way to begin.

The quotes:

"I'm not one to toot my own horn, but I will say I have been a head coach for 12 years." - Domenico Tedesco to Sky when asked whether he felt he could get the team out of current rut, despite his lack of experience.

"It was a nice game for us." Master of the understatement Lucien Favre on Dortmund's win

"It's nice when the team listens to the head coach." Dieter Hecking after Gladbach's victory over Frankfurt.

"You can see how good our academy is." Uli Hoeneß on Felix Götze scoring in his first game against his former club

"Felix looked a little apologetic, but he doesn't have to. He did his job." Thomas Müller on Felix Götze's lack of a celebration

"Congratulations. Now you're the ones hunting Bayern. I hand over the staff." Pal Dardai after Hertha Berlin's loss to Werder Bremen

"I was a little afraid that all the fans might hear me." Werder head coach Florian Kohfeldt on the effect of the 20-minute atmosphere boycott in the Weserstadion.

The fans:

Fans across the league protested against the German FA (DFB) by staying silent for the first 20 minutes of games. There were banners held up in different stadiums all sending the same message in different ways, namely that certain kick-off times were not welcomed by the fans. The silence in the first 20 minutes made for an eerie atmosphere, reminding onlookers of what the league would be were it not for the fans.