The second matchday of the Bundesliga season was characterized by six clean sheets in the league’s nine matches, including a double shutout in the Dortmund-Werder Bremen draw. Thomas Müller scored on his record day, Harry Kane buried another penalty kick, and only three teams remain perfect.
This series will recap each team’s performance and rank the Bundesliga teams following each matchday. The ranking system is based on the quality of performances, opponents, and recent matches.
1) RB Leipzig
Previous Ranking: 4
Result: 3-2 win at Bayer Leverkusen
While some experts predicted this upset, Leipzig still lost every statistic except for the one that matters. Kevin Kampl scored in first half stoppage time but it was Loïs Openda’s second half brace that stole the show. Leipzig successfully defended all 18 Leverkusen corner kicks and pulled enough rabbits out of the hat to pull off the upset.
2) Bayern Munich
Previous Ranking: 3
Result: 2-0 win vs Freiburg
Bayern put together a ho-hum performance that should be labeled as “good enough for now”. But Bayern controlled possession and severely limited Freiburg’s opportunities. Müller was the talk of the town as he became Bayern’s all-time leader in appearances and delivered a very awkward, Müller-esque finish in the 78th minute.
3) Bayer Leverkusen
Previous Ranking: 1
Result: 3-2 loss vs RB Leipzig
Just like last week, Leverkusen built a 2-0 lead in the first half and squandered it away. But unlike the past year, Leverkusen wasn’t the squad delivering some late game magic. Leverkusen’s 35-game unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga is over, but Leverkusen is far from cooked.
4) Heidenheim
Previous Ranking: 6
Result: 4-0 win vs Augsburg
Heidenheim was electric again in its obliteration of Augsburg. Heidenheim doesn’t hold much possession (just 36% this match) but is the only Bundesliga team to have two shutout wins this season. Bayern loanee Paul Wanner was phenomenal again, becoming the youngest player to score a penalty goal in Bundesliga history and also the youngest player to score on the first two matchdays of a Bundesliga season (per @OptaFranz via @iMiaSanMia).
5) Borussia Dortmund
Previous Ranking: 2
Result: 0-0 draw at Werder Bremen
After a dominating win last week over Frankfurt, Dortmund delivered a snoozefest. Dortmund never truly threatened in the final third, registering 0.61 xG and four shots on target. Nico Schlotterbeck picked up a silly second yellow card in the 73rd minute and both teams grinded out the rest of the match.
6) Borussia Mönchengladbach
Previous Ranking: 8
Result: 2-0 win at VfL Bochum
Gladbach wasted quite a few good opportunities before Tim Kleindienst found the go-ahead header in the 66th minute. It was smooth sailing from there and Franck Honorat put the match completely out of reach in the 78th minute. It wasn’t pretty, but Gladbach comfortably earned three points.
7) Wolfsburg
Previous Ranking: 9
Result: 2-0 win at Holstein Kiel
Maximilian Arnold delivered a wonder strike in the 27th minute to break the deadlock and a few minutes later Sebastiaan Bornauw’s header put the game out of reach. If Wolfsburg can keep up this excellent form, they’ve got a solid opportunity to challenge for a European competition next season.
8) Eintracht Frankfurt
Previous Ranking: 10
Result: 3-1 win vs Hoffenheim
After the disappointing opener, Frankfurt thrashed Hoffenheim. A pair of first half goals from the Hugo duo, Ekitike and Larsson, gave the home team a commanding lead. After Hoffenheim closed the gap in the 54th minute, Omar Marmoush put the game out of reach in the 56th minute.
9) Freiburg
Previous Ranking: 5
Result: 2-0 loss at Bayern Munich
Freiburg is historically bad against Bayern, only recording one Bundesliga win since 1996. Freiburg caved again today, ceding overall possession and failing to generate much of a counterattack. Freiburg will still have a strong season, but today was forgettable.
10) Hoffenheim
Previous Ranking: 7
Result: 3-1 loss at Eintracht Frankfurt
Hoffenheim’s defensive woes continued, giving up three goals for the second weekend in a row. Unfortunately, Hoffenheim only mustered up three shots on goals and spent the whole day chasing a 2-goal deficit that they failed to overcome. After last week’s hat trick, club legend Andrej Kramarić scored again to extend his lead as the Bundesliga’s leading scorer.
11) Union Berlin
Previous Ranking: 14
Result: 1-0 win vs St. Pauli
Union Berlin was the more dangerous side but Berlin isn’t comfortable dominating possession. Benedict Hollerbach’s deflected blast from outside the box in the 34th minute was the game’s only goal, but it was enough to earn the victory.
12) Stuttgart
Previous Ranking: 11
Result: 3-3 draw vs Mainz
Stuttgart’s offense looked much improved, registering 12 shots on goals. Enzo Millot and Jamie Leweling both scored in the first 15 minutes, and Fabian Rieder scored in the 88th minute. But Stuttgart’s porous defense allowed the visitors to come back twice, including some horrendous marking that allowed the game-tying goal in stoppage time.
13) Werder Bremen
Previous Ranking: 12
Result: 0-0 draw vs Borussia Dortmund
Bremen defended well as a group and significantly limited Dortmund’s space in the final third to earn a draw at home. On the flip side, Bremen never pushed enough numbers forward to put Dortmund on their heels. Bremen won’t be challenging for a Champions league spot, but their scrappy play continues to frustrate Bundesliga opponents.
14) Mainz
Previous Ranking: 15
Result: 3-3 draw at Stuttgart
In one of the most exciting games of the weekend, Mainz fell behind twice but roared back to earn a valuable point on the road. Nadiem Amiri, Jonathan Burkhardt, and Maxim Leitsch all found the back of the net. Even though Mainz has only earned two points so far, they are playing with enough confidence to push their way up the table.
15) Augsburg
Previous Ranking: 13
Result: 4-0 loss at Heidenheim
Augsburg struggled to generate any offense, only recording one shot on goal. The possession advantage was worthless as Augsburg looked completely disconnected on defense as Heidenheim ran wild in the final third. Augsburg’s inability to replace Ermedin Demirović (transferred to Stuttgart) is creating some serious issues up top.
16) Holston Kiel
Previous Ranking: 17
Result: 2-0 loss vs Wolfsburg
Holstein Kiel’s quest for the club’s first Bundesliga points will have to wait a couple more weeks. Holstein Kiel’s offense produced five shots on goal but failed to convert. The defense held up for most of the match, but gave up two quick goals and the gap was too much.
17) St. Pauli
Previous Ranking: 18
Result: 1-0 loss at Union Berlin
Like Holston Kiel, St. Pauli was shut out (again). Despite holding 61% possession (again), St. Pauli only recorded one shot on goal. St. Pauli’s unwillingness to bring in a pure finisher is haunting them. St. Pauli must generate some offense if they hope to avoid relegation.
18) VfL Bochum
Previous Ranking: 16
Result: 2-0 loss vs Borussia Mönchengladbach
Bochum took a beating and survived some early chances before the damn finally broke and Gladbach scored a couple of tap-ins. Bochum still hasn’t scored this season and doesn’t look like they’ll be succeeding any time soon.
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