DSC Bielefeld Arminia Bielefeld - FCE FC Energie FC Energie Cottbus

DSC

FCE

J. Grodowski
76'

J. Grodowski
37'
J. Grodowski
26'

SchücoArena(25,304 Spectators)

Florian Lechner

Full-time

Full-time: Arminia Bielefeld 3-0 Energie Cottbus

Bielefeld pick up their first points of the season thanks to a stunning hat-trick from Joel Grodowski in what was an overall dominant performance against Cottbus. The visitors offered too little going forward, and their consistent mistakes at the back were repeatedly punished by a clinical Arminia outfit.

90'

+ 4

Blocked

Borgmann gets in the way of Handwerker's shot.

90'

+ 3

Lotka again

After a cross from Young, Koudossou gets a header in against Borgmann, but the goalkeeper is right there to deal with it.

90'

+ 1

Injury time

A minimum of four additional minutes have been indicated.

89'

Chance for a fourth

Felix plays in Grodowski on the left side of the penalty area, who looks for the near post with his shot, but Lotka is there and able to parry.

87'

Handling the press well

Things are not going smoothly for Energie today, but Bittencourt is at least coping well with Bielefeld's pressing. He was able to deal with eight out of ten situations.

87'

Pressure Handling

This Match Fact examines how successfully players perform under pressure. The percentage of "solved situations" indicates how often a player has freed himself from opponent pressure by dribbling, passing, scoring a goal or drawing a foul.

80%

Leonardo Bittencourt

10 times under pressure

85'

Quick booking

Three minutes after coming on as a substitute, Handwerker is late into a challenge against Butler and picks up a yellow card.

85'

Yellow card

Tim Handwerker

Career first for Grodowski

The forward scored his first hat-trick today in what was his 49th match in Bundesliga 2.

82'

More changes

Felix and Handwerker get a few minutes of playing time. Rochelt and Sicker have made way.

82'

Substitution

Joel Felix

Jannik Rochelt

82'

Substitution

Tim Handwerker

Arne Sicker

78'

Double booking

Butler stops a Bielefeld attack and is booked. Subsequently, the fouled Boakye shoves him and also receives a yellow card.

78'

Yellow card

Benjamin Boakye

78'

Yellow card

Justin Butler

Grodowski converts!

Bielefeld's hero of the day steps up and coolly finds the top left corner to complete his hat-trick. What a performance from the striker!

76'

Joel Grodowski

GOAL!

3:0

Penalty

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

77 %

Shot speed

Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.

111.21 km/h

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

11 m

75'

Penalty for Arminia!

Ciğerci clearly fouls Boakye in the penalty area, and the referee points to the spot!

75'

Cottbus bring on two defenders

Malone and Campulka are now on the pitch.

75'

Substitution

Ryan Malone

Lukas Michelbrink

75'

Substitution

Tim Campulka

Henry Rorig

72'

Another blunder!

What a stroke of bad luck for Energie! With a misplaced back pass, Pelivan sets up Bielefeld's Boakye, who finds himself one-on-one with Lotka. However, the forward slides the ball wide of the left post.

71'

We're underway again

Kersken restarts play with a goal-kick.

70'

Drinks break

The match is briefly interrupted.

69'

Next substitution

There is fresh impetus in Bielefeld's attack. Young replaces Mehlem.

69'

Too much weight on the back foot

After a corner from Bittencourt, Butler gets his head to the ball, but sends it well over the bar.

69'

Substitution

Isaiah Young

Marvin Mehlem

67'

Crucial intervention!

Bittencourt gets a shot off centrally inside the penalty area, but Russo manages to block it. That could have become really dangerous.

64'

Over the bar

Russo tries his luck with a free kick from distance. However, it flies well clear of the bar.

62'

No danger

Bielefeld have plenty of space again and pick up the pace. Grodowski is sent through on the right flank and cuts inside. The shot lacks pace, however, and is blocked.

60'

Substitution

Benjamin Boakye

Monju Momuluh

60'

First substitutions for Bielefeld

Momuluh and Wörl are done for the day. Schreck and Boakye come on for the final half an hour.

60'

Substitution

Sam Schreck

Marius Wörl

58'

From distance

Mehlem has some space in front of the penalty area and pulls the trigger, but it's straight into the arms of Lotka.

55'

Next substitution

Doumbia has also been taken off now. Coming on in his stead is Borgmann.

55'

Substitution

Axel Borgmann

Fousseny Doumbia

54'

Good chance!

Bielefeld are dangerous down the flanks again! Momuluh has a lot of space on the right side and plays the ball low into the centre. Wörl gets a shot off there, but the ball flies over the bar.

For the brace

Grodowski's deft lob to make it 2-0 for the hosts remains the most recent goal here at the SchücoArena.

50'

Off target

The first chance after the restart falls to Bielefeld again. After a cross from the left flank, Grodowski gets a free shot on goal, but fires wide to the right. The striker was offside, however, and the flag goes up shortly after.

48'

Cottbus looking more determined

However, they are still lacking the drive towards goal in the opening minutes of the second half here.

46'

Back underway!

At the break, Cottbus head coach Wollitz has made two changes for the visitors. Kinsombi and Guttau have stayed in the dressing room. Butler and Hannemann are now tasked with making an impact.

Kick-off!

45'

+ 5

Substitution

Justin Butler

Julian Guttau

45'

+ 5

Substitution

Moritz Hannemann

Christian Kinsombi

Half-time: Bielefeld 2-0 Cottbus

Arminia head into the dressing room with a 2-0 lead. The hosts capitalised clinically on two opposition turnovers caused by Grodowski against a Cottbus side which struggled to pose any significant threat going forward. The visitors will need to raise their game significantly in the second half if they're to get something from this one.

Half-time

45'

+ 4

Bielefeld without major problems

Cottbus have another go in stoppage time, but without posing a threat so far.

45'

+ 1

Stoppage time

A minimum of four additional minutes have been indicated.

42'

Bielefeld controlling the game

Cottbus continue to struggle to create chances going forward.

0:16

Grodowski at the double!

Once again, Cottbus are punished for an error in their build-up play. In their own half, Grodowski dispossesses Dominik Pelivan and suddenly finds himself with a lot of space in front of him. On the edge of the penalty area, the attacking player spots Lotka coming off his line and chips him beautifully. 2-0 Bielefeld!

37'

Joel Grodowski

GOAL!

2:0

Goal probability

39 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

17.14 m

32'

Two bites of the cherry

Ciğerci whips a corner to the edge of the penalty area towards Rorig, who tries his luck first time. The ball is deflected for another corner. This time, it lands straight to the defence, who clear comfortably.

Fighting hard

Both sides have scrapped for every inch of ground in the first half here, but so far, the contest is going the way of the hosts.

27'

First yellow

Rorig holds Rochelt back and is booked for his tactical foul.

27'

Yellow card

Henry Rorig

Arminia take the lead!

Cottbus give the ball away in the build-up play at the halfway line and the hosts capitalise quickly. Koudossou is sent in behind on the right flank and gathers pace before playing a low into Grodowski in the middle. The forward slots it home from close range, and this time, the goal stands!

26'

Joel Grodowski

GOAL!

1:0

Assist:H. Koudossou

Goal probability

95 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

6.1 m

25'

We're back underway

Rorig is also able to continue.

23'

Drinks break

The referee takes advantage of this and allows both sides to catch their breath for a moment.

22'

Brief stoppage

After a cross from Bielefeld, Rorig had hurt himself and stayed down on the turf.

0:27

It won't stand!

Bielefeld have the ball in the back of the net - but it won't count. Following a cross from Koudossou, Grodowski heads home, but the forward was in an offside position when the ball was played to him. It remains 0-0.

20'

SituationNo goal

ReviewOffside?

DecisionNo goal

19'

Cross doesn't find the target

Mehlem's delivery lands at Energie's Doumbia, who has no problem clearing. The quality of the final ball has been lacking so far here.

16'

No danger

The cross lands on the head of Bielefeld's Mehlem. Incidentally, it almost becomes dangerous on the counter-attack for Arminia, but the visitors get back to recover in time.

15'

Free-kick from the left

Can Energie threaten the Bielefeld goal?

Woodwork!

Sicker's corner finds Großer, who glances it wide of the left post with the back of his head.

Third corner for Bielefeld

Will it get dangerous now?

Bielefeld starting strongly

The hosts have started on the front foot here, forcing Cottbus to initially focus on their defensive shape.

Body in the way

Inside the penalty area, Russo receives the ball with some space after a lay-off. Erlein manages to block the shot just in time.

And we're off!

It's hosts Bielefeld who kick things off here.

Kick-off!

Milestone

For Guttau, today marks his first Bundesliga 2 appearance.

More on that Cottbus team

For the hosts, the injured Engelhardt is replaced. Zaydan, Manu and Boziaris rotate out of the starting eleven following their 3-1 win against Hannover. Coming in are Doumbia (pictured), Pelivan, Kinsombi and Guttau.

More on that Bielefeld team

Following their 2-1 defeat against Karlsruhe, Kirch makes changes in two positions. Schreck and Handwerker (pictured) are on the bench, with Mehlem and Sicker coming into the starting eleven.

Starting line-up: FC Energie Cottbus

Formation:4-2-3-1

Cottbus subs

Kratzsch, Campulka, Malone, Zaydan, Hofmann, Borgmann, Wardak, Hannemann, Butler

Starting line-up: DSC Arminia Bielefeld

Formation:4-5-1

Bielefeld subs

Oppermann, Hildesheim, Felix, Handwerker, Schreck, Boakye, Wegener, Uldrikis, Young

Claus-Dieter Wollitz on facing Bielefeld

"The fact is that they are a good side. They play a good 4-3-3 with two good box-to-box midfielders who are very well organised. They have very good principles and structures, very good one-on-one players in the half-spaces and good attacking full-backs. They are very modern and quick to recognise when they can transition with maximum intensity. We have a few challenges ahead of us, but challenges are there to help you grow. We are here to stay and if we want to stay, we need to get some positive results."

Oliver Kirch on facing Cottbus

"I am absolutely delighted about the first home match. Our end is sold out. We also trained here in the stadium to get the coaching staff up to speed with the routines and to familiarise ourselves with the conditions. We want to take the stadium along with us through our performance on the pitch. I know that will be reciprocated directly from the stands. Our plan is to win the match over to our side straight away. I believe every fan is fired up again to watch Arminia play second division football in the stadium. That is why I am very much looking forward to it."

Long-term injury

Cottbus' Erik Engelhardt suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury during training and will therefore be out of action for several months.

Good omen for visitors?

Cottbus' last away victory at second-tier level came on 23 March 2014 - against Arminia Bielefeld. The east German side triumphed 3-1 that day, but both clubs ended up slipping into the third division.

2:13

Watch: Karlsruhe 2-1 Arminia Bielefeld - last time out

Bielefeld were beaten at Karslruhe's BBBank Wildpark on Matchday 1, courtesy of Moritz Broschinski's double for the hosts. Substitute Marvin Mehlem managed to halve the deficit for Arminia, but there was no way back for the visitors.

2:14

Watch: Energie Cottbus 3-1 Hannover - last time out

Cottbus announced their return to Bundesliga 2 in some style, beating promotion hopefuls Hannover in their opening game of the new season. Tolcay Ciğerci struck either side of half-time for the home side.

Arminia Bielefeld 0-2 Energie Cottbus - previous meeting

These sides haven't met in Bundesliga 2 since March 2014, but their last competitive meeting in January 2025 ended in a 2-0 victory for Cottbus at the SchücoArena. Bielefeld still managed to finish the 2024/25 season as 3. Liga champions.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of this Matchday 2 fixture between Arminia Bielefeld and Energie Cottbus.