Ingolstadt victors on Bundesliga debut; Darmstadt held
Cologne - FC Ingolstadt 04 savoured the sweet taste of victory in their first game as a top-flight club on Matchday 1, while SV Darmstadt 98 managed a creditable draw and FC Schalke 04 got the Andre Breitenreiter era off to the perfect start.
1. FSV Mainz 05 0-1 FC Ingolstadt 04
bundesliga.com rounds up Saturday afternoon's action...
Lukas Hinterseer was FC Ingolstadt’s hero as the Bavarians sealed a 1-0 win at 1. FSV Mainz 05 in their very first game as a Bundesliga club.
Moment of quality
After an uneventful opening first hour, the game came to life when Hinterseer scored Ingolstadt’s first-ever Bundesliga goal when he ran at the Mainz defence and curled a fantastic effort into the far corner from a tight angle. It was the moment of quality the game required and it spurred the hosts into action.
After Florian Niederlechner went close, Japanese international Yoshinori Muto was introduced from the bench for some extra presence up front. Ingolstadt held on in fine style, however, to get their first season in the big time off to a perfect start.
SV Darmstadt 98 2-2 Hannover 96
Promoted club SV Darmstadt 98 held Hannover 96 to a 2-2 draw in an absorbing encounter at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor on Bundesliga Matchday 1.
Heller brace not enough
Kenan Karaman thought he’d given Hannover the lead in the 29th minute, but goal-line technology - called into action for the first time in Bundesliga history - ruled otherwise. Darmstadt subsequently found their stride, with Marcel Heller leading a blistering counter and firing home the Lilies’ first Bundesliga goal since Peter Cestonaro found the net way back in May 1982.
Hannover substitute Charlison Benschop levelled matters with only his second touch, but parity lasted barely five minutes as Heller pounced on a mistake by Miiko Albornoz and rounded Ron-Robert Zieler for his second of the afternoon. After saving a tame Mevlüt Erdinc penalty, Darmstadt goalkeeper Christian Mathenia was powerless to prevent the Reds’ equaliser as Aytac Sulu inadvertently directed an Edgar Prib free kick into his own net from close range. Darmstadt might have won it, but Marco Sailer and Dominik Stroh-Engel were both denied by the woodwork.
SV Werder Bremen 0-3 FC Schalke 04
A comical own goal from Theodor Gebre Selassie, as well as second-half strikes for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, ensured FC Schalke ran out impressive 3-0 winners at SV Werder Bremen on Matchday 1.
Fortune for Schalke
Much of the pre-match focus centred on Franco Di Santo, who was returning to Bremen just weeks after leaving the club for Schalke in the summer. Yet the Argentine was a peripheral figure in the first half in which Gebre Selassie’s bizarre own goal – a lob over his own goalkeeper - gave the Royal Blues the lead.
Di Santo’s afternoon ended when he was withdrawn on the hour-mark, but Schalke remained well in control and sealed the points when Choupo-Moting finished well for his first league goal in over 21 hours of Bundesliga football. Dutch striker Huntelaar then added a late third to seal a perfect away day for Andre Breitenreiter’s charges.
FC Augsburg 0-1 Hertha Berlin
Salomon Kalou scored the only goal of the game as Hertha Berlin came away from FC Augsburg with a 1-0 victory on Matchday 1 of the 2015/16 Bundesliga campaign.
Bobadilla and Beerens sent off
Chances were at a premium in a cagey first half at Augsburg’s SGL Arena, but the game sprang to life in added time when FCA striker Raul Bobadilla was shown his marching orders after collecting his second caution of the afternoon.
Hertha made their numerical advantage count after the restart from the penalty spot, with Kalou slotting home from the penalty spot after being brought down in the box by Ragnar Klavan. Hertha midfielder Roy Beerens followed Bobadilla down the tunnel with 23 minutes remaining, but the Old Lady held on to register their first-ever Bundesliga win on Augsburg soil.
