Heidenheim leading the way among 5 talking points from Matchday 2
Bayer Leverkusen's incredible unbeaten run finally came to an end against RB Leipzig while Heidenheim created history and Thomas Müller was doing Thomas Müller things on a winning weekend for Bayern Munich. We round up the top 5 talking points from Matchday 2.
1) Leverkusen’s unbeaten run in the Bundesliga comes to an end
Xabi Alonso’s men finally fell to defeat in the league after an unbelievable run of 35 games unbeaten, which included the whole of the 2023/24 season. Leverkusen had started this season with two close fought victories over Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 1 (2-0) and Carl Zeiss Jena (1-0) in the DFB Cup, plus Supercup success over VfB Stuttgart on penalties.
However, their run finally came to an end on Matchday 2 against Marco Rose’s electric Leipzig side. Leverkusen initially went two goals up through their flying full-backs Jeremie Frimpong, in the 39th minute, and Alejandro Grimaldo, in the 45th minute. Kevin Kampl and Loïs Openda had the away side level just before the hour mark, before Openda’s second goal 10 minutes before the end brought Die Werkself’s unbeaten run crashing down.
Watch: Leipzig end Leverkusen's 35 game unbeaten streak
2) That’s why we love the Bundesliga
Stuttgart and Mainz provided a brilliant advert for the entertaining, unpredictable nature of the Bundesliga with a captivating 3-3 draw at the MHPArena. Having finished second last season, Sebastian Hoeneß’s side will have been eager to get their first three points of the new season after an opening day defeat to Freiburg, but Mainz had other ideas.
Stuttgart had taken an early 2-0 lead before being pegged back to 2-2 in the second half. They must have thought they’d won it when Fabian Rieder scored in the 88th minute, only for Maxim Leitsch to score a stoppage time equaliser.
Borussia Dortmund also showed the unpredictable nature of the league, drawing 0-0 away to Werder Bremen having got off to a good start with a victory against Eintracht Frankfurt on the opening weekend.
Watch: Highlights from a six-goal thriller at the MHPArena
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3) The Pharoah and the Frenchmen
On the topic of Frankfurt, their new strike partnership of Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush and Frenchman Hugo Ekitiké is one that will be causing Bundesliga defences all season long.
Having shown glimpses of their ability on Matchday 1, the duo burst to life in their home game against Hoffenheim, with both of them getting a goal and an assist each.
Both showed their ability to pick the final pass and combine with their teammates, with Ekitiké showing especially good awareness for his assist to Hugo Larsson, whilst also looking composed and confident in front of goal. Marmoush is coming off on a impressive 2023/24 season for the club where he scored 11 goals and provided six assists, while Ekitiké is looking to prove himself in his first full season with the club.
4) New week, new Müller milestone
There's just no holding Thomas Müller down. As the seasons roll on, Mr. Bundesliga remains a player who looks in his prime, as opposed to one reaching the end of a glorious career. Coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2-0 win against Freiburg at the weekend, the Raumdeuter took the applause from the Allianz Arena crowd on what was a new Bayern Munich all-time record of 710 appearances. He then duly scored his 150th Bundesliga goal for the his boyhood club.
"It's not about the records, it's about this goalscoring feeling, this winning feeling with the team," Müller told bundesliga.com, not long after jumping in with the home fans for a sing-song.
Watch: Müller celebrates with Bayern fans
5) The only way is Heidenheim
Game number five of the season for Frank Schmidt's men turned into win number five and a second successive success in the Bundesliga that meant last term's division debutants were sitting pretty at the top of the standings for the first time since their creation in 1846. In a week when the southern side made further history by reaching the UEFA Conference League proper thanks to a play-off victory, Heidenhiem took Augsburg apart at the Voith Arena with a performance that produced four goals and several records.
Sunday's 4-0 win was the team's biggest in Germany's top flight, and when Bayern loanee Paul Wanner opened the scoring with a penalty, he became the youngest player to net a spot-kick in the Bundesliga at 18.7 years old. Sirlord Conteh - a summer arrival from Paderborn - then sprinted into the record books to become the Bundesliga's fastest-ever, the 28-year-old clocking a speed of 36.67, beating previous holder Karim Adeyemi. With form like this, Heidenheim may just wish the international break had not come so soon.
Watch: Heidenheim storm past Augsburg
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