FEATURE | Bundesliga Review – Week 2: Borussia Dortmund complete spirited comeback, Jamal Musiala shines & more | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund put early pressure on Bayern Munich, kickstarting week two of the Bundesliga with an impressive comeback against Freiburg on Friday evening. Julian Nagelsmann’s side had to wait until Sunday evening before returning to the summit, with help from a sublime performance from Jamal Musiala.

Timo Werner scored on his Bundesliga return as RB Leipzig drew 2-2 with FC Köln. Werner marked his return on the 36th minute when his shot from distance crept under Marvin Schwäbe who should have saved the German’s effort. During his time at Chelsea, the German international struggled in front of goal and never quite got the rub of the green. However, luck was certainly on his side with his first goal back in Leipzig colours. Some teams and systems suit particular players, Timo Werner and Leipzig seem to be one such example.

Köln got themselves back into the game when Florian Dietz snuck in at the back post and converted the cross from Florian Kainz. Leipzig’s day got worse when Dominik Szoboszlai saw red for an elbow on Kainz. Upon review, it’s unsure how intentional the raised elbow was but Kainz certainly made the most of it. Christopher Nkunku got the Saxons back in front with a smart finish before Köln drew level for a second time thanks to a Joško Gvardiol own goal from a corner.

Borussia Dortmund made it two wins from two as they defeated Freiburg 3-1 at the Europa-Park Stadion. Freiburg controlled most of the game and got a deserved lead when Michael Gregoritsch’s looping header beat the stranded Gregor Kobel. It’s Gregoritsch’s second goal in as many matches since his move from Augsburg this summer.

The game changed when BVB introduced both Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Youssoufa Moukoko. The duo linked up for the equaliser when Bynoe-Gittens’ long-distance shot went through the hands of Mark Flekken. A moment to forget for the Dutch goalkeeper but one to savour for the 18-year-old Englishman whose goal was his first in the Bundesliga. Bynoe-Gittens was involved in the second BVB goal as his clever run into the box eventually found Julian Brandt who teed up Moukoko who smashed it home. The game was complete when another substitute, Marius Wolf, found the far corner from the right-hand side.

3 | Schalke pick up first point of the season

Schalke’s first home game in the Bundesliga finished in a 2-2 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Royal Blues got off to a great start at the VELTINS-Arena when Rodrigo Zalazar’s 29th-minute strike from distance found the bottom corner. With just under 20-minutes to go, Gladbach got their equaliser when Jonas Hoffman found time and space in the box to slot the ball beyond Alexander Schwolow. Defensively, the goal was avoidable. Alex Kral’s poor attempt of a tackle on Hoffman did nothing in terms of putting off the midfielder. Before that, Thomas Ouwejan was caught out of position when he went towards the ball.

Just moments later and Gladbach found themselves in front thanks to a disastrous mix-up between Alex Kral and Schwolow. Following a corner, the ball looped high in the air with Schwolow underneath ready to claim. That was until Kral attempted to head the ball away which put it in front of Marcus Thuram who couldn’t miss. Schalke rescued a point courtesy of VAR. Following a freekick, replays showed that Patrick Herrmann’s hand was in an unnatural position and touched the ball. Marius Bülter sent Yann Sommer the wrong way and sent the home support into rapture.

4 | Bayern Munich’s front four is terrifying

Following a 6-1 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt, Wolfsburg were next on Bayern Munich’s hit list. Julian Nagelsmann’s side remain unchanged with Jamal Musiala and Thomas Müller starting behind Serge Gnabry and Sadio Mané. The quartet caused Maxence Lacroix & Co. multiple problems and had it not been for Koen Casteels, Bayern could have finished with four or five.

Musiala opened the scoring after 33 minutes, evading the press of two Wolfsburg players before placing the ball beyond Casteels from outside of the area. The German’s goal against Wolfsburg his 14th in the Bundesliga, Musiala surpassing a record set by Uli Hoeness, becoming Bayern’s top scorer U20. After the injury to Florian Wirtz towards the end of last season, Musiala is arguably the best youngster in the Bundesliga right now. At 19, the Germany international already displayed the tactical knowhow, drifting into the half-spaces, driving from midfield to complement Gnabry and Mané whilst having an excellent understanding with Müller.

There was doubts as to how Bayern would cope with Robert Lewandowski, and a typical No. 9, but early signs suggest that this Bayern attack could be even more dangerous than last year’s.

5 | Hoffenheim complete superb comeback against Bochum

A return to the Bundesliga couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start for André Breitenreiter. Hoffenheim took the lead against Borussia Mönchengladbach on MD1 but lost 2-1 late on. A week later and they were 2-0 down against Bochum inside 13 minutes. Two crosses into the area, two balls undealt with and 2-0 down through a Simon Zoller brace. The outlook didn’t look good for Hoffenheim.

But Christoph Baumgartner pulled a goal back for Hoffenheim after capitalising on Manuel Riemann’s error before Ozan Kabak equalised nine minutes later. Munas Dabbur scored a winner for Hoffenheim two minutes from time, ghosting into the penalty area unmarked, heading the ball beyond Riemann. With games against Bayer Leverkusen, who are winless in two, and Augsburg, Hoffenheim will be looking for six points.

Awarded a 10.0 rating by GGFN, 19-year-old Jamal Musiala put in another phenomenal performance for Bayern Munich. Unplayable against Wolfsburg, he played a role in Sadio Mané’s offside goal before opening the scoring with a superb strike from the edge of the box. With three goals from nine shots after two games, Musiala is a player that’s benefitted from Julian Nagelsmann’s new 4-2-2-2 formation. Operating on the left, Musiala drifts into the half-spaces, has an excellent first touch, demonstrates neat dribbling, is a physical presence and showcases an excellent footballing brain. Musiala is very much a generational talent.