It is the International Week and our guest writer, Moseph Ekine runs the rule over how African players performed in the Bundesliga at the weekend.
Ivorian striker Salomon Kalou’s 56th minute equaliser for Hertha Berlin ensured interim Bayern Munich coach Willy Sagnol began life with the Bavarians with a 2-2 draw despite going two goals up through goals from Mats Hummels and Robert Lewandowski.
Bayern who parted company with title winning Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti on Thursday arrived Berlin off the back of a 3-0 drubbing by Paris-Saint Germain, went ahead through Mats Hummels’ headed effort after only 10 minutes on the clock. It was the world cup winner’s first goal of the Bundesliga season.
Lewandowski made it 2-0 four minutes after the restart to hand the visitors a comfortable lead. Slovakian midfielder Ondrej Duda pulled one back for Hertha two minutes later before Kalou punished Bayern’s sloppy defending from a set piece in which they failed to clear to haul the hosts level.
Borussia Dortmund continued their near perfect start to the 2017/18 Bundesliga season thanks to a deserved 1-2 victory at Augsburg. Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed a chance for the visitors to increase their lead from the penalty spot when his chipped penalty was saved. The match also saw Ghanaian international Daniel Opare play the entirety of the match.
Togolese forward Ihlas Bebou and his Hannover 96 side tasted their first league defeat of the season in a 2-1 loss at the hands of Borussia Monchengladbach. Thorgan Hazard scored a 94th minute penalty to steal all three points for Die Fohlen and deny Hannover a point.
Senegalese centre back Salif Sane played the whole 90 minutes for the visitors, but Monchengladbach were still without the services of Guinean winger Ibrahima Traore who is still recuperating from a thigh injury.
Meanwhile Ghana international Kevin Prince Boateng got the better of fellow countryman Ebenezer Ofori and DR Congo’s Chadrac Akolo, as his Eintracht Frankfurt side recorded their first home win in a 2-1 victory over VFB Stuttgart. Equatoguinean Omar Mascarell missed out of the clash due to an Achilles Tendon injury.
Wolfsburg drew 1-1 with Mainz 05 at the Volkswagen Arena with the hosts finishing the game with 10-men. Wolfsburg who featured DR Congo’s Marcel Tisserand, Nigerian Victor Osimhen replaced Josuha Guilavogui in the 55th minuth but were pegged back in the 74th minute by Yoshinori Muto’s header. Cote d’Ivoire’s Jean-Philippe Gbamin kept out centre back Leon Balogun – who had been ill during the week – from the Mainz 05 starting line up, the Nigerian watched on from the bench.
Finally, Algerian striker Ishak Belfodil helped his new Werder Bremen side to pick a point in a goalless draw away at Hamburg. Senegalese defender Lamine Sane sat out the match at the Volksparkstadion due to a knee injury.
