EURO BITES: Bundesliga - Controversial goals decide games, Bayern are record breakers, and Stefen Effenburg gets first job in management

A round-up of the latest Bundesliga news including some controversial moments in the weekend action, a record-breaking win for Bayern and the inevitable departure of Horst Heldt at Schalke.

CONTROVERSIAL GOALS DOMINATE SUNDAY’S MATCHES

Two games on Sunday afternoon, and two goals only – both controversial and earning wins. Hannover’s Leon Andreasen scored by using his right arm during the road game at Cologne, giving Hannover 96 a much needed win in a game with only 37 per cent possession. VfB Stuttgart’s Daniel Didavi, meanwhile, was not the only player in an offside position before he grabbed the winner against Ingolstadt – in fact, three players with white jerseys were. Both wins, however, helped the respective teams in leaving the relegation zone. Both had won only one game before Sunday afternoon.

BAYERN MUNICH SET A RECORD WITH BREMEN WIN

Bayern Munich set a new record with a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen on Saturday. For the first time in Bundesliga history, a team managed to start the season with nine wins in a row thanks to Thomas Müller´s goal in the 23rd minute. Bremen showed a much better performance than other teams Bayern had faced in previous weeks, creating some clear-cut scoring chances to level later on. In the meantime, one of Bundesliga’s longest feuds was officially ended when former Bremen general manager Willi Lemke stated in an interview that he has put aside all former disputes with Uli Hoeness after a personal invitation. The former Bayern Munich general manager and president is currently a day release prisoner, fulfilling a three-and-a-half year jail sentence after massive tax fraud.

HORST HELDT ABOUT TO LEAVE SUCCESSFUL SCHALKE

When Schalke scored a 2-1 win in injury time last Saturday against Hertha BSC Berlin, it might have been the last time that general manager Horst Heldt cheered for the team. Although the “Prussian Blue” are currently ranked third in the table, Schalke’s board of directors have made offers to other general managers to replace Heldt, who has not much support from the fans. After one of these offers for Mainz’s general manager Christian Heidel went public, the 45-year-old Heldt stated on Sunday that he himself had decided on his future already. Bild suggests that Heldt could leave as early as this week.

MAX KRUSE STARTING TO SCORE FOR HIS NEW CLUB

Banged up by the emissions scandal and the farewell of Kevin de Bruyne, the Volkswagen-driven club VfL Wolfsburg had something to cheer in Saturday’s 4-2 win over Hoffenheim. New striker Max Kruse scored his first three goals for the club, starting in the first minute of the game, and later successfully answering the Hoffenheim equaliser at 2-2 with two more goals to complete the hat-trick. Before the game, Wolfsburg’s had scored 10 goals in eight games, clearly trailing the statistics of the previous season in which the team heavily relied on De Bruyne’s efforts.

RELUCTANT REACTIONS TO ALLEGED FA SLUSH FUND

By barely stating anything, Bundesliga officials are apparently trying to prevent any linking in public with the allegations that German FA bought votes for the 2006 World Cup with money from former Adidas manager Robert Louis-Dreyfus. “This is certainly not an alright matter for the DFB,” 2006 player Philipp Lahm stated cautiously, adding: “We will have to see where this will lead to.” After DFB officials and also Franz Beckenbauer rejected the accusations made by Spiegel, players and clubs are not yet willing to take a side in this matter. There is also no indication that any club official was involved in the alleged fraud.

STEFAN EFFENBERG SURPRISINGLY BACK IN BUSINESS

Stefan Effenberg, the former midfielder who led Bayern Munich to Champions League glory in 2001, has made it out of the gutter press back on the sports pages. The 47-year-old has landed his first managerial job with relegated FC Paderborn, bringing an unprecedented pinch of glamour to the rural area of North Rhine-Westphalia. Effenberg, nicknamed the Tiger, made his debut in a home game on Friday night, in which Paderborn celebrated a surprising 2-0 win over Braunschweig. With regard to Jürgen Klopp’s remark in Liverpool to being “the normal one”, Effenberg, at his first press conference, stated that he was “the new one”.