Hertha Berlin continued their flawless start to the 2. Bundesliga season with a hard-fought 2-1 home victory over FC Magdeburg on Sunday, securing their fourth consecutive win. Substitute Oluwaseun Adewumi scored the winner early in the second half after Josip Brekalo's opener was cancelled out by Falko Michel.
Hertha began with high intensity and forced the early breakthrough. In the 10th minute, the team won possession, Mads Pedersen found Josip Brekalo on the left, and the Croatian captain cut inside before firing a low shot into the far corner. The hosts remained dangerous but couldn't extend their lead. Magdeburg grew into the game and equalised in the 31st minute. Barış Atik delivered a corner to the near post where Falko Michel powered a header past Marius Gersbeck for their first shot on target.
The second half started with an immediate reaction from coach Stefan Leitl. He introduced Oluwaseun Adewumi at the break. Just two minutes after coming on, the Austrian loanee from Burnley made it 2-1. Paul Seguin found Jón Dagur Thorsteinsson on the right, whose low cross evaded several players and reached Adewumi at the back post for a simple finish. "It was an important substitution that worked immediately," Leitl said after the match.
The match took another dramatic turn in the 62nd minute when Paul Seguin received a second yellow card for a foul on Mateusz Zukowski, reducing Hertha to ten men. The team had to withstand significant pressure in the final half-hour. Magdeburg hit the crossbar through a deflected long-range effort from Michel. A header from Kolbe also seemed destined for the net, but Alexander Nollenberger cleared it off the line. Despite their numerical advantage, the visitors couldn't find another goal, especially after they were also reduced to ten men in the 73rd minute when Tobias Müller saw a second yellow.
With four wins from four matches, Hertha BSC has a perfect record of twelve points. Stefan Leitl's team now leads the standings in the 2. Bundesliga alone. So far, Hertha has beaten VfL Bochum, 1. FC Heidenheim, Eintracht Braunschweig, and now Magdeburg. The next opportunity to extend the run comes this Saturday with an away fixture at FC St. Pauli. All upcoming matches can be found in the fixtures list.
Josip Brekalo was again a key figure in Hertha's attack. The captain scored his second goal of the season and remains a central creative force. Oluwaseun Adewumi demonstrated his impact off the bench once more. The 22-year-old has scored in each of his last three appearances as a substitute. In defence, Marius Gersbeck made key saves late on, including a strong stop from Zukowski in the 82nd minute. The full squad overview with all performance data is available on the squad page. Hertha Berlin moves forward with great confidence.
