Hertha Berlin secured a spectacular 5:3 away victory at Eintracht Braunschweig in the 2. Bundesliga on Wednesday evening. The third-division champion fought back from a 0:2 deficit to celebrate its third win in its third league match of the season.
It was an "incredibly entertaining and intense second division game". Hertha took sole possession of top spot in the table with the three points. The team coached by Stefan Leitl showed an impressive reaction after a poor start at the Eintracht-Stadion.
Eintracht Braunschweig took an early lead and extended it to 2:0 before halftime. However, the hosts' defense made catastrophic errors before the break, which Hertha capitalized on. The teams went into the dressing rooms level. After halftime, Hertha Berlin implemented coach Leitl's advice and significantly increased the tempo. Josip Brekalo was one of the key figures, converting a penalty calmly. "Brekalo keeps his nerve against Hoffmann, sends him the wrong way and nets confidently into the bottom left corner," Sportschau described the decisive moment.
Oluwaseun Adewumi made it 2:5 for Hertha before Jan Urbich scored a consolation goal for Braunschweig to make it 3:5 in the 88th minute. Hertha managed the lead safely during six minutes of added time. For the Lions, this was their 789th second division match in club history and the first time they lost a game despite scoring three goals.
Coach Stefan Leitl reacted during the match with three substitutions. Márton Dárdai replaced Mads Pedersen, Pascal Klemens came on for Paul Seguin and Farid Alfa-Ruprecht for Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson. Luca Sch was also brought on. The tactical adjustments contributed to the improved second-half performance. The yellow cards for Pascal Klemens, Linus Gechter, Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson and Paul Seguin show the intensity with which the Berliners fought for every ball.
The video assistant checked a possible foul by Lino Tempelmann on Niklas Kolbe, which was ultimately punished with a penalty and a yellow card for Tempelmann. This VAR intervention was a turning point in the match. The current lineup and further statistics can be viewed on our squad page.
With its third win in its third match of the season, Hertha Berlin took over top spot in the 2. Bundesliga. The perfect start to the season with nine points gives the team tremendous momentum. For Eintracht Braunschweig, however, it is their third consecutive competitive defeat this season. Coach Lars Kornetka reportedly has a lot of work ahead to lead his team out of this crisis.
The victory underlines the mental strength of the Berlin side, which did not lose its composure even in difficult moments. The upcoming tasks and the current league standings are always up to date on our standings page. Hertha Berlin's next fixtures can be found on the fixtures calendar. The team aims to continue its positive run in the coming weeks.
