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🇩🇪 Germany /Sports

Second Bundesliga: Fans Celebrate, Coach Warns After Hertha's Fight for Top Spot

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Outcome reported
  • Hertha BSC beat 1. FC Magdeburg 2-1 to move top of the 2. Bundesliga after four straight league wins.
  • Coach Stefan Leitl praised the result but criticized the team's passing play and defending at set pieces.
  • Substitute Oluwaseun Adewumi scored in his third consecutive match as a substitute, while Paul Seguin's sending-off nearly put the victory at risk.

Hertha BSC's supporters celebrated their team reaching the top of the 2. Bundesliga, but coach Stefan Leitl refused to let the mood become too comfortable after a hard-fought 2-1 win over 1. FC Magdeburg.

I'm very happy about the win today.

· Stefan LeitlHertha's coach acknowledged the victory before stressing that the team still needed to improve.

“I'm very happy about the win today,” Leitl said, before adding a warning: “To keep picking up points, we have to play better football.” The Berlin coach welcomed the team's passion, intensity and fighting spirit, but was unhappy with its play on the ball and its naivety defending set pieces.

Hertha took the lead through captain Josip Brekalo in the 10th minute before Falko Michel equalized with a header from a corner in the 30th. The match was played in front of 60,569 spectators. Hertha eventually regained control through Oluwaseun Adewumi, who scored as a substitute for the third consecutive game.

To keep picking up points, we have to play better football.

· Stefan LeitlLeitl warned against overconfidence despite Hertha's perfect start.

Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson, who supplied the pass for the winning goal, called Adewumi “crazy.” The Austrian has become a popular figure among Hertha supporters, who embraced his carefree and bold style. Adewumi entered at halftime for Soufian Gouram, who had been involved in the play that led to Magdeburg's equalizer.

Crazy.

· Jon Dagur ThorsteinssonThorsteinsson used the word to describe substitute Oluwaseun Adewumi, who scored in his third consecutive game as a substitute.

The win marked Hertha's fourth victory in four league matches, a start statisticians had not found in the club's records since the Bundesliga was founded. Paul Seguin said the team wanted to keep working hard and not ease off, while acknowledging that his yellow-red card nearly put the result in danger. Hertha have not topped the table since being relegated in 2023.

We want to keep working hard, we must not ease off by one percent.

· Paul SeguinSeguin described the team's approach after its fourth straight league win.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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