Hertha BSC Fly High with Perfect Start
- Hertha BSC have won all three opening 2. Bundesliga matches — beating Bochum, Heidenheim, and Braunschweig — scoring ten goals in the process.
- The results equall a nine-year club record set by former manager Pal Dardai at the start of the 2016/17 season.
- Captain Josip Brekalo scored twice and assisted once in the 5-3 comeback win at Braunschweig, with players celebrating on the pitch for 45 minutes afterwards.
Hertha BSC have made their most emphatic start to a second-division campaign in nearly a decade, winning all three of their opening 2. Bundesliga fixtures this season and scoring ten goals in the process — a return that has reignited optimism around the Berlin club after a turbulent summer that saw fifteen players depart.
Record equalled, momentum growing
The sequence of results — a 1-0 victory away at Bochum, a 4-1 home win over Heidenheim, and a remarkable 5-3 comeback triumph at Braunschweig after trailing 0-2 — has matched the club record set by former manager Pal Dardai, who also won his opening three league matches at the start of the 2016/17 season. Manager Stefan Leitl, who marked his 49th birthday on the day of the Braunschweig match, was unrestrained in his praise. "That was fantastic — great credit to the lads," he said after the final whistle.
Young players driving the charge
Much of Hertha's early-season energy has been generated by a group of younger players — among them Gouram, Adewumi, Eitschberger, and Farid Alfa-Ruprecht — who have injected directness and intensity into the side. Right-back Julian Eitschberger, 22, reflected that quality after the win in Braunschweig: "You could see the energy we can bring to the pitch." Midfielder Paul Seguin, 31, was equally effusive about the shift in approach: "It's extremely enjoyable right now. The switch to the new playing style has worked for us." The stylistic change is a deliberate one: on regaining possession, the side moves the ball forward immediately, dispensing with the lateral passing that characterised previous iterations of the team.
Brekalo leads from the front
At the heart of the transformation is new club captain Josip Brekalo, 28, who has embraced his leadership role with conspicuous enthusiasm. In Braunschweig he scored twice and assisted a third goal. Before each match, Brekalo personally greets and embraces every squad member. "We have grown very close as a team and we have committed to giving absolutely everything," he said. "I am simply very proud to be captain of a team like this. Naturally it makes me even happier when I can help with goals and assists." After the final whistle in Braunschweig, players remained on the pitch for 45 minutes to celebrate with travelling supporters, were summoned back out of the dressing room by their chants, and subsequently sang, danced, and distributed their match shirts among the crowd.
Whether Hertha can sustain this tempo across a full season remains to be seen, but three wins from three and ten goals already banked represents a statement of intent that the second division will be hard-pressed to ignore.
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