Hertha Berlin moved further clear at the top of the 2. Bundesliga with a 3-1 win against Osnabrück at the Bremer Brücke on Saturday evening. The visitors, who had won all five of their opening matches, took control after the break when Josip Brekalo opened the scoring in the 50th minute.
And here's the thing about this game — Osnabrück had their chances but couldn't convert them. They were awarded a penalty in the 59th minute after a VAR review, but Robin Meißner saw his spot-kick saved in the following minute. Hertha doubled their lead through Kevin Sessa in the 70th minute, and Osnabrück pulled one back through Jonathan Gómez just eight minutes later.
By then, the match had shifted in Hertha's favour. Farid Alfa-Ruprecht sealed the victory with a late goal in the 90+2nd minute to complete a convincing away performance. The visitors dominated possession with 57 per cent and created six big chances compared to Osnabrück's two.
The statistics tell you what happened, but not necessarily why. Osnabrück registered seven shots on target and still managed only one goal, while Hertha converted three of their seven attempts. Both sides committed twelve fouls and received two yellow cards each, though Adrian Beck and Robin Fabinski went off the pitch for Osnabrück after bookings.
Hertha's position at the summit becomes more secure with this result. They remain unbeaten after five matches, sitting on fifteen points with five wins and no draws or defeats. Osnabrück drop further down the table, still without a draw and now three points behind their nearest rivals.
What stands out isn't the scoreline but the efficiency. Hertha moved the ball into the final third 83 times against Osnabrück's 56, and their expected goals figure of 2.14 reflected the quality of their opportunities. Osnabrück's xG of 1.73 suggested they should have done better, but the result tells a different story.
