1860 Munich put six past Erzgebirge Aue at the Allianz Arena on Friday night, as die Löwen romped to a 6-2 victory anf got their second 2. Bundesliga victory of the season on home soil.
Kosta Runjaic's side were two up within twenty five minutes, after a Levent Ayçiçek freekick and a Michael Liendl penalty had both beaten die Veilchen goalkeeper, Daniel Haas. However after a defensive mix-up, Pascal Köpke had got his side back into the game on the half hour mark.
The main talking point of the entire match came on the stroke of halftime, as Sebastian Hertner was sent off after being judged to have handled Ivica Olić's goal bound effort. Liendl converted his second spot kick of the half, but later replays showed that referee Thorben Siewer was wrong to have sent the Aue man off.
Regardless, 1860 Munich made Pavel Dotchev's side pay in the second half as they added a further three goals to the scoreline. Sascha Mölders got his second of the season early into the half, before Ayçiçek got another and then substitute Daniel Adlung added his name to the scoresheet. Cebio Soukou replied with a consolation goal for Aue, shortly after Mölders had made it four.
The result marks two victories on the bounce for die Löwen, as Erzgebirge Aue continue on a worrying run that has seen them pick up only four points from their last five games as they find life back in the second division difficult to adjust to.
Die Löwen get off to a lightning start in Munich
The visitors to the Allianz Arena on Friday night, Erzgebirge Aue, haven't struggled on their return to the 2. Bundesliga with scoring; for Pavel Dotchev's side, the problem has come in keeping the ball out of their own net. But in the early stages of the game in the Bavarian capital, die Veilchen were unusually wasteful with the opportunities that fell their way. Louis Samson did his utmost to do anything but score, shooting wide from six yards following a Christian Tiffert corner. Then, club top-scorer Pascal Köpke forced die Löwen goalkeeper, Jan Zimmermann, into action when his near post effort required the palms of the former 1. FC Heidenheim man to turn it around the post.
But as aforementioned, Aue have been porous in defence since their return to the second tier and they were ultimately made to pay for their missed chances as 1860 Munich took the lead. Werder Bremen loanee Levent Ayçiçek, cut in from the left, drove towards goal and forced Calogero Rizzuto into a foul. The midfielder then took the subsequent freekick and smashed the resulting effort beyond Daniel Haas. His second in two weeks, after also scoring from a freekick in the 2-1 defeat at VfB Stuttgart.
Dotchev's side have really struggled defensively this term, with only two clean sheets in their opening eleven games. The absence of club stalwart Martin Männel until the new year with an elbow injury will go no way to improve that, especially after the shaky start his replacement, Haas, has had since his summer switch from Union Berlin.
Whilst Haas had been the man at fault in the 3-1 defeat to his former club, die Eiserne, last weekend, against 1860 Munich it appeared that mantra had fallen to Rizzuto. After giving away the freekick from which Ayçiçek scored, things went from bad to worse for the Aue left back as he then gave Sechzig a golden opportunity to double their lead. Rizzuto hacked down Ivica Olić, leaving no option for referee Thorben Siewer other than point to the spot. Michael Liendl stepped up from twelve years and sent the ball straight down the middle, as Haas dove to his left.
Fanol Përdedaj nearly made things even better for Kosta Runjaic's side, but for the Kosovan only the crossbar stood between him and a third goal for the hosts.
Controversial decision by Siewer
Yet fortunately for Erzgebirge Aue, die Löwen - 1860 Munich - have a penchant for shooting themselves in the foot. What seemed a rather tame cross caused confusion in the 1860 box between Zimmermann and Jan Mauersberger. Neither of the pair managed to get anything on the ball and a thankful Pascal Köpke volleyed the ball into the back of an empty net; Aue back into the game moments after Liendl had made it two.
Where die Löwen were in complete control before the goal, Köpke's strike turned the game into a cagey affair. Steve Breitkreutz, who scored die Veilchen's late winner at FC St. Pauli last month, nearly recreated his heroics as it took a mixture of the post and Zimmermann to keep his header out.
But on the stroke of half time the game was turned on its head once more, and again the balance was in favour of 1860 Munich. Despite not adding his name to the scoresheet, Olić had been a threat throughout. The Croatian, and former player at die Löwen's bitter rivals Bayern Munich, was sent through by his strike partner Sascha Mölders.
Olić rounded Daniel Haas before rolling the ball goal bound, yet Sebastian Hertner got back to rescue a goal with a sliding challenge. Or maybe not. Referee Siewer adjudging that the former Sechzig man had handled the ball, and subsequently sent off Hertner and awarded die Löwen a second penalty. Liendl stepped up once again and this time sent the hapless Haas the wrong way, to re-establish 1860's two goal lead again.
Dotchev could feel aggrieved by some of the decisions his side had been on the end of in the opening forty five minutes. Firstly, Olić had made the most of the contact he received from Rizzuto for the first penalty, and then subsequent replays showed that Hertner had infarct headed the ball away and was wrong to receive a red card.
Goals aplenty at the Allianz Arena
With a man down in defence, 1860 Munich were always going to fancy their chances going forward in the second half. With that said, it took a little under five minutes for die Löwen to make the extra man count and put another past Haas. Mölders latching onto a long lofted ball, taking it in his stride before he slotted under the onrushing Aue 'keeper.
With the likes of Ivica Olić and Sasha Mölders within their attacking options, Sechzig posses some of the most experienced strikers in the entire division with both having plenty of time spent in the Bundesliga. Yet so far this season it hasn't worked out for the Bavarian side, with the pair managing a goal between themselves. If Friday evening's game is anything to go by however, they may have just slot into rhythm - both Olić and Mölders proving archetypal throughout.
To be fair to Erzgebirge Aue, when it could be expected they would surrender the rest of the game, the Saxon side kept going and even managed to get themselves another goal. Cebio Soukou thundered the ball past Zimmermann from the edge of the goal, in what was certainly the goal of the game. Not that it counted for much from a die Veilchen perspective.
Sechzig put Aue to the sword late on
The goal for a shot period gave Aue renewed impetus, but the longer the game drew on the more and more space 1860 Munich were afforded to counter attack into as Dotchev's team tired. Kosta Runjaic's side were subsequently allowed to add a further two late goals that rounded off what had been a superb evening for die Löwen. Although it cannot be forgotten how much of an impact the dismissal of Hertner had had.
Olić was played into a acre of space down the Sechzig left flank and the 37 year old veteran made a beeline straight for Daniel Haas. When the Aue goalkeeper came to meet Olić, he managed to squirm the ball across to Ayçiçek - who had the simple task of finishing into an empty net.
Then substitute Daniel Adlung managed to get in on the act, as he was played in by Mölders. The Bavarian native got his first of the season, as he curled round Daniel Haas. For what was considered an awful outing last week against Union Berlin, the match against 1860 Munich hadn't been so better for Haas. That being said, it was as equally a terrible night for Erzgebirge Aue. The newly promoted Saxon side slumping to their seventh defeat of the season, in a run that has seen them pick up on solitary victory since mid September. Dotchev's side sit perilously close to the relegation zone.