After the fans had got a taste of league action returning, the 2. Bundesliga didn't disappoint on matchday two.
The weekend began with wins for Erzgebirge Aue and Fortuna Düsseldorf, edging out VfB Stuttgart in an intense tussle. 1. FC Nürnberg and 1. FC Heidenheim also played out a highly entertaining draw.
Saturday saw VfL Bochum and Karlsruher SC draw, before Eintracht Braunschweig beat FC St. Pauli to continue their good form. Hannover 96 and 1860 Munich were Sunday's winners, while Würzburger Kickers earned their first point in the second tier. On Monday, neither 1. FC Union Berlin or Dynamo Dresden could not be separated.
If you missed the star performers from the set of games on matchday one, click here.
Stand-out performers in defence
GK - Mitchell Langerak (VfB Stuttgart/1) - Despite falling to a surprise defeat against Fortuna on Friday, it was certainly not down to Langerak's lack of effort. The Australian stopper excelled as the hosts laid siege to his goal, making a couple of superb saves to ensure his side were always in with a chance to steal a point.
RB - Stefano Celozzi (VfL Bochum/1) - The right-back picked up where he left off against 1. FC Union Berlin, and put in another stellar showing Karlsruher SC. He wasn't at fault for the goal but did grab the solitary strike from a Bochum perspective; a mazy run followed by a 25-yard drive sealed his first professional goal in some style.
CB - Kevin Akpoguma (Fortuna Düsseldorf/1) - While Langerak put in a fine showing at the back for VfB, young Akpoguma did a similar job for Fortuna. The youngster is being played in the heart of defence and is thriving as a result; he will continue to grow this season, if this performance is anything to go back. Strong in the air and the tackle.
LB - Naser Aliji (1. FC Kaiserslautern/1) - The Swiss defender could be a real steal for Kaiserslautern. In a game where they had a lot of success down the wings, his work along the left caused the Würzburg defence plenty of problems, he touched the ball more than anyone else, and he didn’t put a foot wrong defensively either.
Hannover's attacking talent shines through
RM - Felix Klaus (Hannover 96/1) - The former Freiburg man ran the Shamrocks' defence ragged with his pace, made an assist, and provided a constant outlet to what is an already an offensively prolific side. He is beginning to show the form that saw him rated highly by many during the seasons previous to last.
CM - Nik Omaldic (Eintracht Braunschweig/1) - Omladic was instrumental to EBS' positive, attacking performance. The midfielder led the way when it came to taking the game to one of the promotion front-runners, and will be key throughout the season if Die Löwen are to be the surprise package many have dubbed them to be. The Slovenian could have opened the deadlock but his free-kick hit the post. However, he didn't need to score to steal the show, with him constantly creating chances in a menacing showing.
CM - Manuel Schmiedebach (Hannover 96/1) - Schmiedebach put in a stellar showing in the Hannover midfield against a tough Fürth pivot pairing. As his usual tough-tackling self, he allowed his exciting front-line to flourish and continue their remarkable scoring start this season. The sort of player needed to anchor their midfield to success.
CM - Marco Hartmann (Dynamo Dresden/1) - He was a real presence for Dynamo Dresden on Monday night, and played a part in both of their goals. He acrobatically reached to the ball to set up Pascal Testroet for the initial shot leading to the first goal, before playing in Andreas Lambertz for the second with a long ball from the half way line.
LM - Marc Schnatterer (1. FC Heidenheim/1) - He may not have managed a goal or an assist, but his attacking qualities were there for all to see. Some superb crosses that ordinarily would have been tapped in were wasted, and highlighted what was another solid showing and technical display from the Heidenheim skipper.
AM - Sebastian Maier (Hannover 96/1) - Took matters into his own hands when the game was swinging in the favour of Fürth, scoring the second goal and setting up the goal that secured three points for the Reds. An overall great performance from the new signing, who has immediately found his feet in Lower Saxony.
CF - Pascal Köpke (Erzgebirge Aue/1) - Whatever it may be, things just fit in Aue for Köpke. After going on loan to the Violets last year and firing them to promotion, that has continued this term as he grabbed the second goal of their 2-0 win over SV Sandhausen with a cool finish. At just 20, the future is bright for the youngster.