The Bundesliga produced another eventful round of fixtures on Saturday, with Borussia Dortmund and Freiburg continuing their perfect starts, while Bayer Leverkusen fought back to earn a point and Stuttgart suffered defeat.
Freiburg delivered the biggest statement of the day, cruising to a 5-0 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach. Yannik Engelhardt and Igor Matanović both scored twice, while Maximilian Eggestein completed the rout. Gladbach’s miserable afternoon was compounded by captain Tim Kleindienst’s sending-off.
Dortmund also maintained their 100 per cent record with a 3-0 win over newly promoted Paderborn. Fábio Silva opened the scoring inside five minutes after being set up by Serhou Guirassy, before Felix Nmecha scored twice late on. His second was a spectacular bicycle kick that rounded off another impressive performance from Niko Kovač’s side.
The result means Dortmund have collected nine points from their opening three matches, while Freiburg also have nine points and lead the table on goal difference.
There was drama in Augsburg, where Augsburg and Bayer Leverkusen played out a 2-2 draw. Christian Kofane initially put Leverkusen ahead before Michael Gregoritsch turned the match around with two quick goals.
Leverkusen eventually rescued a point when substitute Patrik Schick scored a late equaliser, preventing Augsburg from maintaining their position at the top of the table. Gregoritsch’s double also saw him become Augsburg’s outright record goalscorer with 38 Bundesliga goals for the club.
Eintracht Frankfurt claimed their first Bundesliga victory of the season with a convincing 3-1 win away to Mainz. Can Uzun scored twice as Frankfurt finally got their campaign moving after a difficult opening to the season.
Meanwhile, Hoffenheim defeated Stuttgart 2-1, with Adam Hložek scoring both goals for the hosts. Stuttgart’s defeat came shortly after their impressive Champions League victory and halted their momentum in the Bundesliga.
The day’s final match saw Cologne and Werder Bremen draw 1-1, leaving both sides with a share of the points.
With Bayern Munich still to face newly promoted Elversberg on Sunday, Freiburg and Dortmund currently occupy the top two positions after three matches, setting up an intriguing early-season battle at the summit.
