The top game in Saturday’s Bundesliga action also brought about the biggest result of the matchday, as newcomers RB Leipzig beat last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund 1-0 in their first ever home game in the German top flight. Die Roten Bullen were more than a match for BVB throughout the 90 minutes, and bagged a dramatic winner in the 89th minute. New signings Oliver Burke and Naby Keïta combined for the goal, with the latter turning the ball home to send the Red Bull Arena in ecstasy and make it four points from two games for the Bundesliga debutants.
The story of the afternoon kick-offs saw substitute Joel Pohjanpalo produce a second-half hat-trick against Hamburger SV, as Bayer 04 Leverkusen secured a 3-1 win to avoid starting the season with two straight defeats. Meanwhile, Hertha BSC recorded a 2-0 win at FC Ingolstadt, meaning they have collected six points from their opening two games, just like table-toppers and defending champions FC Bayern München.
Borussia Mönchengladbach suffered a 3-1 defeat at newly-promoted SC Freiburg, despite having taken the lead. The defeat comes just three days ahead of their Champions League encounter away to Manchester City. No goals were scored in the game between VfL Wolfsburg and 1.FC Köln, which also saw Mario Gomez make his debut for the Wolves. Elsewhere, SV Darmstadt 98 celebrated a 1-0 derby victory over Eintracht Frankfurt thanks to a last-minute strike.
Bayer 04's Bellarabi forced off early
The game started with a shock for Bayer Leverkusen, as Germany international Karim Bellarabi was forced out of the game with a thigh injury just seconds after the opening whistle. He was replaced by Olympic silver medal winner Julian Brandt. The opening 45 minutes failed to produce clear-cut chances, but Hamburg took the lead in the second half with Bobby Wood slotting home following a mistake by Bayer 04 keeper Bernd Leno.
But the game took another twist after Pohjanpalo was introduced. The striker had already made a difference against Gladbach two weeks ago, bagging the equaliser, and this time he completed a hat-trick off the bench to give Bayer 04 their first win of the season.
Ibisevic and Schieber on target for Hertha
Hertha BSC are off to a flying start in the Bundesliga. Striker Vedad Ibisevic opened the scoring against Ingolstadt just eight minutes after kick-off. Markus Kauczinski’s side were unable to find a reply and Julian Schieber doubled the visitors' advantage late in the second half.
Borussia Mönchengladbach were the dominant side in Freiburg, but struggled to create chances. Their first shot on target was immediately the opener though, as Thorgan Hazard fired home with a fantastic effort from range after 35 minutes. André Schubert’s team appeared to be in control, but Freiburg never gave up and levelled through Maximilian Philipp in the 54th minute. Philipp added a second goal to his tally late in the second half and Nils Petersen converted from the spot to secure Freiburg's first win of the campaign.
Darmstadt win the derby
Wolfsburg controlled their game against Köln in the Volkswagen-Arena, but the visitors started to find their feet midway through the first half. Leonardo Bittencourt and Margim Mavraj left out promising opportunities before the break. Marcel Risse's direct free kick produced the most danger in the second half, but Wolfsburg keeper Koen Casteels was on point.
The derby between Darmstadt and Frankfurt didn't produce a lot of action until injury time of the second half, when Sandru Sirigu broke the deadlock and scored the 1-0 winner.
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The top game in Saturday’s Bundesliga action also brought about the biggest result of the matchday, as newcomers RB Leipzig beat last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund 1-0 in their first ever home game in the German top flight. Die Roten Bullen were more than a match for BVB throughout the 90 minutes, and bagged a dramatic winner in the 89th minute. New signings Oliver Burke and Naby Keïta combined for the goal, with the latter turning the ball home to send the Red Bull Arena in ecstasy and make it four points from two games for the Bundesliga debutants.
The story of the afternoon kick-offs saw substitute Joel Pohjanpalo produce a second-half hat-trick against Hamburger SV, as Bayer 04 Leverkusen secured a 3-1 win to avoid starting the season with two straight defeats. Meanwhile, Hertha BSC recorded a 2-0 win at FC Ingolstadt, meaning they have collected six points from their opening two games, just like table-toppers and defending champions FC Bayern München.
Borussia Mönchengladbach suffered a 3-1 defeat at newly-promoted SC Freiburg, despite having taken the lead. The defeat comes just three days ahead of their Champions League encounter away to Manchester City. No goals were scored in the game between VfL Wolfsburg and 1.FC Köln, which also saw Mario Gomez make his debut for the Wolves. Elsewhere, SV Darmstadt 98 celebrated a 1-0 derby victory over Eintracht Frankfurt thanks to a last-minute strike.
Bayer 04's Bellarabi forced off early
The game started with a shock for Bayer Leverkusen, as Germany international Karim Bellarabi was forced out of the game with a thigh injury just seconds after the opening whistle. He was replaced by Olympic silver medal winner Julian Brandt. The opening 45 minutes failed to produce clear-cut chances, but Hamburg took the lead in the second half with Bobby Wood slotting home following a mistake by Bayer 04 keeper Bernd Leno.
But the game took another twist after Pohjanpalo was introduced. The striker had already made a difference against Gladbach two weeks ago, bagging the equaliser, and this time he completed a hat-trick off the bench to give Bayer 04 their first win of the season.
Ibisevic and Schieber on target for Hertha
Hertha BSC are off to a flying start in the Bundesliga. Striker Vedad Ibisevic opened the scoring against Ingolstadt just eight minutes after kick-off. Markus Kauczinski’s side were unable to find a reply and Julian Schieber doubled the visitors' advantage late in the second half.
Borussia Mönchengladbach were the dominant side in Freiburg, but struggled to create chances. Their first shot on target was immediately the opener though, as Thorgan Hazard fired home with a fantastic effort from range after 35 minutes. André Schubert’s team appeared to be in control, but Freiburg never gave up and levelled through Maximilian Philipp in the 54th minute. Philipp added a second goal to his tally late in the second half and Nils Petersen converted from the spot to secure Freiburg's first win of the campaign.
Darmstadt win the derby
Wolfsburg controlled their game against Köln in the Volkswagen-Arena, but the visitors started to find their feet midway through the first half. Leonardo Bittencourt and Margim Mavraj left out promising opportunities before the break. Marcel Risse's direct free kick produced the most danger in the second half, but Wolfsburg keeper Koen Casteels was on point.
The derby between Darmstadt and Frankfurt didn't produce a lot of action until injury time of the second half, when Sandru Sirigu broke the deadlock and scored the 1-0 winner.
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