Bayern and Dortmund drop points, Nkunku bags hat-trick and Freiburg go top - 5 things we learned from Bundesliga Matchday 5
· Yahoo Sports
From the fastest goal in the league's history to a first-half hat-trick and a new table-toppers, the Bundesliga returned with a memorable matchday. Here are five of the biggest stories from the weekend that saw 12 of the 18 teams scoring at least two goals.
Füllkrug stun BVB as Bremen repeat their injury-time magic in Dortmund
Four years from the historic comeback that saw Werder Bremen score three goals from the 89th minute mark to beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2, Daniel Thioune's side salvaged a draw with two late goals at the same venue. There was no goal at either end until the last ten minutes of the tense encounter.
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The hosts broke the resistance of the excellent Karl Hein in Bremen's goal with the first strike of the season for both Daniel Svensson and Nico Schlotterbeck. However, the memories of that classic match started to surface when Ludovit Reis capitalized on Schlotterbeck’s error to pull one back for the visitors just before the end of regular time.
That feeling was raised when the fourth official signalled eight minutes of injury-time, but the rejuvenated Bremen side didn't have to wait long for their dramatic equaliser. Another poor defending helped former Dortmund striker Niclas Füllkrug to score with a free header from a set-piece opportunity as he extended his goalscoring run to personal best four games.
As a result, Niko Kovac’s troops dropped points for the first time this season. They will next face last season's Champions League surprise package Bodø/Glimt in the Black and Yellows derby. Meanwhile, Bremen will hope to maintain their perfect home record against newly-promoted Paderborn on matchday 6.
FC Bayern fail to capitalize as Augsburg and Fellhauer write history
Borussia Dortmund’s late collapse meant FC Bayern had a chance to regain top place with three points in Saturday's Bavarian derby in Augsburg, but they instead started their game in the worst way possible. Robin Fellhauer broke the Bundesliga record for the fastest goal as he capitalized on Manuel Neuer’s howler inside eight seconds.
The 40-year-old goalkeeper was also unconvincing when he parried Calvin Brackelmann’s effort after the break, which led the hosts to retake the lead through Rodrigo Ribeiro. Harry Kane was denied by the crossbar and the excellent Finn Dahmen, but he still managed to lead Bayern's comeback draw.
The England captain provided assists to summer signings Ismael Saibari and Nathaniel Brown either side of half-time as Vincent Kompany’s side avoided a first defeat of the season. The Rekordmeister have only picked up five points from their first three away games of the season.
FC Bayern will next face a tricky trip to Viking FK, where they will play the Champions League duel in artificial turf, before home games against RB Leipzig and Arsenal. Augsburg are winless in their last three games, although two of those ended in 2-2 draws with the last two Bundesliga champions – Bayer Leverkusen and FC Bayern.
Nkunku scores hat-trick in Leipzig's customary demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt
There was another strike inside the first minute of a Bundesliga game on matchday 5 with Ezechiel Banzuzi’s first-ever Bundesliga goal. Christopher Nkunku then grabbed a first-half hat-trick to help RB Leipzig beat Eintracht Frankfurt 6-0 in back-to-back seasons.
The joint topscorers of the 2022/23 Bundesliga season, Füllkrug and Nkunku, are now on four goals after their respective returns to Bremen and Leipzig in the summer. The Frenchman surpassed 50 Bundesliga goals on the day Leipzig extended their perfect home record as they scored 14 goals without conceding any in three games.
The magnificent Antonio Nusa and Tidiam Gomis completed the rout with solo strikes after the break. Fresh from his first international cap, Noah Atubolu had a game to forget as the former Freiburg shot-stopper is still looking for his first clean sheet of the season.
Leipzig are yet to take a point away from home, and their next fixture will be at Allianz Arena. Martin Demichelis’ side will first hope to get off the mark in the Champions League when they host Peter Bosz’s PSV on Tuesday night. Frankfurt, who have conceded 16 goals in five games, will commence matchday 6 against Köln.
Köln have Rhine derby bragging rights as Gladbach remain pointless
Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach started the derby duel with both clubs in poor form before the international break. While the visitors already replaced Eugen Polanski with Alexander Blessin, Rene Wagner was in huge pressure at the managerial seat of the cathedral club.
But, at least for the time being, he'll stay at the helm as spectacular strikers from Ísak Jóhannesson and Said El Mala secured a 2-1 victory for Köln. Joe Scally’s second goal of the season gave hope for Gladbach before the “Man of the Match” El Mala scored the winner against the club he represented at youth level.
After their first win since the opening matchday, Köln will hope to maintain momentum when they travel to Frankfurt for Friday night action. Blessin’s home debut will be against Hoffenheim in the last game of matchday 6 as the Foals are still looking for their first point(s) of the season.
Freiburg go top with battling win over Schalke
FC Bayern, FC Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund and … SC Freiburg. There is a new name at the top of the Bundesliga standings after Freiburg's 2-1 win over Schalke to close a rollercoaster matchday.
Julian Schuster's side had to play the last half an hour with ten players, but they found the winner five minutes from time. Maximilian Eggestein and Kenan Karaman scored at either end in the first-half from corner-kick deliveries.
The newcomers looked to end Freiburg's unbeaten start when Yuito Suzuki saw two bookings inside the first 20 minutes after the restart, but fellow Japanese international Keisuke Goto scored from the pinpoint delivery by the evergreen Vincenzo Grifo to send Freiburg top of the pile.
The perennial overachievers will start the league phase of their UEFA Conference League campaign on Thursday against Jablonec. They will then face a tricky trip to Bayer Leverkusen, who continued their fine form with a 4-3 victory in Mainz as Moussa Dibay scored the first goal of his second Bundesliga stint.
There was also a late drama in Hoffenheim as HSV scored an injury-time winner against the ten-man hosts. Union Berlin recorded their first win of the season against debutants Elversberg, while Stuttgart returned home with three points from Paderborn.