Elversberg beat Gladbach 4-3 and Dortmund rally to defeat Hoffenheim 3-2
SV Elversberg overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-3, while Borussia Dortmund recovered from two goals down to win 3-2 at TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday afternoon.
Elversberg turnaround in Mönchengladbach
Newly promoted SV Elversberg secured their second consecutive Bundesliga win on Saturday, beating Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-3 at Borussia-Park after trailing 3-1. Ahead of the fixture, Elversberg head coach Vincent Wagner addressed the club's top-flight campaign in an interview with Sky.
It still feels somewhat surreal. We try to enjoy it and make our footballing contribution.
Wagner kept an unchanged starting lineup from their 3-2 opening victory over Bayer Leverkusen, having cautioned his squad about the difficulty of playing in Mönchengladbach.
Gladbach is an obstacle not much smaller than Leverkusen.
Hugo Bolin opened the scoring for Gladbach in the 11th minute with a header from an 18-year-old Nguefack cross. Francis Onyeka hit the post for the visitors before David Mokwa equalized in the 29th minute, outpacing Kou Itakura and beating goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas. Gladbach took the lead again in the 44th minute through Bolin after a quick throw-in by Tim Kleindienst, which triggered protests from Elversberg players. Referee Martin Petersen showed Wagner a second yellow card at halftime, meaning the coach will miss the home fixture against Bayern Munich on 13 September.
Joe Scally added Gladbach's third in the 56th minute before Elversberg mounted a three-goal comeback in front of 51,042 spectators. Maurice Krattenmacher scored in the 66th minute, Felix Keidel equalized with an 80th-minute free kick, and Krattenmacher netted the winner in the 92nd minute. The result leaves Eugen Polanski's Gladbach without a point following their opening 3-0 defeat at Leipzig.
- Hugo Bolin heads in from Nguefack cross to put Gladbach ahead 1-0
- David Mokwa equalizes for Elversberg following a sprint past Kou Itakura
- Hugo Bolin scores his second goal after a quick throw-in by Tim Kleindienst
- Elversberg coach Vincent Wagner receives a second yellow card for protesting
- Joe Scally scores to make it 3-1 for Gladbach
- Maurice Krattenmacher pulls one back for Elversberg
- Felix Keidel equalizes at 3-3 with a direct free kick
- Maurice Krattenmacher scores Elversberg's winning goal
Dortmund comeback at Hoffenheim
Borussia Dortmund overturned a two-goal deficit to defeat TSG Hoffenheim 3-2 at the PreZero Arena, moving to six points from their first two league matches. Hoffenheim created early chances, forcing Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel into saves against Adam Daghim and Adam Hlozek. Dortmund manager Niko Kovac brought on Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri after Filippo Mane sustained an injury in the first half, having started in place of the injured Giannis Konstantelias.
Leon Avdullahu put Hoffenheim ahead with a 20-meter strike in the 45th minute, and Tim Lemperle doubled the lead in the 54th minute when his shot deflected off defender Waldemar Anton. Dortmund responded through Serhou Guirassy in the 61st minute, followed by an equalizer from substitute Fabio Silva five minutes later on an assist from Guirassy. Hoffenheim defender Albian Hajdari scored an own goal in the 87th minute, handing Hoffenheim their first two-loss start since 2015 before Dortmund face Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday.
- Leon Avdullahu scores from 20 meters to give Hoffenheim a 1-0 lead
- Tim Lemperle doubles Hoffenheim's lead via a deflection off Waldemar Anton
- Serhou Guirassy scores Dortmund's first goal
- Fabio Silva equalizes for Dortmund from a Guirassy assist
- Albian Hajdari deflects the ball into his own goal to make it 3-2 to Dortmund
Bremen and Freiburg secure victories
Werder Bremen defeated RB Leipzig 3-1 at the Weserstadion to recover from an opening 4-1 loss against Freiburg. Eren Dinkci scored in the fourth minute, Niclas Füllkrug struck in the 68th minute, and Marco Grüll added an 80th-minute third before Ridle Baku scored for Leipzig in stoppage time. Leipzig, coached by Martin Demichelis, now prepare for their Champions League match at Como 1907 in five days.
SC Freiburg maintained a perfect start with a 1-0 away victory against SC Paderborn. Maximilian Eggestein scored the only goal in the 26th minute, securing a fifth consecutive competitive win for Julian Schuster's team this season. Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen defeated Union Berlin 4-0 on Saturday afternoon.
