Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg secure wins to stay level at top of Bundesliga

Dortmund maintain perfect start against Paderborn

Borussia Dortmund secured their third consecutive Bundesliga victory of the season with a 3-0 home win over promoted SC Paderborn. Head coach Niko Kovac rotated his starting lineup following Tuesday's 3-2 Champions League victory against Villarreal, handing Portuguese forward Fabio Silva his first league start of the campaign. Silva opened the scoring in the fifth minute, converting a pass from Serhou Guirassy after a 30-metre run. Guirassy had two subsequent efforts ruled out for offside in the first half as Dortmund controlled play. Substitute Felix Nmecha sealed the victory late in the match, scoring in the 80th minute before adding a second with a bicycle kick in the 89th minute. The fixture also marked the return of club captain Nico Schlotterbeck, who made his first appearance since sustaining an ankle injury at the World Cup.

We just hadn't communicated that much yet because I didn't want to. I missed it terribly. It was a serious injury but I'm glad to be back now.

Speaking after the match, sporting director Lars Ricken confirmed that medical checks on Kostas Karetsas revealed no issues following his collapse against Villarreal, clearing him to resume training during the week.

Freiburg rout ten-man Mönchengladbach

SC Freiburg moved into first place on goal difference following a 5-0 home victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach in front of 34,700 spectators. Yannik Engelhardt opened the scoring in the 23rd minute after Gladbach goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas misjudged a corner from Derry Scherhant. Igor Matanovic doubled the lead in the 29th minute from a Matthias Ginter pass in his 50th Bundesliga appearance. Mönchengladbach captain Tim Kleindienst received a second yellow card in the 52nd minute, reducing the visitors to ten men. Matanovic scored again in the 77th minute, followed by Engelhardt's second in the 79th minute and a late goal from Maximilian Eggestein in the 86th minute. The result extended Freiburg's unbeaten home streak against Mönchengladbach to 19 Bundesliga matches over nearly 25 years.

Late equalizers and penalty milestones across the league

FC Augsburg missed the opportunity to join Freiburg and Dortmund on nine points after drawing 2-2 at home with Bayer Leverkusen. Christian Kofane opened the scoring for Leverkusen in the 18th minute, but Michael Gregoritsch responded with goals in the 50th and 55th minutes, the second assisted by Fabian Rieder. Patrik Schick equalized with a backheel in the 89th minute, leaving Augsburg in third place on seven points. In the Rhine-Main derby, Eintracht Frankfurt earned their first league win of the season under returning manager Adi Hütter by defeating Mainz 05 3-1. Can Uzun scored twice, Jonathan Burkardt added a goal in first-half stoppage time, and goalkeeper Noah Atubolu stopped a 43rd-minute penalty from Nadiem Amiri to record his sixth consecutive penalty save in the Bundesliga. Elsewhere, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim defeated VfB Stuttgart 2-1 through two goals from Adam Hlozek in the 13th and 67th minutes, despite Maximilian Mittelstädt equalizing for Stuttgart in the 48th minute.