Matchday 8 of the Bundesliga brought thrilling football action from around the league as games returned from yet another international break.
The action kicked off with Borussia Dortmund clinching a crucial victory against Werder Bremen.
Stuttgart continued their impressive start by beating Union Berlin 3-0, while Bayer Leverkusen held onto the top spot with a 2-1 victory over Wolfsburg.
Bayern Munich took home a comfortable win over Mainz 05, and RB Leipzig returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory against Darmstadt.
Cologne secured their first Bundesliga win of the season against rivals Borussia Monchengladbach, while new Augsburg manager Jess Thorup orchestrated a stunning comeback to beat Heidenheim 5-2.
Let’s dive into all the glorious action and the juicy details!
Brandt’s strike earns Dortmund victory over Bremen
The action got underway on Friday, and Julian Brandt scored a second-half winner on his 300th Bundesliga appearance as Dortmund edged out Bremen and made it five consecutive wins.
Edin Terzic’s side finds ways to win matches despite looking dishevelled and tactically disorganised, and they did it again against Bremen.
Granted, they created better chances and dominated proceedings, but their performance could have been better.
Brandt continued his fine run of form against the River Islanders, collecting a defence-splitting pass from Emre Can before finishing beyond Michael Zetterer in the second half.
Brandt also created three big chances. He has seven goal contributions for BVB in his last seven league games as he condemned Bremen to a sixth defeat in eight games, leaving them in 14th place.
Stuttgart beat struggling Union Berlin to continue their terrific start
Sebastian Hoeness’ Stuttgart are flying high and continued their impressive start with a 3-0 win over poor Union Berlin.
Stuttgart made light work of their opponents as Bundesliga top scorer Serhou Guirassy opened the scoring early on before leaving the pitch with a thigh injury.
Substitutes Silas Katompa Mvumpa and Denis Undav added two goals late on to condemn Union Berlin to a sixth loss of the Bundesliga campaign.
Union Berlin are 15th in the Bundesliga after an abysmal start. To make matters worse, Serie A champions Napoli roll into town this midweek for their Champions League fixture, looking to compound their misery.
Leverkusen beat Wolfsburg 2-1 to hold on to top spot
Leverkusen travelled to face Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena and raced into the early lead as Victor Boniface’s cross found Jeremie Frimpong, who did enough to get the ball over the line.
However, the Wolves found their way back into the game as a loose ball fell to Maxence Lacroix, who slotted home to equalise just before the half-time break.
Alejandro Grimaldo has been one of the best signings of the season, and he continued his spectacular form with a goal to win the tie for his side on 61.
He bolted into the Wolfsburg box and blasted a shot that took a wicked deflection to beat Pavao Pervan.
Leverkusen retain their spot at the summit while Wolfsburg sit in ninth place, scheming to climb up into the European places.
Bayern power past Mainz 05 to keep up the pressure on Leverkusen
Bayern ended their run of three consecutive defeats away at Mainz as they beat the 05ers comfortably.
Their wide men combined to open the scoring in the 11th minute. Leroy Sane slipped in Kingsley Coman, who blasted home for his fourth goal in his last three games for club and country.
Harry Kane made it two goals in five minutes for Bayern as he headed home from close range.
However, Frenchman Anthony Caci definitely changed the half-time team talks as he arrowed in a powerful shot just before the break. The assist came from Brajan Gruda, who is having a quietly good season.
Stefan Bell had an excellent chance to make it 2-2 in the second half but dragged his shot slightly wide before Bayern ensured their win.
Leon Goretzka collected the ball on the edge of the box before firing home to seal a comprehensive 3-1 win that leaves Bo Svensson’s side bottom of the table. Bayern sit in third place, two points away from the top.
Openda bags a brace as rampant Leipzig secure a 3-1 victory over Darmstadt
Leipzig played out a disappointing draw against Bochum before the international break but raced into the lead against Darmstadt, with Lois Openda opening the scoring after only 44 seconds.
Die Roten Bullen doubled their lead on 24 when Emil Forsberg steered a free-kick beyond Marcel Schuhen to make it 2-0.
Tobias Kempe won and converted a penalty before half-time to make matters nervy for Leipzig.
Luca Pfeiffer had a glorious chance to equalise and net his first goal of the season for Darmstadt, but his effort bounced and trickled off the line.
Openda pounced on a loose ball to net his brace and give his side all three points. Leipzig are fifth, while Darmstadt are 12th in the standings.
Around the grounds
Cologne finally won a Bundesliga match, their first of the season, and did it against rivals Monchengladbach in a thrilling showdown.
Florian Kainz confidently converted a penalty in the first 10 minutes to give his side the early lead.
Nico Elvedi equalised for Gladbach, but Kainz demonstrated his composure again from 12 yards after being given a second bite at the cherry as Koln retook the lead after 76 minutes.
Monchengladbach’s Manu Kone received a red card, handing Cologne an advantage. The final blow came in the 90th minute when Luca Waldschmidt’s perfect strike left Moritz Nicolas helpless to seal a 3-1 win.
New Augsburg manager Jess Thorup began his rein on a remarkable note as the new tactician masterminded a stunning comeback to beat Heidenheim 5-2.
Heidenheim initially delighted their fervent home crowd, netting twice in the blink of an eye to take the lead.
However, the highly impressive Phillip Tietz kickstarted Augsburg’s revival with his maiden Bundesliga goal.
Strikes from Mads Pedersen and Ermedin Demirovic completely turned the game on its head in the first half.
A Felix Uduokhai goal and an Elvis Rexhbecaj penalty further solidified Augsburg’s grip on the match after the break.
This five-goal showing was Augsburg’s first Bundesliga victory on the road in over a year, leaving fans eager for what the Thorup era has in store.
Eintracht Frankfurt soared to a brilliant away victory against TSG Hoffenheim.
Hoffenheim grabbed an early lead courtesy of Maximilian Beier. However, the Eagles responded almost immediately.
In a remarkable first-half display, Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush, Ansgar Knauff and Ellyes Skhiri scored.
This flurry of goals turned the tide in Frankfurt’s favour and secured their first away win this season. Frankfurt soared to seventh on the league standings, with Hoffenheim sitting just above them in sixth place.
Freiburg bounced back after consecutive defeats before the international break as they made a thrilling comeback against struggling Bochum.
Winless Bochum looked promising when Goncalo Paciencia stunned the crowd with an eye-catching opening goal.
However, Ritsu Doan’s expertly placed header breathed life back into Freiburg, levelling the score.
Vincenzo Grifo stepped up confidently to the penalty spot, slamming the ball into the net with precision to continue his excellent form and give his side three crucial points.
This victory marked a significant moment for Christian Streich’s team, who had struggled in their previous outings.
With the international break behind them, Freiburg are back in winning form and are up to eighth in the table. Bochum are next to the bottom.
Player of the week
Leverkusen’s wing-back Frimpong has to be the player of the week after bagging a goal and an assist to give his side vital three points in the Bundesliga title race.
Frimpong and fellow wing-back Grimaldo have 18 goal contributions this season. Even though the Spaniard takes the shine for his ludicrous set-piece ability, the former Celtic man continues to deliver the goods.
Frimpong has continued his stellar form from last season and has bagged three goals and four assists in the Bundesliga already.
He had another chance to add to his tally in the game against Wolfsburg but missed the chance.
This Dutch marauding wing-back is a crucial player for Alonso, providing goals, assists, width and attacking impetus down the right.
Matchday 9 action to watch out for
Next week will see some exciting match-ups as Frankfurt welcome Dortmund to the Waldstadion.
There is also a potentially exciting relegation six-pointer between struggling pair Bochum and Mainz, while Gladbach will duel with Heidenheim.
Bayern host Darmstadt, Leipzig take on Koln and Leverkusen will look to hold on to their lead at the top when they face Freiburg.
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