Freiburg’s Black Forest afternoon ended with a late Japanese winner, a numerical disadvantage and a place at the Bundesliga summit. Julian Schuster’s side beat promoted Schalke 2-1 to move level on points with Borussia Dortmund after five rounds, taking first place on goal difference in the finest opening to a league campaign in the club’s history.
Four victories and one draw have brought Freiburg 13 points, with their +10 goal difference bettering Dortmund’s +7. Dortmund had left the door open on Friday when Werder Bremen held them to a 2-2 draw, while champions Bayern Munich also dropped points, drawing 2-2 away at Augsburg to remain third on 11.
Freiburg made the sharper start against Schalke, with Maximilian Eggestein putting the home side ahead after 10 minutes. Adrian Gantenbein restored parity around the half-hour mark, and the contest appeared to tilt further towards the visitors when Yuito Suzuki received his second yellow card in the 64th minute.
Schalke could not turn their extra man into a decisive advantage. Instead, Freiburg found a dramatic winner five minutes from time: Keisuke Goto met Vincenzo Grifo’s cross with a header that beat Loris Karius, securing three points and extending the remarkable early momentum around the Europa-Park Stadion.
Cologne take the Rhine derby as Gladbach remain winless
Elsewhere, Cologne won the Rhine derby 2-1 against Borussia Mönchengladbach, whose season has opened in far darker fashion. Gladbach are bottom of the table without a point, having lost each of their matches so far.
Alexander Blessin was taking charge for the first time after replacing Eugen Polanski, but the coaching change did not halt the run of defeats. There were also disturbances in the stands during a fixture carrying the usual intensity of this regional rivalry, as Cologne left with the result and Gladbach’s crisis deepened.
