Bundesliga: Freiburg Go Top, Dortmund Stay Perfect as Gladbach Collapse

DORTMUND, GERMANY, September 12, 2026: Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund emerged from a busy Bundesliga Saturday with perfect records intact, but the manner of their victories told very different stories about the league after three rounds.

Freiburg demolished Borussia Mönchengladbach 5-0 to move top on goal difference after recording three wins from three for the first time in club history. Dortmund matched them on nine points after Fabio Silva and a spectacular late Felix Nmecha brace delivered a 3-0 victory over promoted Paderborn.

Elsewhere, Hoffenheim finally collected their first points by beating Stuttgart 2-1, Bayer Leverkusen needed an 89th-minute Patrik Schick equalizer to deny unbeaten Augsburg, Eintracht Frankfurt won the Rhein-Main derby 3-1 at Mainz, and Niclas Füllkrug earned Werder Bremen a 1-1 draw in Cologne.

The six Saturday matches produced 19 goals, two teams with perfect starts, one club still without a point, and several early indications that this Bundesliga season may be far less predictable below Bayern Munich than recent years suggested.

The broader Matchday 3 picture had begun on Friday, when Schalke punished Union Berlin 3-1. Sunday still brings RB Leipzig against Hamburg and Elversberg against Bayern Munich, but Saturday has already changed the early hierarchy.

The complete weekend schedule and official results are available through the Bundesliga Matchday 3 center.

Bundesliga Saturday Results at a Glance

Freiburg 5-0 Gladbach: A Perfect Start Meets a Full-Blown Crisis

No Saturday result carried more consequence than Freiburg’s 5-0 destruction of Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Yannick Engelhardt scored in the 23rd minute and Igor Matanović doubled the advantage six minutes later. Gladbach captain Tim Kleindienst was sent off early in the second half, and Freiburg turned the numerical advantage into a rout.

Matanović struck again in the 77th minute, Engelhardt completed his own brace two minutes later, and Maximilian Eggestein made it 5-0 in the 86th.

The result gave Freiburg nine points from nine and, more significantly, the first three-win start to a Bundesliga season in club history.

They had already impressed on the opening weekend and followed that by grinding out a 1-0 victory at Paderborn. Saturday showed another side of Julian Schuster’s team.

Freiburg did not merely control a struggling opponent. They accelerated once the game opened up and punished Gladbach repeatedly.

Gladbach Are Already Running Out of Excuses

For Borussia Mönchengladbach, three matches have produced three defeats and a goal difference of minus nine.

They lost 3-0 to RB Leipzig on opening day and then surrendered a 3-1 lead in a 4-3 defeat to promoted Elversberg.

Five more goals conceded in Freiburg move the problem beyond a difficult schedule or unfortunate moments.

This is structural.

Gladbach have conceded 12 goals in three matches. The defense has repeatedly lost control when games become stretched, and Kleindienst’s dismissal only accelerated a collapse that had already begun.

Freiburg, meanwhile, now sit above Dortmund on goal difference. Reuters confirmed that the two clubs share nine points, with Freiburg holding the early lead after Saturday’s results. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Dortmund 3-0 Paderborn: Nmecha Turns Patience Into a Statement

Dortmund’s victory looked comfortable in the final score but took much longer to secure than Freiburg’s.

Fabio Silva scored after only five minutes following a Serhou Guirassy assist, giving Niko Kovač’s side the perfect start.

Paderborn then kept Dortmund from putting the game away for more than an hour.

The breakthrough finally came from substitute Felix Nmecha.

Nmecha made it 2-0 in the 80th minute before producing the goal of the afternoon nine minutes later, scoring with a spectacular overhead kick to complete the 3-0 victory.

The official Bundesliga match report confirmed Silva’s opener and Nmecha’s late double.

Dortmund are now three from three in the Bundesliga, their best start to a league campaign in 11 years.

That continues an impressive run after last weekend’s comeback victory, covered in our Bundesliga Matchday 2 analysis.

Dortmund also entered the weekend carrying confidence from Europe after Guirassy helped turn Champions League chaos into another victory.

Why Dortmund’s Depth Matters

Nmecha did not start.

That makes his impact important beyond the two goals.

For a team competing across the Bundesliga and Champions League, Dortmund need match-winning contributions from more than the first 11.

Kovač received exactly that Saturday.

Silva started the game, Guirassy created the opener, and Nmecha finished it.

That is the kind of attacking distribution that can keep a title challenge alive when injuries and European scheduling begin to accumulate.

Hoffenheim 2-1 Stuttgart: Hložek Ends the Losing Start

Hoffenheim entered Saturday under immediate pressure after losing their first two league games.

Adam Hložek changed the mood.

He put the hosts ahead in the 13th minute before Stuttgart responded shortly after halftime through Maximilian Mittelstädt.

The equalizer lasted less than 20 minutes.

Hložek struck again in the 67th minute to restore Hoffenheim’s lead and finally give the club its first points of the campaign.

The result was especially valuable because Hoffenheim’s opening two games had both ended in narrow defeats, including a 3-2 loss to Dortmund after leading 2-0.

Saturday was the first time they protected an advantage when the pressure arrived.

Stuttgart, meanwhile, fall to two defeats in three league games despite the emphatic 4-1 win they produced in their previous Bundesliga outing.

Their early season has already swung sharply. Bayern crushed Stuttgart 5-1 on opening night, a match we examined in our Bundesliga opening-round report.

Stuttgart then responded domestically and also carried strong European momentum after Ermedin Demirović’s rapid Champions League hat-trick.

Hoffenheim stopped that recovery.

Augsburg 2-2 Leverkusen: Schick Saves Leverkusen at the Death

Augsburg came into Matchday 3 as one of the surprise early leaders after winning their opening two games.

They came within one minute of making it three.

Christian Kofane gave Bayer Leverkusen the lead in the 18th minute, but Michael Gregoritsch transformed the match after halftime.

Gregoritsch equalized in the 50th minute and scored again only five minutes later to put Augsburg 2-1 ahead.

The hosts protected that lead until the 89th minute.

Then Patrik Schick intervened.

The Leverkusen substitute scored from Malik Tillman’s assist to rescue a 2-2 draw and deny Augsburg another statement victory.

The official Bundesliga report confirmed the four goals and Schick’s late equalizer.

Augsburg remain unbeaten on seven points.

That is still an excellent opening after their 4-1 victory over Frankfurt last weekend, which featured prominently in our Matchday 2 wrap.

Leverkusen, by contrast, have already experienced nearly every possible early-season emotion: an opening defeat to newly promoted Elversberg, a convincing response against Union Berlin and now a late rescue at Augsburg.

Gregoritsch Nearly Made Augsburg the Weekend’s Biggest Winner

The Austrian striker’s five-minute brace was another indication that Augsburg’s strong opening is not based solely on defensive resistance.

They can score in different ways and from different players.

The missed opportunity is obvious, though.

Had Augsburg protected the lead for one more minute, they would have joined Freiburg and Dortmund on nine points.

Instead, they finish Saturday on seven.

Mainz 1-3 Frankfurt: Uzun and Atubolu Reset Eintracht’s Season

Eintracht Frankfurt entered the Rhein-Main derby without a league win.

They left Mainz with one of the most complete performances of Saturday.

Can Uzun opened the scoring in the ninth minute before Jonathan Burkardt doubled Frankfurt’s advantage in first-half stoppage time against his former club.

The decisive moment between those goals may have come at the other end.

Mainz were awarded a penalty in the 43rd minute, but goalkeeper Noah Atubolu saved Nadiem Amiri’s spot kick.

Instead of reaching halftime at 1-1, Mainz entered the break 2-0 down.

Uzun scored again in the 60th minute to effectively finish the contest.

Phillip Tietz pulled one back in the 89th, but the goal changed nothing.

The victory was Frankfurt’s first Bundesliga win of the season and only their second Bundesliga away victory in Mainz. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Mainz Go From 5-0 Winners to 3-1 Losers

Mainz had entered Saturday as one of the league’s early surprises.

They were unbeaten, had not conceded a goal and had just destroyed Hamburg 5-0 away from home.

Frankfurt punctured all three narratives in one afternoon.

Uzun’s opener was Mainz’s first league goal conceded this season.

Atubolu’s penalty save stopped the home side from restoring parity.

Burkardt’s goal against his former club then placed the derby firmly in Frankfurt’s hands.

For Adi Hütter, it was precisely the response needed after Frankfurt were beaten 4-1 by Augsburg last weekend.

Cologne 1-1 Werder Bremen: Füllkrug Cancels Out Maina

The late game produced the calmest scoreline of Saturday but still contained its own turning points.

Thijs Dallinga had an eighth-minute penalty saved before Linton Maina put Cologne ahead three minutes later.

Werder Bremen remained in the game and eventually equalized through Niclas Füllkrug in the 69th minute.

The veteran striker’s finish secured a 1-1 draw and continued Bremen’s recovery after their opening-day defeat at Freiburg.

The official Bundesliga report confirmed Maina’s 11th-minute opener, Füllkrug’s equalizer and Dallinga’s missed penalty. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Both clubs finish the day on four points from three games.

That leaves them in the large early-season middle group where one victory can move a team several places and one defeat can reverse the picture just as quickly.

What Saturday Changed in the Bundesliga Table

The table remains provisional because Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Elversberg and Hamburg play Sunday.

Bayern’s response will be particularly interesting after dropping points at Schalke on Matchday 2. That result formed part of our analysis of the second Bundesliga weekend, while Vincent Kompany’s side have since regained momentum in Europe with a 5-0 Champions League victory over Bodø/Glimt.

Freiburg and Dortmund Have Put Pressure on Bayern Before Sunday

Bayern have only played twice.

They can still re-enter the top group with a victory at Elversberg.

But Freiburg and Dortmund have already established the standard.

Nine points.

No dropped games.

Freiburg have the stronger goal difference. Dortmund have arguably faced the more difficult emotional challenge after Europe and last weekend’s comeback in Hoffenheim.

The most significant development is that both teams are finding different ways to win.

Freiburg can grind out 1-0 victories and then score five.

Dortmund can stage a comeback one week and patiently dismantle a deep opponent the next.

Those are useful qualities if either expects to stay near Bayern beyond September.

Gladbach Are Already the Team Under the Most Pressure

Three games are too early to decide a season.

They are not too early to identify a crisis.

Gladbach have lost every league match.

They have conceded 12 times.

They have already been beaten by three goals, lost a match after leading 3-1 and now suffered a five-goal defeat.

The challenge is no longer simply tactical.

Confidence is beginning to become part of the problem.

Next weekend brings Mainz, another side that will be looking for a response after Saturday’s defeat.

TSE Analysis: Saturday Showed Why Matchday 3 Matters More Than It Looks

The third match of a season rarely decides anything.

It can reveal a lot.

Freiburg look organized enough to turn a strong start into something meaningful.

Dortmund have the depth and attacking quality to keep putting pressure on Bayern.

Augsburg have shown that their first two victories were not a fluke.

Frankfurt proved they can respond after a heavy defeat.

Hoffenheim finally converted competitiveness into points.

Gladbach did the opposite. Their early warning signs became significantly louder.

The biggest winner, though, may be the league itself.

After three rounds, Freiburg and Dortmund are perfect, Augsburg remain unbeaten and Bayern have work to do on Sunday just to keep pace.

The title race has not begun in earnest yet.

The pressure already has.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who leads the Bundesliga after Saturday’s Matchday 3 games?

Freiburg lead provisionally on goal difference with nine points, level with Borussia Dortmund. Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig still have matches to play on Sunday.

Which teams have a perfect Bundesliga record?

After Saturday, Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund have won all three of their league matches. Elversberg also entered Sunday with two wins from two.

Who scored for Dortmund against Paderborn?

Fabio Silva scored in the fifth minute before substitute Felix Nmecha added goals in the 80th and 89th minutes.

What happened to Borussia Mönchengladbach?

Gladbach lost 5-0 at Freiburg and remain without a point after three games. Tim Kleindienst was sent off early in the second half.

How did Bayer Leverkusen avoid defeat at Augsburg?

Patrik Schick scored an 89th-minute equalizer after Michael Gregoritsch had turned a 1-0 Leverkusen lead into a 2-1 Augsburg advantage.

Who starred for Eintracht Frankfurt at Mainz?

Can Uzun scored twice, Jonathan Burkardt added another and goalkeeper Noah Atubolu saved a Nadiem Amiri penalty in Frankfurt’s 3-1 victory.