STUTTGART, Germany, September 19, 2026: Borussia Dortmund will spend the international break looking down on the Bundesliga after Maximilian Beier’s second-half goal delivered a 1-0 victory at VfB Stuttgart and completed a perfect four-win start to the league season.
The scoreline at the MHPArena was the calmest part of an extraordinary Bundesliga weekend.
Werder Bremen recovered from 2-0 down to beat Augsburg 3-2 with Mitchell Weiser scoring in the 93rd minute. Mainz survived Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-3 after a seven-goal contest containing two penalties and six different scorers. Hamburg finally scored their first Bundesliga goals of the campaign and converted them into a first victory, beating Cologne 2-1. Eintracht Frankfurt and Freiburg traded leads in a 2-2 draw that ended Freiburg’s perfect start.
Friday had already set an intimidating standard. Bayern Munich destroyed Union Berlin 7-0 as Michael Olise scored a hat-trick and Harry Kane became the fastest player in Bundesliga history to reach 100 league goals.
That result put the pressure directly onto Freiburg and Dortmund.
Freiburg blinked first.
Dortmund did not.
Niko Kovač’s side have 12 points from four matches, making them the Bundesliga’s only remaining perfect team and guaranteeing they will enter the break in first place. Bayern and Freiburg sit behind them on 10.
The Sports Encounter is tracking the entire campaign through our Bundesliga coverage hub, with match reports, records, title-race context and tactical analysis throughout the season.
Official fixtures and results are available through the Bundesliga Matchday 4 center.
Bundesliga Matchday 4 Results Through Saturday
| Fixture | Result | Key Story |
|---|---|---|
| Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin | 7-0 | Olise hat-trick, Kane reaches 100 Bundesliga goals |
| Werder Bremen vs Augsburg | 3-2 | Bremen recover from 2-0 down, Weiser scores at 90+3 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach vs Mainz | 3-4 | Mainz survive seven-goal thriller |
| Hamburg vs Cologne | 2-1 | Hamburg score first league goals and earn first win |
| Eintracht Frankfurt vs Freiburg | 2-2 | Freiburg drop first points after three straight wins |
| VfB Stuttgart vs Borussia Dortmund | 0-1 | Beier sends Dortmund top with four wins from four |
Stuttgart 0-1 Dortmund: Beier Sends BVB Into the Break on Top
Dortmund did not produce the most spectacular performance of Matchday 4.
They produced the one that mattered most to the table.
Stuttgart made them work for it at the MHPArena, where a fixture with more goals than any other in Bundesliga history unexpectedly remained scoreless for 69 minutes.
The breakthrough arrived through Maximilian Beier.
Jobe Bellingham created the opening and Beier finished in the 70th minute to give Dortmund the only goal they required.
Gregor Kobel then helped protect the lead as Stuttgart attempted to respond.
The official Bundesliga report confirmed Beier’s winner and Bellingham’s assist.
For Dortmund, the broader significance is considerable.
Four league games.
Four victories.
Twelve points.
The early momentum that The Sports Encounter identified when Dortmund beat Paderborn 3-0 to remain perfect on Matchday 3 has now carried into the international break.
The difference this week was the type of victory.
Dortmund scored three against Paderborn.
They came back from 2-0 down to beat Hoffenheim 3-2 earlier in the campaign.
Against Stuttgart, they won a tighter game in which patience mattered more than attacking volume.
Dortmund Are Finding Different Ways to Win
That variation strengthens the case that this start is becoming more meaningful than an early four-game streak.
Kovač has seen his team recover from adversity, overwhelm opponents late and now protect a narrow away lead.
Dortmund have also been dealing with Champions League demands.
Only days ago, Serhou Guirassy scored twice as BVB survived Villarreal 3-2 in Europe. The Sports Encounter’s analysis of that Champions League opener noted that Dortmund were winning even when their performances did not provide complete control.
Stuttgart represented another version of that resilience.
Guirassy did not need to score.
Beier did.
Bayern 7-0 Union Berlin: Friday’s Warning Still Echoes
Dortmund may lead the table, but Bayern supplied the weekend’s most destructive performance.
Michael Olise scored three, Harry Kane struck twice, Jamal Musiala opened the scoring and Ismael Saibari added another as Union Berlin conceded seven at the Allianz Arena.
The Sports Encounter’s full Bayern-Union report examines both Olise’s first Bayern hat-trick and Kane’s extraordinary milestone.
Kane reached 100 Bundesliga goals in only his 98th league appearance.
He then scored No. 101 after halftime.
Bayern’s home league results now include five goals against Stuttgart and seven against Union.
They have also scored five in Europe, where The Sports Encounter documented their second-half demolition of Bodø/Glimt.
The only interruption was the 0-0 draw at Schalke.
That remains important because it proved Bayern can be slowed.
Everything since has shown how difficult that resistance is to reproduce.
Bremen 3-2 Augsburg: The Comeback of the Weekend
For 65 minutes at the Weserstadion, Augsburg appeared to be continuing one of the Bundesliga’s most impressive early-season starts.
Robin Fellhauer scored in the 18th minute.
Calvin Brackelmann doubled the advantage in the 58th.
Augsburg were 2-0 ahead and moving toward 10 points from four games.
Then Marco Grüll changed the match.
He pulled one back in the 66th minute, giving Bremen enough time to turn increasing pressure into something more substantial.
Niclas Füllkrug equalized in the 86th.
The comeback still was not finished.
In the third minute of stoppage time, Grüll created the opening for Mitchell Weiser, who completed a remarkable 3-2 turnaround.
The official Bundesliga match report confirmed that Grüll was involved in all three Bremen goals.
Grüll Turns One Strong Performance Into Three Points
His numbers tell the story cleanly.
One goal.
Two assists.
Three Bremen goals created directly through his influence.
The comeback moved Bremen to seven points and changed the emotional direction of their season immediately before the break.
It also stopped Augsburg from maintaining pressure on the leading trio.
Augsburg had entered the weekend unbeaten, having already established themselves as one of the early surprises in The Sports Encounter’s Matchday 2 analysis.
They remain on seven points.
Bremen have now joined them.
Gladbach 3-4 Mainz: Seven Goals and Another Defeat for Borussia
The most chaotic contest came at Borussia-Park.
Gladbach scored three.
They still lost.
Florian Neuhaus gave the hosts an 11th-minute lead on his return to competitive action.
Mainz responded quickly through Phillip Tietz before Sheraldo Becker headed the visitors ahead in first-half stoppage time.
Gladbach then had an opportunity to level from the penalty spot after VAR identified a handball.
Kevin Diks hit the post.
Isac Lidberg eventually made it 2-2 in the 59th minute, but Mainz kept finding responses.
Eric Martel headed them back in front in the 78th.
Danny da Costa made it 4-2 in the 89th.
Shuto Machino converted a stoppage-time penalty for Gladbach, but there was no eighth goal waiting.
Mainz won 4-3.
Gladbach’s Crisis Has Changed Shape, Not Disappeared
The positive interpretation is obvious.
Gladbach finally scored.
They produced three goals after entering the match under severe pressure and created enough opportunities to remain competitive until the final seconds.
The defensive picture remains deeply worrying.
One week earlier, Freiburg beat them 5-0, a collapse covered in our Matchday 3 report.
Mainz added four more.
Gladbach therefore head into the break still without a point.
The managerial change has not yet stopped the damage.
Mainz’s Sheraldo Becker Delivers the Complete Attacking Performance
Becker was the central figure for the visitors.
He created Tietz’s equalizer before scoring the second himself.
His movement repeatedly gave Gladbach problems whenever Mainz escaped the home side’s pressure.
The Bundesliga named him Man of the Match after a goal-and-assist performance.
For Mainz, seven points from four games represents a strong opening despite the 3-1 defeat to Frankfurt on Matchday 3.
The response in Mönchengladbach was exactly what was required.
Hamburg 2-1 Cologne: The Wait Is Finally Over
Hamburg began Saturday with one of the Bundesliga’s least flattering records.
Three matches.
Three defeats.
Zero goals.
Nicolás Capaldo changed the last number shortly before halftime.
Albert Grønbæk’s corner reached the Argentine at the back post, and Capaldo headed Hamburg’s first Bundesliga goal of the season.
Five minutes after the restart, Yussuf Poulsen doubled the lead from another Grønbæk assist.
Cologne had created chances before both goals and continued pushing afterward, but Hamburg goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes repeatedly kept them out.
Ragnar Ache finally headed in during the 90th minute.
It came too late.
Hamburg had their first victory.
The official Bundesliga report confirmed Capaldo and Poulsen as the scorers and Capaldo as Man of the Match.
Hamburg Needed More Than the Points
The result matters because another goalless defeat would have allowed the early narrative around Hamburg’s return to become oppressive.
They had already been beaten by Dortmund and Mainz and had shown too little attacking threat.
The Sports Encounter saw the other side of that matchup earlier this month when Stuttgart put four past Cologne.
This time Cologne created enough opportunities to win but lacked the finishing required.
Hamburg were more clinical.
That difference finally put points on their table.
Frankfurt 2-2 Freiburg: The Perfect Start Ends, the Unbeaten Run Survives
Freiburg entered Frankfurt with three victories from three and the early Bundesliga lead.
They leave Matchday 4 unbeaten rather than perfect.
Younes Ebnoutalib gave Eintracht the lead after 10 minutes, finishing a flowing move involving Jonathan Burkardt and Ritsu Dōan.
Derry Scherhant equalized in the 34th.
The game was level for only two minutes.
Burkardt restored Frankfurt’s advantage from close range, giving the hosts a 2-1 halftime lead.
Freiburg answered almost immediately after the restart.
Scherhant provided the cross and Yuito Suzuki volleyed in the 48th-minute equalizer.
Neither side could produce a fifth goal despite chances at both ends.
Scherhant Was Freiburg’s Difference-Maker
His contribution went beyond the goal.
Scherhant scored Freiburg’s first equalizer, assisted Suzuki’s second and also struck the post from a free kick before halftime.
He finished with five shots and earned the Bundesliga’s Player of the Match recognition.
Freiburg now have 10 points from four matches.
Their start remains excellent.
The difference after Saturday is that Dortmund have finally created separation.
The Bundesliga Table Has a New Leader
| Club | Played | Points | Matchday 4 Story |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borussia Dortmund | 4 | 12 | Only perfect team, move top |
| Bayern Munich | 4 | 10 | Beat Union 7-0, huge goal-difference boost |
| SC Freiburg | 4 | 10 | First dropped points after 2-2 draw |
| Mainz | 4 | 7 | Win seven-goal thriller |
| Werder Bremen | 4 | 7 | Come back from 2-0 down |
| Augsburg | 4 | 7 | Lose unbeaten record in stoppage time |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 4 | 5 | Share points with Freiburg |
| Hamburg | 4 | 3 | First goals and first victory |
| VfB Stuttgart | 4 | 3 | Third defeat in four |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 4 | 0 | Remain pointless |
Sunday’s remaining matches cannot remove Dortmund from first place.
RB Leipzig can move to nine points by beating Bayer Leverkusen. Elversberg can also reach nine against Schalke. Neither can reach Dortmund’s 12.
BVB therefore know exactly where they will spend the international break.
At the top.
Stuttgart’s Season Is Becoming Difficult to Read
Stuttgart may be the most volatile team in the early Bundesliga.
Bayern beat them 5-1 on opening night.
The Sports Encounter covered that match in our full opening-round analysis.
Stuttgart then responded with a convincing 4-1 victory over Cologne.
Hoffenheim beat them 2-1 last weekend.
Dortmund have now won 1-0 at the MHPArena.
One win and three defeats is not the league start a Champions League club wanted.
The margins have changed dramatically from week to week, but the points column remains simple.
Three from 12.
Union Berlin’s Problems Became Even Harder to Ignore
Union did not play Saturday, but Matchday 4 has made their start one of the clearest negative stories in Germany.
The 7-0 defeat at Bayern means they have conceded 17 goals through four Bundesliga matches.
The warning signs had already appeared when Schalke punished them 3-1 in Berlin, a match The Sports Encounter analyzed in detail in our report on Union’s possession-without-control problem.
Bayern turned that weakness into a rout.
Union now have the international break to repair a defensive structure that has conceded three, four, three and seven goals across four league matches.
What Matchday 4 Has Changed
The first international break often creates an artificial dividing line in a new season.
Four games are not enough to define the title race.
They are enough to expose patterns.
Dortmund have been the most consistent.
Bayern remain the most destructive.
Freiburg have proved their perfect start was not dependent on one type of match.
Bremen suddenly have momentum.
Mainz have shown they can recover from defeat.
Hamburg have finally removed the pressure of waiting for their first goal and win.
At the other end, Stuttgart’s inconsistency and Gladbach’s defensive crisis are becoming more difficult to dismiss as early-season noise.
The contrast with Matchday 2 is particularly striking. When The Sports Encounter produced its second-weekend analysis, Bayern had already dropped points while Augsburg were threatening to take early control.
Two rounds later, Dortmund have taken the lead.
The table is changing quickly.
The strongest teams are beginning to separate themselves.
Bundesliga Matchday 4 FAQs
Who leads the Bundesliga after Saturday’s Matchday 4 games?
Borussia Dortmund lead with 12 points after winning all four of their opening league matches.
Who scored Dortmund’s winner against Stuttgart?
Maximilian Beier scored in the 70th minute from a Jobe Bellingham assist.
What happened in Werder Bremen vs Augsburg?
Werder Bremen came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2. Marco Grüll scored and created two goals, with Mitchell Weiser scoring the winner in the 93rd minute.
Who scored in Gladbach vs Mainz?
Florian Neuhaus, Isac Lidberg and Shuto Machino scored for Gladbach. Phillip Tietz, Sheraldo Becker, Eric Martel and Danny da Costa scored for Mainz.
What was the Gladbach vs Mainz final score?
Mainz won 4-3 at Borussia-Park.
Did Hamburg win their first Bundesliga game?
Yes. Hamburg beat Cologne 2-1 through goals from Nicolás Capaldo and Yussuf Poulsen.
Did Hamburg score their first league goals of the season?
Yes. Capaldo’s 44th-minute header ended Hamburg’s three-game wait for a Bundesliga goal.
What happened in Frankfurt vs Freiburg?
The teams drew 2-2. Younes Ebnoutalib and Jonathan Burkardt scored for Frankfurt, while Derry Scherhant and Yuito Suzuki scored for Freiburg.
Are Freiburg still unbeaten?
Yes. Freiburg have three wins and one draw from their first four Bundesliga matches.
Who scored Bayern’s goals against Union Berlin?
Michael Olise scored a hat-trick, Harry Kane scored twice, while Jamal Musiala and Ismael Saibari added one each.
How many Bundesliga goals does Harry Kane have?
Kane finished the Union Berlin match with 101 Bundesliga goals after reaching his 100th in only his 98th appearance.
Which Bundesliga teams still play on Sunday?
Bayer Leverkusen host RB Leipzig, Schalke face Elversberg and Paderborn meet Hoffenheim.