Three late Werder Bremen goals stunned Borussia Dortmund and sealed an incredible 3-2 away win on Saturday as woeful Bayer Leverkusen lost for the third straight game.
Borussia Werder Dortmund looked to be cruising to the top of the Bundesliga with a third win out of three this season through Julian Brandt and Raphael Guerreiro.
But newly-promoted Werder Bremen hit back with a record for late goals in the German top-flight through three substitutes.
Lee Buchanan scored in the 89th minute before Niklas Schmidt and Oliver Burke struck in stoppage time.
“I have no idea how that happened,” Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus later said. “If I knew, I could have stopped it. We didn’t have control of the game in the second half in spite of leading. It was too wild.
“We have not played well the whole game.”
Surprise bottom side Bayer Leverkusen lost 0-3 at home to Hoffenheim.
RB Leipzig remain winless after Jordan Siebatcheu and Sheraldo Becker netted in a 2-1 win for second-placed hosts Union Berlin.
RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner hit the post and had a shout for a penalty kick waved away before Willi Orban’s late header.
Freiburg won 1-0 at regional rivals VfB Stuttgart.
Wolfsburg drew 0-0 with Schalke as Simon Terodde twice had a penalty kick saved for the visitors, who are yet to win on their Bundesliga return.
Third-placed Mainz won 2-1 late on at Augsburg.
Champions Bayern Munich can go top as they travel to Bochum on Sunday when Eintracht Frankfurt also host Cologne.
Bayern Munich lost 2-4 at then promoted Bochum last term.
On Friday, leaders Borussia Mönchengladbach beat Hertha Berlin 1-0.
Borussia Dortmund were without injured duo Donyell Malen and Karim Adeyemi.
Therefore, English teenager Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who extended his deal in midweek having scored in last weekend’s win at Freiburg, started in attack with Anthony Modeste and Brandt.
Borussia Dortmund had lost midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud to a shoulder injury in the first half.
They then failed to really get going until Brandt blasted home from just outside the penalty box on the stroke of half-time.
Portugal left-back Guerreiro also netted from distance on 77 minutes and the game looked over as Borussia Dortmund also hit the post.
Werder Bremen —- in pink jerseys and greeny-grey shorts —- did offer a threat but initially their finishing was lacking.
This was much to the annoyance of fans who had struggled to get to the ground after major problems at Dortmund train station following a storm.
But out of nowhere Englishman Buchanan struck with the outside of the boot.
Schmidt then headed home and Scotland’s Burke smashed in at the near post as Borussia Dortmund completely fell apart in a spectacular way.
Bayer Leverkusen were an impressive third last term but have been terrible so far this season.
They went behind to a superb backheel from Hoffenheim’s Christoph Baumgartner following a fine early move.
Andrej Kramaric’s close-range header compounded Bayer Leverkusen’s misery and the third came through Georginio Rutter on 78 minutes.
Bayer Leverkusen coach Gerardo Seoane was looking forward to a return to the UEFA Champions League but has now found himself under pressure.
They had also gone out in the German Cup first round to third-tier Elversberg.
The Swiss said: “We’ve got to look forward as a group, demand even more from each other and stick together.”
Results and standings in the 2022/2023 Bundesliga:
| Friday: | |||
| Bor. Moenchengladbach | 1 | Hertha Berlin | 0 |
| Saturday: | |||
| Borussia Dortmund | 2 | Werder Bremen | 3 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 0 | Hoffenheim | 3 |
| Wolfsburg | 0 | Schalke | 0 |
| Augsburg | 1 | Mainz | 2 |
| Stuttgart | 0 | Freiburg | 1 |
| Union Berlin | 2 | RB Leipzig | 1 |
| Sunday (kick-off times in GMT): | |||
| Eintracht Frankfurt | Cologne | 1330 | |
| Bochum | Bayern Munich | 1530 |
| S/No. | Club | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Bor. Moenchengladbach | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | Union Berlin | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 3 | Mainz | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| 4 | Bayern Munich | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 6 |
| 5 | Freiburg | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
| 6 | Hoffenheim | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | Borussia Dortmund | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| 8 | Werder Bremen | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| 9 | Cologne | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| 10 | Augsburg | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| 11 | Leipzig | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| 12 | Stuttgart | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 13 | Schalke | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 14 | Wolfsburg | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 15 | Hertha Berlin | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 16 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 17 | Bochum | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 18 | Bayer Leverkusen | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
(dpa/NAN)
