With one goal and one assist through six matchdays, Conteh presently serves as his squad’s top scorer. Striker Mikkel Kaufmann and youngster Adam Kölle are the only two other active FCH players to have scored a goal this season. The scorer of Heidenheim’s league-low fourth goal, Leo Scienza, has already left for Southampton.

Frank Schmidt’s Ostalbenschwaben were able to secure their first Bundesliga win of the season two weeks ago against Augsburg, but continue to struggle against the top flight current field. Conteh’s pace will be sorely missed.

The Hamburg native twice set new Bundesliga speed records last season en route to scoring three goals and contributing five assists in 38 appearances across all competitions. Prior to his injury, Conteh notched the 2-0 in the victory over Augsburg.

GGFN | Peter Weis

Hamburg Make Mince Meat of Mainz 

Hamburg made it back-to-back home wins as they battered Mainz 05 4-0 on Sunday afternoon. HSV were on top from the first minute and found themselves 2-0 up after just nine minutes thanks to goals from Albert Sambi Lokonga and Rayan Philippe. Philippe would add to his first goal in the second half, bringing his tally for the season to three goals from six games. The forward had a failed move to Mainz in the summer and mocked the situation with his celebration by mimicking a phone call. 

HSV head coach Merlin Polzin opted for a new 3-4-3 formation, and it worked a treat against a side that was so successful last campaign. 

“We’re progressing and one can see that in our play with the ball and against the ball. We’ve more steps to take, but one senses – and this is vitally important – that the team is finding out who they are and the connections are getting better. The players need to feel it on the pitch,” explained Polzin. 

HSV move up to 9th in the Bundesliga, whilst Mainz drop to 16th. 

Bayern Breeze Past Frankfurt

Ahead of this one, it was billed as Bayern’s first big test this season. However, when Bayern went 0-1 up after 17 seconds through Luis Díaz, it was anything but a real test. 

Bayern once again dominated and showed just how powerful their forward line is this season. Vincent Kompany’s side went 0-2 before the break through a Harry Kane curled effort from 20 meters out. If you haven’t seen the goal already, I urge you to take a look. 

Diaz added to his first-half goal late into the second half to make sure that Bayern go six wins from six games in the Bundesliga. 

“I don’t think these games should be used as a yardstick to evaluate the boys right now,” Toppmöller insisted when conducting a post-match interview with Sky Germany after the match. “It’s important for us to know that we still have a little room for improvement in order to compete at this level.”

“No one has been able to keep up with Bayern at their level thus far [this year],” Toppmöller continued, adding special praise for Harry Kane’s distance effort that made it 0-2 in the 27th minute. “That was a typical Bayern goal and Harry Kane’s finish was simply world-class.”

For Frankfurt, it’s now 12 goals conceded in four games in all competitions. There’s no question that Frankfurt have an excellent team, but right now, their defensive displays will be worrying head coach Dino Toppmöller. Bayern stay top as Frankfurt drop out of the European places for the first time this season (7th).  

Dortmund Leipzig Stalemate 

Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig played a rather dull 1-1 draw that was billed as “the battle of the Bayern chasers”. In fact, the final xG stats (Dortmund 0.88, Leipzig 1.05) illustrate that the final scoreline was even a little generous. 

Dortmund remain undefeated this season ahead of their showdown with Bayern after the international break. Leipzig, meanwhile, continue their undefeated run since being battered by Bayern on opening night. 

In truth, both teams will probably be satisfied with the draw as Dortmund and Leipzig stay 2nd and 3rd, respectively. 

Around The Grounds

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, FC Heidenheim still remains bottom following a 1-0 loss to VfB Stuttgart. The Swabians scored the winner just past the hour mark from time to add even more misery on Frank Schmidt’s side. Heidenheim stay bottom, whilst Stuttgart shoot up into 4th. 

Bayer Leverkusen have put their early-season woes behind them as they go 5th with a 2-0 win against Union Berlin. It’s the first time that B04 has registered back-to-back Bundesliga wins this season as new head coach Kasper Hjulmand looks to be making a positive impact on his squad. 

Borussia Mönchengladbach still remain winless going into the international break after a 0-0 draw against SC Freiburg. Despite that and amid all the administrative turmoil at Borussia Mönchengladbach, interim head coach Eugen Polanski has been given the green light to continue his audition on the sidelines.

There were also wins for FC Köln (0-1 vs TSG Hoffenheim), Werder Bremen (1-0 vs St. Pauli), and FC Augsburg (3-1 vs VfL Wolfsburg). 

GGFN | Jamie Allen

Heidenheim already must contend with the losses of impact players such as Leart Paçarada (ACL tear), Marvin Pieringer (ankle), and Mathias Honsak (muscular issues). Pieringer and Honsak can both work as a lead striker, as can the suspended Budu Zivzivadze. Conteh’s knee injury may potentially be serious and could also prove a devastating blow for Heidenheim. The Ostalbenschwaben are back in last place following the latest defeat. 

“Conteh could have really helped us today,” Dorsch remarked in his post-match interview with DAZN. “We missed his speed, skills, and deep runs. The distances to the opponent’s goal were often very long. We were stable enough, but lacking that killer instinct up front.“

On the defensive end, Dorsch lamented that rising Stuttgart attacking talent Bilal El Khannouss was improperly marked on the play that produced the lone goal of the match. Khannouss netted the 1-0 on a simple distance effort from 18 meters out in the 65th. Poor marking ensured that the Moroccan international didn’t have to rattle off all that venomous of a shot to beat FCH keeper Diant Ramaj. El Khannouss nearly scored again later in the same fashion.

“It’s not the first time El Khannouss has done that this season,” Dorsch said. “And yet we still haven’t managed to defend it. It doesn’t do us any good if we defend it nine times out of ten. We have to manage to be stable in ten out of ten situations. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to do that for 90 minutes lately.“

Head coach Schmidt agreed with his midfielder on both counts. 

“It’s the third goal he [El Khannouss] has scored like that this year,” Schmidt said in his own post-match interview. “We knew that could happen. We have to mark him inside. He can’t be allowed to get through.”

“There are four or five attacking players unavailable to us at the moment,” Schmidt added. “We had to defend very compactly and aim to score on counterattacks. I don’t blame the team. they implemented what we told them to do.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

Historic Harry 

Harry Kane scored a brace on Friday evening as Bayern Munich comfortably brushed aside Werder Bremen to truly kick off the Oktoberfest season. While Bayern are enjoying their best start to a Bundesliga campaign since 2016, Harry Kane also wrote his name into history once again. 

The Englishman’s two goals brought his overall Bayern tally to 100 in just 104 games. He is now the quickest player to register 100 goals for a club in Europe’s top five leagues. He surpasses both Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) and Erling Haaland (Manchester City), who both achieved 100 goals in 105 games. With 10 Bundesliga goals already this season, Kane appears to be in the form of his life as Bayern go marching on. 

The game against Bremen also saw Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka make their 300th Bundesliga appearance, whilst youngster Tom Bischof was granted his first start for Bayern. 

Bayern are now eight wins from eight in the Bundesliga and face Eintracht Frankfurt away in matchday 6. 

The 10-Goal Game 

Borussia Mönchengladbach vs Eintracht Frankfurt may just have hosted the most bizarre and entertaining game of the season as they played out a cracking (and at times hilarious) 4-6. 

Gladbach are yet to win this season, have sacked their head coach, and have been woeful at defending so far. When the halftime whistle blew and Frankfurt were 5-0 up, you feared that the Eagles could easily make it double-figures. Frankfurt immediately made it 0-6 within two minutes of the restart, leaving the Gladbach fans who had stayed in the ground possibly regretting that decision. 

Interim Gladbach coach Eugen Polanski looked dumbfounded as he witnessed the lack of defending. For a top-flight side, it was shambolic. 

However, what transpired almost saved Polanski’s blushes and possibly gives him the most credit at full-time. Gladbach and Frankfurt seemingly reserved roles as the home side went on to score four second-half goals whilst the away side took the role of not defending. 

“During the game I was in shock,” Polanski answered when a reporter asked him what words he found for the team at the half. “It was my job at the half to tell the team that things could be different. After that lifeless first half that doesn’t work at Bundesliga level, it got a little loud at the break.” 

“That was a desolate performance by the team,” BMG sporting director Roland Virkus told Sky Germany. “We lacked everything you need in football and were rightly 0-5 down at half-time. It must be said that the team made progress after the break, but one can’t sugarcoat a game like this. [Interim head coach] Eugen [Polanski] retains our support, but we all have to take a look at this together.“

Gladbach remain winless, and bizarrely, Frankfurt have conceded eight goals in two games.

Dortmund Dominance 

Borussia Dortmund continued their unbeaten start to the season with an impressive 0-2 win away at Mainz 05. 

With the win, BVB stay second, are looking like the early contenders to Bayern, and even set a new Bundesliga record. 

Niko Kovač’s side were in the lead at half-time for the 10th league game in a row – a new milestone in Germany’s top flight.

Daniel Svensson opened the scoring for Borussia Dortmund, netting his second Bundesliga goal for his new club after capping off a fine counter-attack after Mainz’ Paul Nebel hit Gregor Kobel’s post at the other end. Karim Adeyemi then doubled Dortmund’s lead in the 40th minute after another superb counter-attack, giving BVB a 0-2 lead.

Speaking after the game, Kovač commended his team’s performance: “The team played very disciplined and organised for 90 minutes. We scored the goals at the right time and were a bit lucky with the shot that hit the post, which led us to score our first goal right afterwards. I saw a team today that finished the game the way we should on the road. We didn’t concede anything else – or at least very little. So I’m very happy and proud of the boys that they rewarded themselves with this performance.”

Around The Grounds

Union Berlin and Hamburg played out a 0-0 draw, but the main story came from the stands. Union fans were protesting the pre-match deployment of the federal police against supporters of the Berlin club. HSV fans were also protesting the late kick-off on Sunday evening, having made the two-hour train journey to the capital. Banners expressed that the late kick-off should only be reserved for those competing in European competitions. Given the notorious Deutsche Bahn delays, the protests seem justified.

FC Heidenheim secured their first win of the season as they beat FC Augsburg 2-1. FCA drop to 16th as the pressure mounts on head coach Sandro Wagner. 

Elsewhere, there were wins for Bayer Leverkusen (1-2 vs St. Pauli), RB Leipzig (0-1 vs VfL Wolfsburg), and VfB Stuttgart (1-2 vs FC Köln). SC Freiburg and TSG Hoffenheim played out a 1-1 draw. 

GGFN | Jamie Allen

The tension spilled over into the stands and a Heidenheim supporter eventually strode onto the pitch. The FCH fan suffered a serious injury and was rendered unconscious. Post-match victory celebrations in front of the home FanKurve following Heidenheim’s 2-1 win were cancelled as club medical staff attended to the stricken supporter. Eventually, a helicopter had to airlift the fan to the hospital.

Both clubs also agreed to cancel the post-match press conference. This meant that there would be no discussion of a series of highly interesting talking points emerging from the match. Heidenheim secured their first win of the season behind goals from Mikkel Kaufmann and Sirlord Conteh. Recently promoted FCH younger Adam Kölle nearly scored for the second consecutive week off the bench. 

Augsburg head coach Sandro Wagner – under serious fire after heading into the weekend on three straight losses – did not have to explain his fourth straight defeat, or another Bundesliga match that ended with a hospitalization, to anyone. Heidenheim head coach Frank Schmidt spoke briefly about the match to Sky Germany before heading to the ultimately cancelled presser. 

“Football is important, but not the most important thing in life,” Schmidt told Sky. “We’re not by the tabloid press here. I don’t know if the fan is okay and I don’t know why the fans rushed onto the pitch. Perhaps they saw that a friend of theirs was fighting for their lives. Emotions were running high. I’m glad that we were able to intervene and prevent worse.

“It’s difficult for me to think about the result right now,” Schmidt responded when asked about the game. “We had to win in order to avoid slipping down the table. That doesn’t mean that we’re now out of the woods after this victory, but our confidence is greater. We put in a great performance and the team fought hard. The game was great, but I’ve got other things on my mind right now.“

Sitting between the two head coaches, the Heidenheim press officer revealed that there would be no sporting comments from either leader. Wagner merely wished the young man and his family all the best. Schmidt reiterated his points from earlier and thanked Wagner and the Augsburg players for also de-escalating matters. 

“When a helicopter lands in the stadium, one can imagine that it’s not a minor incident,” Schmidt remarked in his final words before the press officer adjourned matters for the day. “It’s something serious.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

Heidenheim and Augsburg are the only two Bundesliga clubs to have suffered two defeats through four matchdays in the young 2025/26 campaign. Early as it may be, the match counts as a critical encounter in the relegation race. Wagner must find some way of shaking his team out of this form slide. The newly re-branded “Roman Fuggerstädter“ won’t get a better opportunity to snatch three vital points. 

Wagner conducted his regular club press conference on Thursday, yet also made time to talk to Sky Germany. The popular former player and Julian Nagelsmann DFB assistant made clear that he knew full well that all German eyes were on him. No top flight head coach presently finds himself under greater pressure. 

“I’ve been in the public eye for a few years now, but it’s a different ballgame as a Bundesliga coach,” Wagner – as quoted by transfermarkt.de – told Sky. “I feel a lot of pressure, but I’ve felt that since Day One. Since I knew that beforehand, it really doesn’t bother me. I can handle it well. It’s a totally cool and amazing job. Doing my job well is the only thing that drives me.“

“I know it sounds silly,” Wagner added at the Thursday press conference. “but I really enjoyed [reviewing the Mainz game] this week. I learned a lot as a coach. We’re coming off the best training week we’ve had [since I arrived here]. Many of the veteran players here have told me, it’s nothing special to have lost three matches here at Augsburg. We’ve been on stretches during which we’ve lost five or six matches.

“For me personally, it comes down to either winning or learning,” Wagner continued. “I don’t like losing. I take it hard, but one can spin it a different way. My personal resumé is [Wagner made a hand gesture indicating that it contained a small sample size]. I’ve only had two coaching appointments. I’ve learned a lot from defeats at SpVgg Unterhaching and at the German national team from defeats. 

“Basically,” Wagner concluded. “The first thing my resumé needs is to be a resumé in the first place.“

Wagner took a lot of heat in the German press after last weekend’s defeat. On Germany’s famed Sunday “Doppelpass” footballing roundtable program, there was a huge debate as to whether Wagner should have been placed in charge of a Bundesliga club. In a Kicker Editorial published on Thursday legendary German football head coach Friedhelm Funkel expressed serious doubts that the situation would improve. 

For Funkel, Wagner’s downfall began on the second matchday. Augsburg dropped a seemingly close match to record champions Bayern Munich 2-3, yet weren’t really on the Bayern level. Funkel felt that Wagner was too aggressive and prideful in his post-match comments. The subsequent losses to St. Pauli and Mainz have now lead to a predictable downward spiral. Funkel also topped a Heidenheim win this weekend. 

“What I’ve seen from FC Augsburg so far makes me doubt the team,” Funkel wrote. “Conceding goals to a shorthanded opponent and losing heavily does something to a team; it makes them doubt themselves. Augsburg does not have the chance to climb up the table. I thought what Sandro did [after the Bayern Munich match that kicked off the losing streak] was dangerous.

“Don’t get me wrong, I like Sandro,” Funkel continued. “He’s done well in previous coaching jobs, but that bears no relation to a Bundesliga appointment. Augsburg were not on par with Bayern and they were lucky the German record champions didn’t seal the deal earlier. He needs to learn that be boastful is dangerous. Spreading optimism is part of the job, but one should always add a generous dose of humility.“

For his part, Wagner did try to convey some humility at the press conference. It nevertheless came out via an off-centre tone. Wagner’s speeches continue to be circuitous, long-winded, and full of odd attempts at self-deprecation mixed with bursts of confidence. When Wagner attempted to express respect for long-serving Heidenheim head coach Frank Schmidt, for example, Wagner struggled for coherence. 

“He’s a legend and a coach I look up to,” Wagner said of Schmidt. “He’s been doing this for a long time and I already have dark circles under my eyes after four Bundesliga matches. I’m looking forward to going to Heidenheim. It’s small, cool, and fierce. I’m just looking forward to it.”

GGFN | Peter Weis

Harry Hat-trick

Following on from his brace in the Champions League midweek, Harry Kane notched his 9th Bundesliga hat-trick as Bayern Munich beat TSG Hoffenheim 1-4 in Sinsheim. In doing so, Kane also broke a new Bundesliga record. Following on from his first goal, the England captain went on to convert two penalties – this is the first time in the league’s history that a player has converted all of their first 17 penalties. 

Vincent Kompany made five changes from the side that beat Chelsea in midweek, but it did little to disrupt their early-season flow. It was one-way traffic from the majority of the game, and a late Joshua Kimmich own goal did little to dampen the spirits as Bayern maintained top spot and their 100% record. 

Union Upset Frankfurt 

Union Berlin pulled off a shock result on Sunday evening as they came out 3-4 winners away at Eintracht Frankfurt. The Eagles had hammered Turkish champions Galatasaray 5-1 in midweek and were favourites to do something similar against Union. 

However, a front-three masterclass from Union took Frankfurt and possibly the league by surprise. 

Summer recruit, Ilyas Ansah, got Union going with a superb finish and bringing his season record to four goals in as many games. Scotsman Oliver Burke then doubled Union’s lead just past the 30-minute mark, with Union only registering around 30% possession. Frankfurt did manage to pull one back before halftime, but it couldn’t stop what was to come.

Two goals in three minutes from Oliver Burke not only secured his hat-trick, but put Union in a commanding lead with 30 minutes still to play. Burke’s second was a fantastic towering header, and his third was a delicate chip over the onrushing goalkeeper. 

Can Uzun and Jonathan Burkardt (his first for Frankfurt) scored two goals late on, but Union hung on for a famous three points. 

Speaking after the game, Union head coach Steffen Baumgart, who was sent off for complaining about Burkardt’s penalty goal, spoke frankly after the match: 

“I’m sorry, but actually I’m not sorry because I don’t want to hold back on my emotions. I kicked the paper onto the pitch because I saw others do it. The lads will have to do without me next week.“

Gladbach Goal!

Music to the ears of Borussia Mönchengladbach fans, they’ve finally registered a goal this season, and it’s come at the expense of their rivals, Bayer Leverkusen. 

Gladbach went into Sunday’s game as underdogs but put on a valiant performance and scored late on to secure a much-needed point and first goal of the campaign. Following last week’s 0-4 loss to Bremen, Gladbach looked refreshed under the interim management of Eugen Polanski. 

The former Polish international declared himself largely satisfied with his team’s performance, which sees them move to two points, but now with the opportunity to really kickstart their campaign. 

After the game, Gladbach sporting director Roland Virkus confirmed that Polanski is being considered as a permanent candidate. 

Polanski himself thought Gladbach were unlucky not to win it:

“With a little luck, we could have won,” Polanski continued, referencing Jens Castrop’s disallowed goal in the 23rd minute. “In the Regionalliga, that goal would have counted. I ended my playing career [in 2018] when there was no VAR, and I’m very happy about that. Now, I have to put up with this crap.“

Around the Grounds

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Hamburg secured their first win of the campaign in what seemed like an early six-pointer against FC Heidenheim. Both clubs occupied the bottom two spots going into this won, but it’s HSV who move away following a convincing 2-1 win. Goals on either side of the half from Luka Vušković and Rayan Philippe were enough to get HSV over the line. A late consolation for Heidenheim did little as they look to already be in danger of relegation.   

Borussia Dortmund stay within two points of Bayern after overcoming VfL Wolfsburg 1-0 on Sunday night. A first-half wonder striker from Karim Adeyemi was enough for Niko Kovač’s side as they go back to second in the table. 

Elsewhere, there were wins for RB Leipzig (3-1 vs FC Köln), VfB Stuttgart (2-0 vs St. Pauli), SC Freiburg (0-3 vs Werder Bremen), and Mainz 05 (1-4 vs FC Augsburg). 

GGFN | Jamie Allen

Heidenheim remained strewn with problems. Leart Paçarada’s loss to an ACL tear exacerbates the team’s problems at left-back. Schmidt’s only remaining option at the position, Jonas Föhrenbach, again struggled defensively and was culpable on both Hamburger SV goals. The 29-year-old oftentimes does not look qualified for the top flight.

With respect to the attack, Schidt’s BaWü Borderers entered Saturday’s league encounter having scored only one Bundesliga goal this season. It remains worrying that the  scorer of said goal – new Southhampton signing Leo Scienza – has departed for greener pastures. Heidenheim were able to commemorate their second Bundesliga goal on Sunday. The young goal-scorer could even potentially help FCH out with their defensive issues. 

Schmidt gave youngsters Yannik Wagner (18) and Adam Kölle (19) their league debuts in the 79th minute of the HSV match. Wagner (18 years, 134 days) overtook Paul Wanner (18 years, 246 days) as the youngest player to ever appear for Heidenheim in their (admittedly short) stint in the top division. Kölle then gave the team a spark of hope with a late pull-back goal at 90+3. 

Kölle’s goal breathed new life into his team. In what was a nervy finish for HSV supporters at the Volksparkstadion, plenty of end-to-end action left the result in doubt until match official Florian Exner finally blew the full-time whistle at 90+8. Kölle and Schmidt were nevertheless not in much of a mood to discuss silver-linings in their post-match comments. 

“We didn’t bawl,” Schmidt was quick to note at the post-match press conference. “but [this result] is hard to accept. We had an incredible amount of chances for an away game, but – with just one goal – we didn’t make the most of them. For me, it wasn’t a matter of just giving away one point [for a draw]. We squandered away three [from a potential win].

“What annoys me immensely is the second goal we conceded,” Schmidt continued. “We weren’t present. We lost all three duels leading up to the goal. Then it was 2-0. That makes it damn hard to come back. These deep sleep phases in defense must be stopped at all costs.“

“In the end, we’re left empty-handed,” Kölle added in the mixed zone. “Right now, it feels pretty awful. Zero points don’t do us any good. I was happy to be on the pitch in the Bundesliga for the first time. But the mood is rather negative at the moment.”

GGFN | Peter Weis

Bayern Munich were the only team to play European football in midweek. Following a 3-1 win against Chelsea, they faced Hoffenheim in Sinsheim. Augsburg would host Mainz, Hamburger played Heidenheim in what looked like an early relegation six-pointer, and Werder Bremen played against Freiburg. 

Here are the three things we learnt:

Harry Kane is better without Jamal Musiala: 

In Bayern’s 4-1 win against Hoffenheim, Kane scored his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick. He opened the scoring from a corner in the first half, before two penalties in the second half completed his hat-trick. This is also his second hat-trick of the season, having scored in the opening day win against RB Leipzig. 

Now, to the main point. 

The absence of Jamal Musiala in the early stages of the season has allowed Kane to make use of all of his qualities. Musiala’s absence means that Serge Gnabry plays alongside Michael Olise and Luis Diaz, as Gnabry is not the type of forward to drop deep to receive the ball, which has allowed Kane to start dropping deeper to receive. On top of this, the directness of both Diaz and Gnabry allows this to be an effective tactic for Bayern. 

It will be interesting to see how this changes once Musiala returns to the team and is back up to speed later this year. 

Dominik Kohr may be the dirtiest player in Bundesliga history:

Not quite yet, but Kohr is well on his way to being the dirtiest player in the history of the Bundesliga – at least statistically.

Via transfermarkt, Kohr has collected the second most points (points are awarded for yellow and red cards) in Bundesliga history, behind only Steffen Effenberg. His sending off in Mainz’s 4-1 win against Augsburg now puts him less than 10 points behind the former midfielder. Considering Kohr is only 31, it is very likely that he could overtake Effenberg this season. However, Kohr’s sending off does mean he is the joint record holder for sending offs in the league’s history, alongside Jens Nowtony and Luis Gustavo. 

Away from Kohr, Mainz put in a strong performance as they comfortably beat Augsburg. The 05ers had struggled to score from open play, but they were finally able to when Arminido Sieb opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Kohr would make it 2-0, then Paul Nebel 3-0, before Sieb scored his second of the game to make it 4-0. Samuel Essende would score a consolation for Augsburg to make it 4-1.

If you have noticed, Augsburg have rebranded its tunnel so it is like an entrance to a Roman colosseum. (One for the history nerds) The city of Augsburg was founded in 15 BC by Augustus, who was the founder of the Roman Empire. 

To be fair to Augsburg, they did embody the Roman spirit. If that spirit was from the Battle of Cannae, where the Romans lost to Hannibal, one of the great wins for Carthage during the Punic Wars (Google it). 

Hamburg wins their first game back in the Bundesliga:

As the saying goes, you wait for a bus, and two come at once. That is what happened with HSV.

Only HSV and Borussia Mönchengladbach had failed to score in the league, and they finally scored their first Bundesliga goal in seven years when Luka Vuskovic scored late in the first half.

Then in the second half, Rayan Phillippe would make it 2-0 for HSV following an assist from Arsenal loanee Fabio Vieira. Hamburg were able to hold off a late Heidenheim revival to win their first game of the season.  

Considering most of this team has little Bundesliga experience, the win will provide them with a big confidence boost. HSV can now build on as they look likely to be battling relegation this season, plus they have also beaten a relegation candidate. 

HSV also have a favourable run of games on the horizon – Union Berlin (A), Mainz (H), RB Leipzig (A), Wolfsburg (H). Points from three of those games would be considered a major success. 

GGFN | Jack Meenan

Heidenheim stood little chance against heavily favored Dortmund thanks to starting left-back Leart Paçarada’s 7th-minute injury and Zivzivadze’s 22nd-minute red card. Yesterday, it was revealed that Paçarada suffered a serious ACL tear that will keep him out for most of the season. Zivzivadze’s open-sole stomp of Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha has earned him a three-match-ban. 

The Georgian striker counts as a massive transfer flop for Heidenheim after scoring only two goals in 23 competitive appearances for the Ostalbenschwaben since joining from Karlsruher SC in January 2024.

Schmidt nevertheless maintains very few options in attack. The only player to have scored a goal for Schmidt’s team thus far this season, Leo Scienza, has since departed the club for the Isle.

GGFN | Peter Weis