“It’s all about our playing style,” da Costa noted in the mixed zone on Sunday night. “We have to get back to our strengths. During [Last Thursday’s away win at Omonia Nicosia] we threw ourselves into every tackle and did everything we could to keep a clean sheet.

“We need to reflect on our strengths,” the former German youth international continued. “We need to focus on doing the simple things and doing them right, contesting tackles, covering ground, and being alert to second balls. The basics must be in order.“

Interestingly enough, da Costa did have some complaints about the “basics” when it came to discussing Thursday’s Conference League fixture. In this case, however, the Bundesliga professional didn’t care for the professionalism of the hosting Cypriot club. 

Speaking on the Copa TS podcast, da Costa claimed that Omonia didn’t provide the German guests with properly inflated balls during the warm-up. In the apparent “deflate-gate” scandal, da Costa reported that Mainz were given 15 improperly inflated footballs. 

“We came out to warm up highly motivated,” da Costa said on the pod. “And then the first and second balls played were completely flat. We were given 15 balls to warm up with and none of them had any air in them. All of their balls were pumped up to perfection.

“I haven’t experienced that in a long time,” da Costa continued. “Both teams wanted to win and get off to a good start in the Conference League. Of course, you do everything you can to achieve that. Omonia took ‘doing everything’ very seriously.

“I was really upset,” da Costa concluded. “I thought to myself ‘What the shit is this?’. I was annoying and totally unsportsmanlike.“

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

“I don’t know if it was because of Thursday’s [Conference League match],” FSV captain Nadiem Amiri noted in his post-match interview with DAZN. “But the Bundesliga is our most important competition and we’re not doing well in it. We weren’t present in the duels. We invited them in. With one short ball forward, we were already outplayed.” 

“We weren’t ready and that’s my fault,” Henriksen added in his own DAZN interview. “After ten minutes, the game was almost over. We have to do better in the challenges early and I have to make sure of that. Of course, it’s tough after Europe, but the story of the day is that HSV wanted to win the game. It’s my job to ensure that we don’t come here expecting to win.“

“We’ve only won one game in the Bundesliga,” Henriksen added at the post-match press conference. “We need to do better. We have a good team, but only one that plays well when it knows what it wants. And that’s not playing tiki-taka. We tried that today and it didn’t work. We must play with power and energy.

“We have two burdens with Europe and the Bundesliga,” Henriksen continued. “but that’s no excuse. It’s my responsibility. Everything is my responsibility. We need to do better in the opening 10 to 15 minutes. This is the fifth Bundesliga game in which we’ve fallen behind 0-1. That makes it difficult to play football.”

GGFN | Peter Weis

Philippe very early transferred to Mainz this summer until a deal ultimately fell through. The former Eintracht Braunschweig forward mocked the failed transfer by mimicking a phone call with his fingers after scoring the 10th-minute 2-0. The Frenchman spoke on the action in the mixed zone.

In a sense, it was Philippe himself who rendered the deal difficult by scoring a dramatic late equalizer that helped Braunschweig best Saarbrücken in the promotion-relegation playoffs. Braunschweig’s 2. Bundesliga status led to his club demanding a higher transfer fee. 

“When we stayed up after the relegation playoffs, my agent said it was going to be difficult,” Philippe said. “It was really close, but I’m happy to be here [in Hamburg] now.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

The match proved a very tense and close-knit affair. In the end, a successful penalty-take from Mainz midfield talisman Nadiem Amiri proved the difference-maker. Fans of the hometown team didn’t quite care for the celebration of the guests after Amiri’s 75th-minute conversion. Beer cups rained down from the stands. Mainz striker Ben Bobzien took a receptacle to the neck and play had to be briefly interrupted. 

Amiri spoke on the incident in his post-match interview with Germany’s RTL+. The 28-year-old – who has by far more European experience than the rest of his German club teammates – dealt with the matter maturely. The former Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen professional also made sure to thank 1,500 Mainz supporters for making the trip. So too did defender Stefan Bell, the only Mainz player left from the 2016 European adventure.

“You know how football is,” Amiri said of the beer shower. “It’s okay, that’s football. The main thing is that nothing [serious] happened. Of course, it’s not right, but I understand the emotions, I understand the fans. In a way, we all love it. Everyone is healthy, we won, so it’s all good.“

“I’m just proud and grateful for the support,” Amiri said of the large traveling Mainzer contingent that accompanied the team. “The most important thing for us was to give something back to them, because it’s not a given that so many fans would come so far from home on a Thursday evening.”

“It brought back a few memories from back then,” Bell added when reflecting on his time working with Mainz in the Europa League under former head coaches Martin Schmidt and Kasper Hjulmand. “It was an extremely enjoyable game. The atmosphere was great, both from our fans and the home fans. The opponents were really good and played good football.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

On Monday, the German FA judged Vieira’s action to be worthy of a two-match-ban. Hamburg appealed the verdict, yet saw their motion denied by the DFB on Tuesday. HSV argued that Vieira – who proved an essential part of the club’s first Bundesliga win in over seven years – did try to pull back before making contact with Querfeld. 

The DFB’s disciplinary arm rejected HSV’s argument and ultimately upheld their second two-match-ban resulting from the weekend action. Mainz 05 keeper Robin Zentner also drew a straight red for denying Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi a clear and obvious goal-scoring opportunity in Saturday’s 0-2 home loss.

In Zenter’s case, the fact that Dortmund didn’t score on the subsequently awarded dead-ball rendered a two-match-suspension mandatory. Zentner actually swept Adeyemi off his feet before the BVB attacker entered the penalty area in the 67th. Dortmund’s Julian Brandt sent the 70th-minute free kick into the wall. 

Mainz must play their next two league fixtures with 24-year-old Lasse Rieße in net. Rieße started two matches late in last year’s campaign, conceding one goal against Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Bochum in each of his respective starts. 

Unlike Hamburg, Mainz did not appeal the ban. 

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

Die Schwarzgelben were set to continue with the front three of Maximilian Beier, Serhou Guirassy and Karim Adeyemi but were rocked during the warm-up when Guirassy pulled a muscle and had to withdraw from the line-up, with Julian Brandt replacing the Guinean.

After a drab opening 25 minutes, Mainz very nearly took the lead when Paul Nebel struck Gregor Kobel’s left hand post from six yards out. Dortmund raced down the other end and took advantage of Mainz’ poor shape, as Brandt then picked out Daniel Svensson with a pinpoint low cross for the Swede to poke home, capping off a superb counter-attack.

BVB doubled their advantage five minutes before half-time with another counter-attack. Adeyemi broke free from the Mainz defence and played a quick one-two with Brandt before calmly finishing past Robin Zentner into the bottom corner, scoring for the third game in a row. 

Halfway through the second half, Kobel collected a Philipp Mwene cross and launched a brilliant through ball to Adeyemi, who broke clear but was brought down by Zentner as he attempted to round the goalkeeper — a clear red card offence. 

Brandt was later denied a goal by a superb save from Lasse Riess, which would have capped off a strong performance from the German. 

Mainz, however, did not give up and continued to push for a way back into the game until the final whistle. 

A rough day at the office for Mainz as BVB made light work of die Nullfünfer. Dortmund’s strong defensive display and clinical finishing up front, even without the mercurial Guirassy, are bound to please Niko Kovač. 

Up next for Mainz is a trip to Cyprus to face Omonoia Nicosia as they make their Conference League bow, before travelling to the Volksparkstadion next weekend. BVB host Athletic Club in the Champions League on Wednesday night before welcoming RB Leipzig in their next Bundesliga fixture. 

Mainz 0-2 Borussia Dortmund Player Ratings 

Mainz: Robin Zentner (5) – Danny da Costa (5), Andreas Hanche-Olsen (5), Maxim Leitsch (6) – Silvan Widmer (7), Kaishu Sano (6), Nadiem Amiri (6), Phillipp Mwene (6) – Paul Nebel (7), Armindo Sieb (5), Jae-Sung Lee (6) 

Others: Stefan Bell (7), Arnaud Nordin (6), Lasse Riess (7), Lennard Maloney (-), Nelson Weiper (-) 

Borussia Dortmund: Gregor Kobel (6) – Waldemar Anton (7), Nico Schlotterbeck (7), Ramy Bensebaini (7) – Yan Couto (6), Felix Nmecha (6), Marcel Sabitzer (7), Daniel Svensson (7) – Karim Adeyemi (7), Maximilian Beier (6), Julian Brandt (7) 

Others: Carney Chukwuemeka (6), Julian Ryerson (6), Pascal Groß (-), Jobe Bellingham (-), Fabio Silva (-) 

GGFN Player of the Match: Waldemar Anton (7)

A very defensively sound performance from Niko Kovač’s side resulted in a fourth consecutive Bundesliga clean sheet. The back three of Anton, the returning Nico Schlotterbeck, and Ramy Bensebaini are providing the solidity Kovač has been looking for — and will be crucial if BVB are to mount a push for the Bundesliga title this season. 

GGFN | Harry Good

Defensively, Borussia Dortmund is expected to name the same back three with Nico Schlotterbeck retaining his place after making his comeback in a 1-0 win over Wolfsburg last weekend after a five month absence.

Marcel Sabitzer and Felix Nmecha appear to be Kovač’s favoured midfield partnership, but Jobe Bellingham, Pascal Groß and Julian Brandt are also candidates to start.

As for Mainz, Bo Henriksen will be without Dominik Kohr following his second off for a second bookable offence in a 4-1 win against Augsburg last weekend. That means Stefan Bell is expected to come into the starting line-up. Defensively, Anthony Caci is also absent which should see Silvan Widmer step up in place of the Frenchman.

Mainz 05 vs Borussia Dortmund Predicted Line-Ups

Mainz 05: Zentner – da Costa, Bell, Hanche-Olsen – Widmer, Sano, Amiri, Mwene – Nebel, Nordin – Sieb

Borussia Dortmund: Kobel – Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini – Couto, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Svensson – Adeyemi, Beier – Guirassy

GGFN | Daniel Pinder

Mainz 05 – Bo Henriksen forced into changes

Mainz come into this game after picking up their first win of the season, a 1-4 win at Augsburg with four different scorers: Kaishu Sano, Dominik Kohr, Paul Nebel and Armindo Sieb. Kohr however will be unavailable for the visit of Dortmund after he was sent off for a second bookable offence which will see Stefan Bell return to the lineup.

Bo Henriksen will also be without Anthony Caci, who is sidelined for several weeks with an adductor-related injury, which should see Silvan Widmer step into the starting eleven.

The Dane also confirmed that Sieb would start with Nelson Weiper remaining on the bench. “He [Sieb] did an outstanding job against Augsburg,” Henriksen noted in Thursday’s press conference. “So, of course, he’ll play [against Dortmund] on Saturday.”

Henriksen has plenty of options to keep things interesting, even with their injuries and suspensions. Jae-Sung Lee could well feature at some point after returning to training, with the South Korea international making “a fabulous impression in training.”

Borussia Dortmund – Can BVB pick up their first win at Mainz since 2023

As for Borussia Dortmund, Niko Kovač won his game against Mainz last season with Maximilian Beier and Emre Can putting the Black and Yellows in a 2-0 lead heading into the break before Beier added a second, and Mainz’ Nebel scoring a consolation goal.

But typically die Schwarzgelben have struggled on their visits to Mainz having lost 3-1 and 3-0 on their last two visits to the Rhineland-Palatinate outfit.

There is some good news for Kovač and Dortmund though. Fabio Silva – who is yet to make an appearance for his new club – and Niklas Süle were a part of the squad that travelled from Brackel to Mainz on Friday afternoon, according to Ruhr Nachrichten.

Nico Schlotterbeck will also retain his place in the Borussia Dortmund defence after returning from a five-month injury layoff last weekend with 90 minutes in a 1-0 win against Wolfsburg. However, Aarón Anselmino is sidelined and so expect the same back three that started last weekend: Waldemar Anton, Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensebaini.

With three successive wins following their Matchday 1 draw against St. Pauli, Borussia Dortmund haven’t necessarily impressed with their football, but they’ve got the job done and Kovač will be hoping to maintain consistency heading into a crucial part of the season prior to the October international break.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder