Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund both won 2-1 on Saturday to stay locked together at the top of the Bundesliga, with 21 points each after nine matches of the season.
Bayern won 2-1 away at Mainz thanks to goals from Joshua Kimmich in the 14th minute and Lennart Karl in the 57th, with Phillip Tietz heading a late consolation in stoppage time, according to BetLogic and the DFB data centre. Dortmund, meanwhile, beat Elversberg 2-1 at Signal Iduna Park with a Felix Nmecha double.
RB Leipzig kept pace with a 5-2 win over Augsburg to move onto 18 points, while Stuttgart beat Werder Bremen 1-0 and Paderborn drew 2-2 with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Nmecha’s double saves Dortmund
Dortmund were without striker Serhou Guirassy, injured in Europe, and they needed Nmecha’s brilliance to get past newly promoted Elversberg. The midfielder scored twice from outside the box, in the 55th and 71st minutes, before Noel Futkeu pulled one back for the visitors in the 81st.
The win preserved Dortmund’s unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season after nine matches — six wins and three draws — and kept them level with Bayern at the summit.
Elversberg, seventh on 13 points, were competitive throughout and will take encouragement from their performance at one of the hardest grounds in Germany.
Bayern grind it out
Bayern’s win at Mainz was less comfortable than the scoreline suggests. Kimmich’s early opener and Karl’s second-half strike gave them control — Karl’s goal underlined the youngster’s growing importance to the champions — but Tietz’s stoppage-time header made for a nervy finish, and Bayern had to see out the remaining minutes to protect their place at the summit.
It was another away win for the champions, who continue to set the pace alongside Dortmund. The two sides drew 2-2 when they met at the Allianz Arena on October 31, and neither has blinked since.
What comes next
Three matches remain on Sunday to complete Matchday 9, but the picture at the top is already clear: Bayern and Dortmund, locked on 21 points, with Leipzig three behind. The title race in Germany is a two-horse race for now — and neither horse is slowing down.
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