Dortmund are flying, Freiburg are top, and Paderborn are still waiting for their first goal back in the Bundesliga. Matchday three in Germany threw up more intrigue than the headline scorelines suggest.
Three From Three For BVB, But Not Without a Twist
Felix Nmecha came off the bench and scored twice, capping the second with a stunning late bicycle kick that will be doing the rounds all weekend. Fábio Silva, starting alongside Serhou Guirassy for the first time this season, got the opener after just five minutes, converting a clever pass from the Guinean striker. Guirassy had two goals ruled out for offside in the first half, which tells you everything about the tempo Dortmund set, but Paderborn were so toothless in response that it never felt like a contest.
Three wins from three. Their best start in 11 seasons, apparently. That takes us back to Thomas Tuchel's time, and given what the [Champions League is producing for some of Europe's bigger names this season](/uprise/football/champions-league-opening-data-shows-english-dominance-and-too-few-shocks), Dortmund quietly building domestic momentum is worth paying attention to.
The other story from the Signal Iduna Park was Nico Schlotterbeck. The captain made a surprise return from the ankle injury he picked up at the World Cup, and he kept the comeback deliberately quiet. "We just hadn't communicated that much yet because I didn't want to," he told Sky Germany, adding: "I missed it terribly. It was a serious injury but I'm glad to be back now." Having your captain back and fit, playing that down until he's actually on the pitch. That's the kind of detail that makes you think a squad genuinely believes in what it's doing.
Freiburg Mean Business, Gladbach Do Not
If Dortmund's win was the headline, Freiburg's 5-0 demolition of Borussia Mönchengladbach was the story of the round. Yannik Engelhardt and Igor Matanovic both netted twice, Maximilian Eggestein added a fifth late on, and Gladbach finished with ten men. They are now bottom of the Bundesliga. Freiburg sit top on goal difference. That is not a combination anyone had circled in August.
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Augsburg's brief moment at the summit ended with a 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen at home, despite a double from Michael Gregoritsch. Eintracht Frankfurt got off the mark with a 3-1 win at Mainz, Can Uzun scoring twice. Frankfurt's goalkeeper Noah Atubolu saved a penalty from Nadiem Amiri, making it six consecutive Bundesliga penalties saved and extending his own record. Hoffenheim beat Stuttgart 2-1 thanks to a brace from Adam Hlozek.
Looking at the broader European picture, in Spain Alavés missed the chance to go top overnight after losing 2-1 at Racing Santander. In Italy, Lazio, with three wins from three, host unbeaten Milan in what looks like the game of the weekend there.
The Verdict
Dortmund look sharper than they have any right to at this stage, and Schlotterbeck's return only adds to that feeling. Freiburg topping the table after putting five past Gladbach is exactly the kind of result that keeps the Bundesliga worth watching. Paderborn, though, have a serious problem. Back in the top flight and still goalless. That cannot continue.