Berlin (DPA)
Werder Bremen overturned a two-goal delay in front of its host Borussia Dortmund to an exciting 3-2 victory in the third stage of the German Football League.
In the rest of the matches, Hoffenheim beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0, Freiburg beat Stuttgart 1-0, Mainz beat Augsburg 2-1, and Wolfsburg drew with Schalke 04.
At the Signal Iduna Park, Julian Brandt scored a goal for Dortmund in the 45th minute, then Rafael Guerrero added the second goal in the 77th minute.
Lee Buchanan responded with a goal for Werder Bremen one minute before the end, then Niklas Schmidt scored the equalizer in stoppage time, and in the fifth minute of stoppage time Oliver Burke snatched the deadly winning goal for Bremen.
Dortmund fell to sixth place with six points, after suffering the first defeat this season, equal in points with Bayern Munich, Freiburg and Hoffenheim, and one point behind leaders Borussia Moenchengladbach and runner-up Mainz.
And at the Bay Arena, Leverkusen continued the disastrous march and lost for the third time in a row this season, falling to its host Hoffenheim by three goals without a response. Hoffenheim’s goals were signed by Christoph Baumgartner, Andrej Kramaric and Georginio Reuter in the ninth, 35th and 78th minutes, and the victory raised Hoffenheim’s balance to six points in fifth place Leverkusen remained in the last place without credit.
Mainz temporarily climbed to runner-up thanks to a thrilling victory at its host Augsburg, and Karim Onisio advanced with a goal for Mainz in the 31st minute, but only four minutes later Ermidin Demirovic equalized for Augsburg, and South Korean Lee Jae-sung snatched the fatal winning goal for Mainz in stoppage time.
Mainz raised its score to seven points in second place, with a goal difference behind leaders Gladbach, and Augsburg’s balance stopped at three points in tenth place.
At the Mercedes-Benz Arena, Vincenzo Griveaux scored the winning goal for Freiburg against its host Stuttgart in the 11th minute, and Freiburg raised his score to six points in fourth place, and Stuttgart’s balance stopped at two points in twelfth place.