Dortmund beat Stuttgart to reclaim Bundesliga lead after fourth straight win
Borussia Dortmund beat Stuttgart 1-0 in Stuttgart on Saturday night to return to the top of the Bundesliga, extending their perfect start to the season to four wins from four matches. Maximilian Beier scored the solitary goal after connecting with a cross from substitute Jobe Bellingham.
The last time Dortmund occupied the summit of the table was in May 2023, a moment the club would prefer not to revisit given what followed, when ‘Deutschmeister’ shirts were on sale outside Signal Iduna Park. It is probably a stretch to call BVB title contenders but Niko Kovac’s side maintained their 100% start against Stuttgart and Kovac’s methods have visibly taken hold.
Kovac’s team produced a patient, defensively sound performance that required little flair to secure the win; Dortmund did not register a shot on target until Beier’s finish. Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness reflected on the encounter, saying, "In a top match, decent and okay aren’t enough." Dortmund absorbed Stuttgart’s response with limited fuss and preserved the narrow lead.
The goal underlined the impact of two recent signings: Bellingham influenced the game after coming off the bench and Beier thrived in a more advanced role. The pair have been expensive acquisitions and, as reported, were viewed with little patience by some, but their adaptability in this fixture was notable.
Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken framed the club’s ambitions after the victory, saying, "It’s about annoying Bayern a bit" as talk surfaces of narrowing the 16-point gap that remained at the end of last season. The article also notes Dortmund have previously attempted different routes back to consistency, including trying to relive the Jürgen Klopp years and attempting to copy Bayern.
Friday’s Bundesliga action featured Bayern Munich’s 7-0 win over Union Berlin, a night when Harry Kane reached 100 Bundesliga goals in his 98th game and Michael Olise scored a hat-trick, while Jamal Musiala and Ismaël Saibari recorded their first league goals of the season. Bayern mourned Peter Hermann, who died aged 73 and was commemorated at Leverkusen before kick-off on Sunday; Bayer Leverkusen beat RB Leipzig 2-0, a game in which Christopher Nkunku had an opener ruled out before Patrik Schick and Miguel Gutiérrez settled the contest and Carles Martínez praised his side’s "good balance between keeping the ball and playing forward."
Elsewhere, Borussia Mönchengladbach lost 3-4 to Mainz and sit bottom without a point despite Florian Neuhaus scoring on his return to the line-up, his first since May 2024, and Alexander Blessin is expected to arrive to address their problems. Hamburg beat Köln 2-1 with Yussuf Poulsen’s second goal for the club decisive after the hosts had gone into matchday four pointless and goalless; coach Merlin Polzin signed a contract extension this week despite a difficult start including successive 5-0 defeats. Werder Bremen came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Augsburg, Niclas Füllkrug levelled and Mitchell Weiser scored a stoppage-time winner in his first home appearance after 16 months out, a moment Daniel Thoune described as "a goosebump moment." Paderborn’s 3-1 victory over Hoffenheim, sealed by Steffen Tigges’ header for his first top-flight goal since 2024, means all three promoted teams now have a win, while Hoffenheim have suffered a third loss in four and an earlier Europa League reverse at OFI Crete.
Dortmund sit atop the Bundesliga after four wins from four and will carry the momentum into upcoming fixtures while the club has publicly framed its short-term aim as reducing the gap to Bayern, as Lars Ricken put it: "It’s about annoying Bayern a bit."