Maximilian Beier's 70th-minute winner secured Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 victory at Stuttgart on Saturday as they moved to the top of the early Bundesliga table.
Beier tapped in from Jobe Bellingham's low cross to send Dortmund to the summit for the first time since May 2023, a run of 1 212 days since they threw away the title with a final-day home draw against Mainz.
The victory also marks the first time in a decade Dortmund have won their opening four league matches.
Mad man Max. 😤 pic.twitter.com/lxja9QEx4h
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) September 19, 2026
"Sounds good to me," Beier told Sky Germany. "We'll take that."
Beier came into Saturday's match stung by the disappointment of missing out of Jurgen Klopp's expanded 44-man Germany squad announced on Thursday, after being part of the country's World Cup squad.
Dortmund coach Niko Kovac praised his player's response to the setback, saying: "Life writes great stories... I'm happy for him."
Beier had a big chance just four minutes in but headed wide from close range.
Former Leicester forward Bilal El Khannouss had a good opportunity for the hosts just before the break, but shot narrowly past the post.
Summer arrival Konstantinos Karetsas, who was stretchered off the pitch with a cardiovascular issue earlier in September in the Champions League, made his return for Dortmund off the bench just after the hour mark.
With 20 minutes remaining, the Greek teenager slid a clever pass to Bellingham, who drilled a low ball across the area for Beier to give the visitors all three points.
FRANKFURT CLIP FREIBURG'S WINGS
Freiburg missed a chance to stay atop the table after being held to a 2-2 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt earlier on Saturday.
Points shared at Deutsche Bank Park 🤝
— Eintracht Frankfurt (@eintrachtint) September 19, 2026
⏰ 90’ | #SGE 2:2 #SGESCF pic.twitter.com/SUFNXfMRFx
Bayern Munich's ruthless 7-0 win over Union Berlin on Friday put the Bavarians ahead of Freiburg but the Black Forest outfit failed to respond as they dropped points for the first time this season.
Several new members of Klopp's big Germany squad shone on both sides in a see-sawing encounter.
Frankfurt's Younes Ebnoutalib finished off a lovely team move to score 10 minutes in, just days after celebrating a surprise maiden Germany call-up.
Derry Scherhant, another of Klopp's lesser-known additions, levelled things up for Freiburg but Jonathan Burkardt edged Frankfurt back in front.
Scherhant created a second for Yuito Suzuki to grab Freiburg a point and leave them level with Bayern on 10 points.
Freiburg's Philipp Treu, also included by Klopp, told the media: "Of course, I would have liked to join the national team as the league leader – with my head held high.
"But now we're the hunters again. And we enjoy that, too."
West Ham loanee Niclas Fuellkrug continued his strong form on his return to Germany, scoring for a third straight Bundesliga match as hosts Werder Bremen came from two goals down to win 3-2 against Augsburg.
Fuellkrug levelled things up with a blistering long-range effort in the 86th minute, before former Bayern defender Mitchell Weiser blasted in a winner in stoppage time.
Elsewhere, Hamburg notched their first goal, win and points of the season in a comfortable 2-1 home victory over Cologne.
Albert Gronbaek laid on goals for Nicolas Capaldo and Yussuf Poulsen to help the hosts, one of the historical giants of German football, drag themselves off the bottom of the table.
Hamburg climbed past Borussia Moenchengladbach, who lost their fourth straight game in a wild 4-3 defeat by visitors Mainz.
Just days after bidding farewell to sacked coach Eugen Polanski, things went from bad to worse for the hosts.
Gladbach also missed a penalty in the defeat and are now the only Bundesliga side without a point after four matchdays.