A classic battle at the top of the Bundesliga 2 standings ended in Darmstadt's favour after Patric Pfeiffer and Phillip Tietz scored early on to overcome Hamburg in a blistering encounter that saw three players sent off, while Paderborn hit Holstein Kiel for seven to remain top - ahead of Darmstadt - on goal-difference.

Hamburg 1-2 Darmstadt
Goals: 0-1 Pfeiffer 4' (assist: Kempe), 0-2 Tietz 7' (assist: Kempe), 1-2 Königsdörffer 87' (assist: Glatzel)
Red cards: Gjasula (59'), Opoku (64'), Königsdörffer (89)'

On their way to reaching a play-off for a place in the top flight last season, HSV pummelled eventual fourth-placed finishers Darmstadt 5-0. The Lilies were 3-0 down after just 13 minutes of that Matchday 21 encounter, leading captain Fabian Holland to say the hurt caused back then, "could still be in our heads a little bit," going into the teams' latest encounter at the Volksparkstadion. Cue a formidable act of footballing revenge, with Torsten Lieberknecht's visitors tearing into a 2-0 lead within seven minutes. Standing in for Christoph Zimmermann, whose wife recently gave birth to the couple's second child, former Hamburg youth player Patric Pfeiffer rose unmarked to head Darmstadt in front with the game barely settled. Phillip Tietz was twice on target in last weekend's 4-0 trouncing of Hansa Rostock, and the 6'3" forward stooped to send Die Lilien 2-0 up, the HSV fans left distraught after the goal stood following a VAR review. At the other end, Robert Glatzel and Sonny Kittel probed but failed to find a meaningful punch.

Eager to avoid Darmstadt extending their unbeaten run at this venue to seven games, the Red Shorts introduced exciting new signing Jean-Luc Dompe into the mix after the restart. The French winger received plenty of home applause for his quick movement, but it was the visitors who remained the more threatening in front of goal. Tietz drew a flying stop from Daniel Heuer Fernandes while moments later, Braydon Manu cut in from the left and prodded a swerving effort off target. In need of a lifeline, HSV were given reason to believe when Klaus Gjasula trod on Glatzel and was promptly shown a second yellow. The dismissal provoked a fiery response to proceedings. Fabian Holland pulled at Aaron Opoku, who in turn kicked out at his opponent and was shown a red card. With time ticking down, Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer pulled one back for Hamburg, but their chances of pulling off a dramatic comeback ended when the goalscorer was ordered off for lashing out at Frank Ronstadt.

Match stats

• HSV had never before been 2-0 down after seven minutes in Bundesliga 2.
• Darmstadt, meanwhile, last enjoyed a similarly flying start back in November 2020, when the Lilies raced into a 2-0 lead against Eintracht Braunschweig.
• Lieberknecht's men have scored four times inside the opening ten minutes this season.
• Pfeiffer's three second division goals have all been headers scored from corner kicks.
• The pair have now met nine times in BL2: Darmstadt have three wins to Hamburg's three.
• Darmstadt are unbeaten in seven trips to the Volksparkstadion, winning four times in that period.
• Tietz is Darmstadt's top scorers with three league goals.

Teams

Hamburg: Heuer Fernandes - Heyer (Opoku 56'), Vuskovic, Schonlau (c), Muheim (Jatta 77') – Rohr (Dompe 46'), Meffert, Reis (Bilbija 77') - Königsdörffer, Glatzel, Kittel (Benes 70')
Unused subs: Raab, Leibold, David, Megeed
Out: Amaechi (ankle), Suhonen (fibula)
Coach: Tim Walter

Darmstadt: Schuhen – Pfeiffer, Gjasula, Müller – Bader, Schnellhardt, Kempe, Holland (c) (Warming 84') – Mehlem (Ben Balla 84') – Manu Ronstadt (66'), Tietz (Vilhelmsson 66')
Unused subs: Brunst, Seydel, Leipold, Torsiello
Out: Honsak (ankle), Isherwood (muscular), Zimmermann (personal reasons)
Coach: Torsten Lieberknecht

Matchday 5 round-up:

Paderborn 7-2 Holstein Kiel
Goals: 1-0 Muslija pen. (7'), 1-1 Korb (9'), 2-1 Justvan (13'), 3-1 Obermair (25'), 4-1 Platte (29'), 5-1 Platte (38'), 5-2 Skrzybski (45'+1), 6-2 Pieringer (52'), 7-2 Srbeny (80')

A ruthless Paderborn went back to the top of the Bundesliga 2 standings on goal difference after stunning visitors Kiel in a game that produced seven goals in the first half alone. Florent Muslija get the scoring going with a seventh-minute penalty Steven Skrzybski's cross was then converted by Julian Korb for 1-1. From that point on, Paderborn quickly moved out of sight. Julian Justvan's shot was deflected in off the unfortunate Patrick Erras before Raphael Obermair finished off a neat one-two for 3-1. Platte then completed a counter-attacking move and added his second of the game with a well-placed header. Skrzybski reduced the arrears before the break for the visitors when powering in a shot from a corner. There was to be no respite for Kiel after the restart, with the goal-hungry hosts adding a couple more, Marvin Pieringer and Dennis Srbeny completing the scoring.

Watch: Paderborn in seventh heaven with win over Kiel

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Magdeburg 0-4 Hannover
Goals: 0-1 Beier (14'), 0-2 Krajnc (44'), 0-3 Muroya (56'), 0-4 Teuchert (90')

Hannover collected only their second win of the season in emphatic fashion with a 4-0 win at struggling Magdeburg. Maximilian Beier got the guests on the road to victory at the second time of asking after his first effort was saved and the Magdeburg defence failed to clear their lines. Hannover had chances to make it two before Luka Krajnc headed in their second just before the break, again benefitting from a defensive mistake, this time with goalkeeper Dominik  Reimann missing his punch from a corner. Sei Muroya wrapped up victory early in the second half and Cedric Teuchert put the cherry on top in stoppage time, tucking his shot low past Reimann from Antonio Foti's chipped pass.

Sandhausen 1-2 Nuremberg
Goals: 1-0 Ajdini (33'), 1-1 Daferner (49'), 1-2 Duah (90'+3)

Nuremberg responded to last weekend's heavy home defeat against Heidenheim to produce a last gasp victory that helped to lift them above their opponents Sandhausen in the table. After a tepid opening to proceedings, the hosts' Bashkim Ajdini decided to take matters into his own hands, the 29-year-old embarking on a run that ended with a shot to the corner that beat Christian Mathenia all ends up. Der Club improved significantly after the restart and were level on 49 minutes when Christoph Daferner's header from Enrico Valentini's centre went in off the woodwork. Late drama followed with substitute Kwadwo Duah beating his man before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner for the most spectacular of winners in added time.

Jahn Regensburg 0-6 Karlsruher
Goals: 0-1 Franke (7'), 0-2 Nebel (14'), 0-3 Gondorf (43'), 0-4 Schleusener (48'), 0-5 Schleusener (66'), 0-6 Breithaupt (78')

Incredible scenes at the Jahnstadion Regensburg where the hosts went into the game having conceded just once, but were left gobsmacked by a Karlsruher side that have now won two on the bounce. Marcel Franke's header after seven minutes survived a VAR check and Christian Eichner's men were up and running. Paul Nebel's close-range finish then made it 2-0 to the visitors, who left their opponents with a mountain to climb when Jerome Gondorf added a third with a long-range belter. Fabian Schleusener then weighed in with a double after the break, rounding the 'keeper and slotting in with the first before adding another from a corner. Tim Breithaupt's 78th minute volley completed the rout.

Eintracht Braunschweig 2-2 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Goals: 1-0 Krauße (56'), 1-1 Gavory (61'), 2-1 Donkor (70'), 2-2 Sobottka (71')

Braunschweig picked up their first point of the season against a Fortuna side who had to twice battle back from a goal down. After a scoreless first half, the contest came alive after the break and to the delight of the home fans, it was the hosts who hit the front. Jan-Hendrik Marx's sprint and pass across goal was gratefully accepted by Robin Krauße, who applied the simplest of finishes. Düsseldorf quickly dragged themselves level, Shinta Appelkamp feeding French full back Nicolas Gavory who hit a superb equaliser. Anton-Leander Donkor's finish from a tight angle fired Eintracht back in front but home coach Michael Schiele will have been left frustrated by his side's inability to hold onto the lead. Mere moments after going behind, the visitors were level again, Marcel Sobottka prodding in to earn his side a point.

Hansa Rostock 2-0 St. Pauli
Goals: 1-0 Pröger (5'), 2-0 Verhoek (17‘)

Just a point separated visitors Pauli (seven) and hosts Hansa (six) going into the weekend, with both sides looking to propel themselves towards the top of the table. Hansa made the first move, with Dennis Dressel’s ball over the top of the Pauli defence releasing Kai Pröger on goal and the 30-year-old - who kept himself just inside his own half to break the offside trap - applied an accomplished finish to give his team a fifth-minute lead. Where the opener was clinical, the second was spectacular; former Pauli man John Verhoek rising acrobatically to plant Pröger’s cross from the right into the corner of the goal with a stunning overhead kick. Rostock saw out the remainder of the game with little alarm.

Watch: Verhoek's gravity-defying overhead kick

Heidenheim 1-1 Arminia Bielefeld
Goals: 1-0 Kleindienst (3'), 1-1 Hack (10')
Red card: Jäkel (79')

It took the hosts just three minutes to open the scoring as Bielefeld failed to deal with a raking free-kick from the left that was first met by the head of Jan Schöppner and then Tim Kleindienst, whose header should have brought a comfortable save from Stefanos Kapino but, instead, tamely brushed the away goalkeeper’s fingertips and found the back of the net. There was nothing Kevin Müller could do about Bielefeld’s reply seven minutes later as Robin Hack met Masaya Okugawa’s cushioned header flush on the volley and sent a sumptuous equaliser into the far left corner from 20-yards out. After the break, Okugawa thought he had teed up Janni Serra for a second, but the Japan international had run the ball out of play in the build-up and VAR ruled out the effort.

Greuther Fürth 1-3 Kaiserslautern
Goals: 1-0 Raschl (13’), 1-1 Hercher (46'), 1-2 Wunderlich (54'), 1-3 Redondo (79')

Looking for their first win of the season, Fürth found themselves ahead inside the first quarter of an hour as Tobias Raschl poked home his first goal for the club. Armando Sieb’s shot was drifting safely wide of the post before Raschl snuck behind the Lautern defence unnoticed and tapped his team in front from close range. The visitors were level less than a minute after the break thanks to Philipp Hercher’s first of the campaign and Mike Wunderlich put them in front just eight minutes later to stun their hosts. Kenny Prince Redondo made sure of all three points with just over 10 minutes to play as he robbed back possession on the edge of the Fürth box before placing into the corner. The win maintains Kaiserslautern's superb start to the season and leaves Greuther still winless after five attempts.

About the clubs

Hamburger SV

Volksparkstadion

SV Darmstadt 98

Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor