5 takeaways after goals galore on Matchday 9
The goals flew in as the matchday became the highest-scoring of the season so far, with some truly magnificent strikes to marvel at courtesy of Harry Kane and Florian Wirtz. bundesliga.com runs through the five biggest talking points from the weekend's action...
1) Goals, goals and even more goals
The Bundesliga is the gift that just keeps on giving for lovers of pure attacking football. Florian Wirtz's special goal to give Leverkusen the lead against Freiburg on Sunday afternoon (more on that later) was the 40th time a net bulged over the Bundesliga weekend - making it the highest-scoring matchday yet in a season marked by goals galore everywhere!
There were 42 goals in total by the end of the weekend - eight of which came in one staggering half of football alone at the Allianz Arena (more on that later too). Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund did their bit for the goal glut by sharing out a thrilling 3-3 draw on Sunday, as did RB Leipzig with in-form Loïs Openda smashing a five-minute brace in their 6-0 victory over Cologne.
The bottom two heading into the matchday even got in on the act with Bochum and Mainz playing out a battling 2-2 draw on Friday evening, while a helter-skelter 3-2 win for Augsburg over Wolfsburg saw new Augsburg coach Jess Thorup continue his great (and high-scoring) start.
2) Harry's heroics from his own half
Amid the 42 goals, there were three, in particular, that stood out for a very good reason. Harry Kane registered his second hat-trick for Bayern Munich in a sensational second half as the champions, having been pegged 0-0 at half-time, smashed eight past the nine men of Darmstadt.
One goal of that trio of strikes is destined to be remembered in the annals of Bundesliga history. After Kane had opened the goal glut, his second after 69 minutes saw him spot goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen off his line from inside his own half and send a special lob looping into the net in a moment of true strike mastery.
Watch: Kane scores from own half as Bayern beat Darmstadt 8-0
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Kane now heads into his first Klassiker against Dortmund next Saturday as the first Bundesliga player to ever score 12 goals in their first nine matches.
3) Wirtz steps up to the plate
The ever-composed Xabi Alonso and his slick Bayer Leverkusen side may never have admitted it, but Bayern's rout on Saturday may just have added some pressure on them knowing they needed to beat a solid Freiburg side on Sunday to move back to the top of the table.
The visitors defended deeply and did everything to make life hard for Die Werkself until a moment of magic forced a breakthrough. It came from the nimble feet of Florian Wirtz as the 20-year-old playmaker weaved his way magically around Nicolas Höfler with a series of shimmies before slamming the ball inside the far post.
Watch: Wirtz scores wondergoal as Leverkusen beat Freiburg 2-1
The marvelous goal proved to be a vital one as Leverkusen rode out a late Freiburg fightback to move back to the top of the table. Small wonder that Lukáš Hrádecký told bundesliga.com after the match that Wirtz is a "nightmare for goalkeepers." Bundesliga defenders everywhere might be getting a Halloween scare given the array of attacking talent they have to try to cope with on top of Wirtz's sublime skills when facing Leverkusen.
4) He's back
If you had only watched the highlights of Bayern versus Darmstadt you might have barely noticed his presence given the torrent of goals at the other end of the field, but Manuel Neuer made his first Bundesliga appearance of 2023 for Bayern on Saturday after finally recovering from a long leg injury.
Watch: Manuel Neuer on his injury comeback
Saving four shots and keeping a clean sheet made for a happy return indeed for the Germany and Bayern legend. He told bundesliga.com after the match: "I'm just happy to be with the team and to have played my first game today, which went very well."
After stretching their unbeaten start to the season with the eye-popping win, Neuer's return is the icing on the Bayern cake right now as their season seems to be building some serious momentum at an ideal time heading into next weekend's eagerly awaited Klassiker.
5) Hoffenheim on a high
What links the Borussia Dortmund side of 2010/11, Bayern of 2012/13 and Hoffenheim of 2023/24? Remarkably they are the only three teams in Bundesliga history to win their opening five away matches of a season.
Their newest away success was an achievement in its own right too, snapping VfB Stuttgart's seven-match winning run with a thrilling 3-2 victory. Hoffenheim's American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo has gelled together a squad with definite quality and a clear idea of what to do. Key contributions are coming from all quarters as a result. Exciting prospect and club top scorer Maximilian Beier didn't net on Saturday, but summer arrival Wout Weghorst scored his first for the club from the penalty spot while goalkeeper Oliver Baumann shone with eight saves - including a penalty stop to deny Deniz Undav from the spot.
Whisper it quietly to any Dortmund or Bayern fans, but sixth-placed Hoffenheim hosting table-topping Leverkusen next weekend could prove to be just as intriguing as the Klassiker battle - or at the very least a great Saturday afternoon starter to a real Bundesliga feast!
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