Bundesliga matchday 9: Bayern and Dortmund still level, Stuttgart end Bremen's run

Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund both won by a goal on Saturday afternoon and are still level at the top on 21 points, both unbeaten, Bayern ahead on goal difference, +20 to +9. Bayern won 2–1 at FSV Mainz 05, Harry Kane setting up both goals, and Felix Nmecha scored twice in Dortmund's 2–1 over SV Elversberg. SC Freiburg beat Union Berlin 2–0 to stay third on 19, RB Leipzig scored five against FC Augsburg, and VfB Stuttgart beat Werder Bremen 1–0, Bremen's first league defeat since the opening day. Matchday 9 brought 30 goals in nine matches: six home wins, two away wins and one draw.

Friday

Hamburger SV 3–1 Borussia Mönchengladbach turned after Ko Itakura's red card on 49. Miro Muheim had put Hamburger SV ahead on 11 from Albert Sambi Lokonga's pass, and Robin Hack, from Joe Scally's, equalised for Borussia Mönchengladbach on 44. Against ten men, Shafiq Nandja scored on 59 from Albert Grønbæk's pass and Grønbæk himself on 70. Hamburg had nine shots on target to Gladbach's six; Gladbach stay bottom on four points.

Saturday

Borussia Dortmund 2–1 SV Elversberg was goalless at half-time. Nmecha scored on 55 from Fábio Silva's pass and on 71 from Maximilian Beier's; Noel Futkeu, from Florian Le Joncour, pulled one back on 81. Elversberg had seven shots on target, one more than Dortmund, in the first meeting between the clubs that the API lists. Dortmund were without the injured Serhou Guirassy, bundesliga.com reports, and lost Carney Chukwuemeka to an injury on 34.

RB Leipzig 5–2 FC Augsburg began with Anton Kade's goal for Augsburg in the 1st minute. Ezechiel Banzuzi on 34 and Christopher Nkunku on 35 both scored from Brajan Gruda's passes, and David Raum made it 3–1 on 45+1. Rômulo, from Nkunku, scored on 60 and Christoph Baumgartner, from Antonio Nusa, on 66; Uchenna Ogundu, from Fabian Rieder's pass, scored Augsburg's second on 90+2. Augsburg had eight shots on target, one more than Leipzig.

FSV Mainz 05 1–2 Bayern München was 1–0 at half-time after Joshua Kimmich's goal on 14, and Lennart Karl made it 2–0 on 57, both from Kane's passes. A Mainz goal by Lee Jae-sung was ruled out after a VAR check on 44, and Phillip Tietz, from Benedict Hollerbach's pass, scored on 90+2. Bayern had 69 per cent of the ball and 26 shots, nine on target; Mainz had one shot on target. Aaron Danks again stood in on the touchline for Vincent Kompany, Sportschau reports, and Uli Hoeneß expects Kompany back on the bench after the international break, according to DPA, which adds that Manuel Neuer suffered a partial tendon tear in his right foot. Kimmich called the win stable and assured, if "no fireworks".

SC Paderborn 07 2–2 Eintracht Frankfurt was rescued by Jonathan Burkardt in stoppage time. He scored first on 23 from Farès Chaïbi's pass; Raphael Obermair, from Ruben Müller's, equalised on 45 and Marvin Pieringer converted a penalty on 73 for SC Paderborn 07. Eintracht Frankfurt had Elias Baum sent off on 75, and Burkardt, from the goalkeeper Noah Atubolu's pass, made it 2–2 on 90+3.

VfB Stuttgart 1–0 Werder Bremen was settled by Maximilian Mittelstädt on 7, from Grischa Prömel's pass. Bremen had 57 per cent of the ball and 23 shots, five on target, but did not score; Stuttgart had 13 shots, five on target. Niclas Füllkrug, who still leads the scorers with nine, had scored in each of his previous seven matches, Sportschau notes, and the defeat ended a run of seven league matches without one. Bremen's coach Daniel Thioune said "a point would definitely have been deserved"; Stuttgart's Sebastian Hoeneß said a win before the break was important.

Sunday

1. FC Köln 1–2 Bayer Leverkusen went Leverkusen's way for the sixth meeting in a row. Aleix García scored on 7 and Patrik Schick, from Ibrahim Maza's pass, on 85; Said El Mala, from his brother Malek's pass, pulled one back for 1. FC Köln on 90+2. Bayer Leverkusen had eight shots on target to six.

SC Freiburg 2–0 Union Berlin was Freiburg's first win over Union after seven meetings without one. Rani Khedira's own goal put them ahead on 55 and Yuito Suzuki, from Derry Scherhant's pass, scored on 67; Vincenzo Grifo missed a penalty on 84. Union had four shots and none on target.

1899 Hoffenheim 2–1 FC Schalke 04 was 2–0 by the 26th minute: Fisnik Asllani scored on 10 and set up Tim Lemperle on 26. Junior Adamu pulled one back for FC Schalke 04 on 81. Schalke had 23 shots, six on target, to 1899 Hoffenheim's 15.

The table after matchday 9

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Bayern München	9	6	3	0	+20	21
2	Borussia Dortmund	9	6	3	0	+9	21
3	SC Freiburg	9	6	1	2	+10	19
4	RB Leipzig	9	6	0	3	+14	18
5	Bayer Leverkusen	9	5	1	3	+3	16
6	Werder Bremen	9	4	3	2	+2	15
7	SV Elversberg	9	4	1	4	−1	13
8	VfB Stuttgart	9	4	0	5	0	12
9	1899 Hoffenheim	9	4	0	5	−1	12
10	Eintracht Frankfurt	9	3	3	3	−5	12
11	Hamburger SV	9	4	0	5	−10	12
12	FSV Mainz 05	9	3	1	5	−1	10
13	SC Paderborn 07	9	2	4	3	−3	10
14	FC Augsburg	9	2	3	4	0	9
15	1. FC Köln	9	2	3	4	−4	9
16	Union Berlin	9	1	4	4	−14	7
17	FC Schalke 04	9	1	3	5	−6	6
18	Borussia Mönchengladbach	9	1	1	7	−13	4

The top four all won, so nothing moved: Bayern and Dortmund on 21, Freiburg two behind and Leipzig three. The points race shows how close it has stayed: Bayern and Dortmund have been level after five of the nine matchdays, and Freiburg and Leipzig have not been more than five points off the lead since matchday 7. Below them, four sides are on twelve, from Stuttgart in eighth to Hamburg in eleventh, and Gladbach are bottom, two behind Schalke.

Numbers to know

• Bayern and Dortmund are the only unbeaten sides; Bayern have scored 29, Dortmund have conceded seven.
• Six of the nine matches were home wins.
• Two red cards, for Gladbach's Itakura and Frankfurt's Baum; ten-man Frankfurt still equalised.
• Bremen had 23 shots at Stuttgart and did not score.
• Schalke have scored five goals in nine matches, the fewest.

Next up

After the international break, matchday 10 opens on Friday 20 November with Bayern München v 1. FC Köln at 19:30 UTC. On Saturday 21 November, Bayer Leverkusen v SC Paderborn 07, Eintracht Frankfurt v 1899 Hoffenheim, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Borussia Mönchengladbach v Borussia Dortmund and SV Elversberg v SC Freiburg kick off at 14:30 UTC, and FC Schalke 04 v VfB Stuttgart at 17:30 UTC. On Sunday 22 November, FC Augsburg v FSV Mainz 05 is at 14:30 UTC and Werder Bremen v Hamburger SV closes the round at 16:30 UTC. The full round is on the Bundesliga page.

Sources for the context: bundesliga.com, Sportschau, Sportschau, Radio Bremen, DPA via Rhein-Zeitung.