I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again but if you had told this SBOTOP writer that Union Berlin would be the Bundesliga leaders going into October, I would never have believed it.
When I think about the Bundesliga betting odds for the top four, the club from the capital were not even on my radar either.
Well, more fool me!
Because here we are on October 16 and, thanks to a wonderful team effort, they stand proudly aloft with just one defeat in their opening 10 matches.
My surprise continued on Sunday afternoon as Janik Haberer scored twice in the opening 21 minutes to put perennial runners-up, Borussia Dortmund, to the sword.
Ok, so the first was a gift from goalkeeper Gregor Kobel who slipped as he attempted to clear a back-pass, leaving the marksman with the relatively simple task of slotting into an unguarded net.
The second, though, was a beauty as the 28 year-old drove a first-time effort into the bottom corner from 20 yards. And they thoroughly deserved it.
The last time Union Berlin lost at home was in February when Marco Reus scored twice in a 3-0 Dortmund success.
Reus was one of three players brought on at the break as the visitors tried to get a foothold back into the encounter yet, apart from a shot 13 minutes from time, Berlin never gave Dortmund a sniff and they went closer to extending their lead after the break than the visitors did in their attempts to reduce the deficit.
Remember, this is only Union’s fourth season in the top flight in their 56 year history.
That was on Sunday afternoon and, before the weekend’s programme of fixtures was up, there was still time for champions and title favourites Bayern Munich to leapfrog the other surprise high-fliers this term, SC Freiburg.
Once Serge Gnabry headed home in the 13th minute, Freiburg were always up against it in the Allianz Arena.
One became two after the half hour when Leroy Sane played a delicious pass with the outside of his boot to Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting who doubled the advantage.
Two goals in four minutes shortly after the restart highlighted why the Bavarians are so difficult to beat.
First, Sane fired in an unstoppable effort from 18 yards, then Sadio Mane was found unmarked by Gnabry and he lofted in the fourth.
When Marcel Sabitzer grabbed number five with 10 minutes remaining, Freiburg were demoralised.
I have long felt a goal at the end of a first half can demoralise opponents.
And surely that is what strugglers FC Schalke must have felt when they hosted Hoffenheim on Friday night.
Mu’nas Dabbur was the man who doubled their advantage in the second minute of first half stoppage time, adding to an 11th minute penalty from Robert Skov.
The same player also proved reliable from the spot for a second time, just before the hour, to seal a comprehensive 3-0 away win and leave newly promoted Schalke in the bottom three.
It ended a run of three matches without a win for Hoffenheim who end the weekend in fourth spot.
Just two points clear of Schalke are Bayer Leverkusen, surprisingly struggling to deal with the duel combat of Bundesliga and Champions League duties.
Their opponents on Saturday, Europa League holders Eintracht Frankfurt, are coping much better as shown by a 5-1 romp.
After a goalless opening 45 minutes, the deadlock was broken in the fifth minute of injury time.
Edmond Tapsoba tripped Jesper Lindstrom as he darted past to give the hosts a penalty and, while Kolo Muani saw his effort saved by Lukas Hradecky, the Leverkusen captain had come off his line early.
Leverkusen made a double change at the break and one of those substitutions paid off as Kerem Demirbay delivered a free-kick that Hincapie met with a diving header to beat the previously underworked Kevin Trapp.
Parity lasted barely two minutes as Muani got on the end of an inch-perfect cross to power the home side back into the lead. The advantage was extended not long after when Lindstrom found himself in behind and produced a sublime lob over Hradecky. Things went from bad to worse for Bayer as Hincapie was shown a second yellow for his challenge on Muani in the box.
Kamada stepped up once again to put away his second penalty and Frankfurt’s fourth before substitutes Rafael Borre and ex-Bayer man Lucas Alario combined to add a fifth.
A thoroughly miserable day all round for Bayer Leverkusen and a day to remember for Frankfurt.
The only team below both them and Schalke are Bochum who have conceded a league-high 27 goals so far this term.
There was a chance they would have climbed out of the drop zone had they won at VfB Stuttgart.
Instead, Die Roten earned their first league win of the season with victory inspired by Silas.
It was the perfect response by the home side following the sacking of manager Pellegrino Matarazzo last week.
He had been at the club for almost three years, earning promotion back to the top tier of German football and faring fairly well in the dugout with two solid mid-table finishes.
However, a poor start to the campaign led to the club parting company with the American and interim head coach Michael Wimmer watched a fast start with his side two goals to the good inside the opening 22 minutes.
Silas scored from the penalty spot after being tripped by Danilo Soares and then teed up Naouirou Ahamada to rifle home following a mistake by Bochum goalkeeper Manuel Riemann.
The visitors managed to hit back before the break when Simon Zoller converted a Kevin Stöger ball after some slick one-touch movement down the left.
Only a super save from goalkeeper Florian Müller prevented Bochum from netting an equaliser only for two goals in seven minutes to end the match as a contest. Silas netted his second after good work by Borna Sosa and then, after a free-kick wasn’t cleared, Wataru Endo applied the finishing touch to complete a rare afternoon of Bundesliga highlights for Wimmer and his men.
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