Tiny Elversberg stun Leverkusen on Bundesliga debut, Dortmund beat Hamburg

Bundesliga newcomers Elversberg began their first top-flight season with a stunning 3-2 victory over 2023-24 champions Bayer Leverkusen at their home ground. Lukas Petkov and Cole Campbell netted within 60 seconds of each other to give Elversberg a 2-0 lead before the 10-minute mark. David Mokwa added another early in the second half.

Despite Leverkusen's late fightback by Patrik Schick and Christian Kofane, Elversberg emerged victorious. With a population of just 13,000, Elversberg holds the record for the smallest town to have a German top-flight side. The match was watched by just 9,307 fans at the still-under-construction stadium. Elversberg captain Lukas Pinckert expressed his pride and satisfaction with the win. Leverkusen's disorganization and lack of energy were evident until late in the game.

Borussia Dortmund defeated Hamburg 2-0 in their season-opening match, but the result was marred by a potential serious injury to Giannis Konstantelias. Konstantelias scored Dortmund's second goal after setting up the opener, but he was substituted after a challenge on his left knee. Substitute Samuele Inacio was shown a red card just after coming on, but Dortmund held on to secure the win. Coach Niko Kovac expressed concerns about Konstantelias' injury and the team's performance.

RB Leipzig also started their Bundesliga campaign strongly, defeating Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-0 at home. Former Chelsea and France forward Christopher Nkunku, who scored 70 goals in a four-year spell at Leipzig, set up a goal on his return. Antonio Nusa scored a stunning goal for Leipzig in the second half, and Nkunku also came on to set up Rocco Reitz's goal. Leipzig have been drawn to face Manchester City and Real Madrid in the Champions League.

In the Bundesliga's other matches, Union Berlin came from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Eintracht Frankfurt, while Cologne beat Hoffenheim 3-2 after coming from behind twice. Mainz played to a scoreless draw with Paderborn. Bayern Munich began their title defense with a dominant 5-1 victory over Stuttgart in a rematch of last season's German Cup final.