Dortmund sink Stuttgart to climb to Bundesliga summit

Borussia Dortmund climbed to the top of the Bundesliga for the first time in more than three years after Maximilian Beier struck in the second half to seal a 1-0 victory at Stuttgart on Saturday.

The host made the brighter start to an evenly contested encounter, with Bilal El Khannouss narrowly missing the target before Deniz Undav had an effort denied by goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Stuttgart continued to pose the greater threat after the break. Josha Vagnoman was denied by Kobel after breaking clear in the 59th minute, although the move was subsequently flagged offside.

Dortmund coach Niko Kovac introduced Jobe Bellingham and Konstantinos Karetsas three minutes later, and the changes quickly paid off.

Karetsas, back in the squad following recent circulatory problems, threatened shortly after coming on before Dortmund broke the deadlock in the 70th minute.

Bellingham slipped the ball into the penalty area and Beier timed his run well before beating goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow to put the visitors ahead.

The victory maintained Dortmund's perfect Bundesliga start in four matches and lifted Kovac's side two points clear of Bayern Munich, who had moved to 10 with Friday's 7-0 victory over Union Berlin.

Dortmund returned to the league's summit for the first time since May 2023, when it entered the final round of the season in first place before losing the title to Bayern on goal difference. Stuttgart, meanwhile, suffered its third defeat and remains on three points from four matches.

Dortmund hosts Werder Bremen after the international break, while Stuttgart visits promoted Paderborn.

Elsewhere, Freiburg twice came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt, Werder Bremen beat Augsburg 3-2, Mainz edged Borussia Monchengladbach 4-3, and Hamburg claimed its first win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Cologne.