Freiburg Go Top of Bundesliga With Win Over Schalke

By the Editorial Team · Monday, October 12, 2026

Freiburg moved to the top of the Bundesliga standings with a 2-1 win over Schalke, capitalizing on draws by Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich to reach 13 points from five matches. The victory highlighted Freiburg’s growing competitiveness this season, while Schalke played much of the second half with ten men after a red card and fell short despite a late header from Keisuke Goto.

Freiburg assumed the top position in the Bundesliga standings following a 2-1 victory over Schalke on Sunday. The win lifted Freiburg to 13 points from five matches, edging Borussia Dortmund on goal difference and placing them two points ahead of reigning champions Bayern Munich.

The Black Forest team capitalized on draws by Dortmund, who played to a 2-2 stalemate against Werder Bremen on Friday, and Bayern, who drew 2-2 at Augsburg on Saturday. Freiburg’s breakthrough came in a match marked by contrasting fortunes for Japanese players on both teams. Schalke’s Yuito Suzuki received a red card midway through the second half after picking up two bookings, but Keisuke Goto, also from Japan, redeemed his side by scoring the winning goal in the 85th minute with a powerful header.

Maxi Eggestein opened the scoring for Freiburg, converting a rebound after goalkeeper Loris Karius had initially saved a Matthias Ginter header from a corner. Promoted Schalke equalized around the 30-minute mark when Adrian Gantenbein capitalized on a punch by Karius following a corner, marking his first Bundesliga goal on his debut start. Despite the dismissal of Suzuki, Freiburg managed to hold on and secure all three points.

Eggestein commented on the club’s position, acknowledging Bayern’s likely dominance this season but expressing confidence in Freiburg’s progress. “Realistically Bayern will finish top again. We just want to keep going. We want to continue to develop and set our own goals. We have big expectations of ourselves and that is what counts. We are in the mix this season,” he said.

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Borussia Mönchengladbach registered their first win of the season by defeating 1. FC Köln 2-1 in the Rhine Derby, which was temporarily paused in the second half due to fireworks being thrown onto the pitch, reportedly from Gladbach supporters. The disturbance was resolved without further incident.

Köln took the lead through Ísak Jóhannesson before US defender Joe Scally equalized for Gladbach late in the first half. The winning goal came from Saïd El Mala in the 67th minute, who scored from outside the box after a video review cleared the goal’s buildup of a foul.

This victory marked Gladbach’s first points after losing all five opening games of the Bundesliga season. Alexander Blessin, who replaced Eugen Polanski as head coach during the international break following a poor defensive start, praised his players for their effort despite the difficult start. “I can’t criticize the guys. They have given everything in the 90 minutes,” said Blessin.

The match also raised concerns over a potential serious injury to Köln’s Ellyes Skhiri, which was the only significant negative incident for the hosts during the derby. Gladbach remain at the bottom of the table with one point, seven behind mid-table Köln.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.