Ten-Man Freiburg Go Top of Bundesliga as Goto's Late Header Stuns Schalke

SC Freiburg are top of the Bundesliga. Let that sink in.

A 2-1 win over Schalke on Sunday — sealed by Keisuke Goto's 85th-minute header — sent the ten-man hosts above Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund into first place in Germany.

Maximilian Eggestein had headed Freiburg in front from an early corner, and the hosts looked in full control until the half-hour mark, when Schalke hit back through debutant Adrian Gantenbein, whose strike found the net via a deflection.

Then came the twist that should have ended Freiburg's afternoon: Yuito Suzuki was sent off in the second half, leaving the hosts a man down with the game in the balance. Most teams would have folded. Freiburg attacked instead.

With five minutes left, Vincenzo Grifo curled a perfect cross into the box — and 21-year-old Goto rose highest to nod the ball past Schalke goalkeeper Loris Karius. Cue wild celebrations in the stands, as Freiburg completed one of the results of the Bundesliga season so far.

The Japan forward's winner caps a remarkable rise, and it underlines just how open this season's title race is. While England's championship looks like a two-horse battle between Manchester City and Arsenal after the weekend's big Premier League clash, Germany has a genuine underdog story brewing.

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Borussia Mönchengladbach remain rock bottom after a 2-1 derby defeat to Cologne, while RB Leipzig rampaged to a 6-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt thanks to a Christopher Nkunku hat-trick.

Early days, of course — but for one night at least, the Bundesliga belongs to Freiburg.

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