Bundesliga Matchday 3 produced emphatic victories, individual brilliance and several performances that could prove significant as the season develops. RB Leipzig and Freiburg both scored five, Borussia Dortmund comfortably defeated Paderborn, Eintracht Frankfurt continued their strong start and Bayern Munich were forced to work for victory against newly-promoted Elversberg.
Here are five players who stood out across the weekend.
Antonio Nusa – RB Leipzig
Antonio Nusa delivered arguably the outstanding individual performance of the weekend as RB Leipzig responded to consecutive defeats by dismantling Hamburg 5-0.
The Norwegian scored Leipzig’s second goal and provided two assists, setting up Willi Orbán before creating Christopher Nkunku’s first goal since returning to the club. With one goal and two assists, Nusa was directly involved in three of Leipzig’s five goals.
After defeats against Werder Bremen and Como had increased the pressure around Martín Demichelis’ team, Nusa provided exactly the type of explosive performance Leipzig needed.
Yannik Engelhardt – Freiburg
Freiburg’s remarkable start continued with a 5-0 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach, but the performance of Yannik Engelhardt deserves particular attention.
The midfielder scored twice, opening the scoring in the 23rd minute before adding his second late in the match. Freiburg’s dominance was eventually reflected on the scoreboard as Igor Matanović also scored twice and Maximilian Eggestein completed the rout.
Engelhardt’s contribution from midfield highlighted the variety of attacking threats available to Julian Schuster as Freiburg maintained their perfect Bundesliga start.
Can Uzun – Eintracht Frankfurt
Can Uzun continues to demonstrate why he is one of the most exciting young attacking players in German football.
The 20-year-old scored twice as Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Mainz 3-1 away from home. Uzun opened the scoring after only nine minutes before adding his second on the hour mark, with Jonathan Burkardt scoring Frankfurt’s other goal shortly before half-time.
Under Adi Hütter, Uzun has the opportunity to become an increasingly important figure in Frankfurt’s attack. Performances like this suggest he is ready for that responsibility.
Felix Nmecha – Borussia Dortmund
Fabio Silva deserves credit for continuing his excellent start to the campaign, but Felix Nmecha ultimately decided Borussia Dortmund’s 3-0 victory against Paderborn.
With Dortmund leading only 1-0 entering the final stages, Nmecha scored twice in nine minutes to remove any possibility of a Paderborn comeback. Silva had opened the scoring in the fifth minute before Nmecha struck in the 80th and 89th minutes.
His brace provided another reminder that Dortmund’s goals do not necessarily have to come exclusively from their forwards.
Harry Kane – Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich’s visit to Elversberg proved considerably more complicated than many expected.
Lennart Karl gave Vincent Kompany’s side the lead, but Maurice Krattenmacher equalised after the break and suddenly the defending champions were facing the possibility of dropping points for a second consecutive Bundesliga match.
Then Harry Kane intervened.
With Manuel Neuer rested, Kane captained Bayern and scored the decisive goal in the 72nd minute, turning inside a crowded penalty area before finishing to secure a 2-1 victory. It was his first Bundesliga goal of the season.
It was not Bayern’s most convincing performance, but Kane once again demonstrated why he remains their reference point when matches become difficult.
Matchday 3 ultimately belonged to different types of protagonists. Nusa provided creativity and explosiveness, Engelhardt and Uzun delivered goals from midfield, Nmecha killed off Dortmund’s contest and Kane rescued Bayern when the champions needed their captain.
Three games into the season, several early storylines are already developing, and these five players ensured they were at the centre of them.
