BERLIN: Japan forward Keisuke Goto’s late header fired ten-man Freiburg to the top of the German Bundesliga table with a 2-1 win over Schalke on Sunday.

Goto’s 85th minute winner saw Freiburg leapfrog Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund into first place, after his compatriot Yuito Suzuki was sent off in the second half.

Maximilian Eggestein headed Freiburg in front from a corner early on and the hosts looked to be in full control of the game until the half-hour mark.

Schalke then hit back through a corner of their own, debutant Adrian Gantenbein smashing a loose ball in via a deflection.

Vincenzo Grifo picked out Goto with a curling cross into the box, and the 21-year-old nodded the ball past Schalke goalkeeper Loris Karius.

Earlier on Sunday, Borussia Moenchengladbach remained rock bottom of the table after a 2-1 defeat to local rivals Cologne.

It was the hosts who struck first thanks to a spectacular goal from Isak Bergmann Johannesson.

Johannesson pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the area after a Cologne free-kick, curling the ball into the top corner with an elegant, side-footed volley.

US international Joe Scally headed in an equaliser shortly before half time. In the 66th minute, El Mala cut inside on the edge of the area and rifled the ball into the bottom corner.

In Saturday’s late game, RB Leipzig rampaged to a 6-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt thanks to a Christopher Nkunku hat-trick.

Goals from Ezechiel Banzuzi and Nkunku put Leipzig 2-0 up within five minutes. Nkunku added two more on the stroke of half time. Antonio Nusa swept in a fifth after the break and Tidiam Gomis added a sixth late in the game.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2026