Leverkusen thump Mainz to go top as Union lose again
Bayer Leverkusen went one point clear at the top of the Bundesliga after a 3-0 win at struggling Mainz although Bayern Munich can regain pole position later on Saturday.
Union Berlin meanwhile slumped to their fifth straight defeat of the season in all competitions. Leverkusen, who have claimed all points on offer in the league this season other than a 2-2 draw away at Bayern, took the lead after 18 minutes as wing-back Jeremie Frimpong forced Mainz defender Sepp van den Berg into an own goal.
Dead-ball specialist Alejandro Grimaldo doubled Leverkusen's lead with a pinpoint free-kick before Germany winger Jonas Hofmann scored a third to round out the win. Hofmann, who moved to Leverkusen in the summer having spent seven years at Borussia Moenchengladbach, now has three league and three assists in the league for his new club.
Mainz have just one point and are bottom of the table after six matches. Union Berlin's poor start to the season continued, losing 1-0 away at promoted Heidenheim thanks to a second-half goal from Jan-Niklas Beste.
Beste's free-kick deflected into the net midway through the second half, consigning Champions League participants Union to their fifth consecutive defeat in all competitions for the first time since 2004.