Freiburg left it late to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 away from home and claim their third straight win of the Bundesliga season on Friday.
Freiburg only avoided relegation by four points last season and looked set to endure another long campaign after losing to newly-promoted St Pauli on the opening day.
But they have found form in recent weeks and are now level with Hoffenheim and Mainz at the top of the Bundesliga table ahead of the rest of the weekend's games.
A goalless draw looked likely against Frankfurt as both teams were thwarted in their efforts to break the deadlock.
However, Jan Rosenthal fired home a winner for Freiburg with just one minute remaining following a fast break.
The result leaves Frankfurt with just three points from their first four games.
