SC Paderborn 07's rise to the top of the Bundesliga was the story nobody could have anticipated when the season kicked off.
After a Saturday slate of games that saw Bayern Munich held 0-0 by struggling Hamburger SV and Borussia Dortmund fall, 2-0, at FSV Mainz 05, the unheralded newboys are alone as leaders on goal-difference after posting a 2-0 victory over Hannover 96.
Mainz, Hoffenheim and Bayern come after them, all on eight points, but none can match Paderborn's plus-five difference.
To add to the unexpected tale, Paderborn next goes to Bayern Munich for a Tuesday contest that will have first place on the line. Fancy anybody predicting that when the Bundesliga kicked off a month ago.
Goals from Elias Kachunga and Moritz Stoppelkamp gave manager André Breitenreiter's Bundesliga debutants their victory and first place. Hoffenheim, after a 2-0 win at VfB Stuttgart, has a plus-four difference. Bayern is plus-three.
Shinji Okazaki and a Matthias Ginter own goal did the job for Mainz as Dortmund, which lost for the second time in four matches and looked nothing like the side that dismantled Arsenal in midweek. Even when Juergen Klopp brought on Henrykh Mkhitaryan and Ciro Immobile as 60th minute subs, the Borussia attack rarely looked like its fluid self.
Adrian Ramos was the victim of some solid Mainz defending and failed to take some good chances while Milos Jojic failed to get any purchase on his 31st minute shot after some good work from Shinji Kagawa. Ramos hit the right post from a Lukasz Piszczek run and cross in the 39th minute. then had a good look charged down in the 53rd. It was that kind of night for the visitors.
Mainz went in front as a result of excllent work by Jairo Samperio. The substitute first controlled a long clearance from keeper Loris Karius, then turned past three defenders before laying the ball off. He continued his run and when the return pass found him heading to the right byeline, he got past Sokratis and laid over a perfect cross for Shinji Okazai to slide and score in the 66th minute.
Drama came a minute later: Okazaki slid to block a Ciro Immobile drive only to handle, but Karius then guessed the right way and saved Immobile's penalty at his right-hand post.
Mainz then completed the job with Jairo again carving out space on the right. This time his cross was deflected by Ginter for a 74th minute own goal.
So, at least for the moment, it's Paderborn that's the talk of the town.
The newcomers, who have now won two and drawn two in its first season in the top flight, finally got on top in the 71st minute when Kachunga closed fastest at the far post to a Uwe Hunemeier cross from the left.
They wrapped it up in fittingly storybook fashion when Stoppelkamp scored into an open net from all of 80 yards away in the third stoppage minute after Hannover had thrown everyone, including goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler forward in search of a last-minute equalizer.
Bayern could have gone top with a win at struggling Hamburger SV, but the team that started the day in last place produced a major effort for acting manager Josef Zinnbauer and came away with the scoreless draw.
Bayern started without the likes of Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Mario Goetze and never seemed to find its true rythmn even when Robert Lewandowski was sent on as a 66th minute substitute. Thomas Mueller nearly won it in the closing minutes but a good recovery tackle from Johan Djourou prevented any reapt of Bayern's last-minute Champions League dramatics.
HSV may breathe easier with their second point of the season but still has not scored a goal this season.
Hoffenheim got goals from Anthony Modeste, heading in Sebastian Rudy's cross in the 15th minute, and Tarik Elyounoussi, with an open net finish in the 85th, to send VfB Stuttgart to the bottom of the table with just one point from four matches.
Struggling Schalke sits in the relegation zone as well after managing a 2-2 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt that actually could have been worse. The misery continued early for Schalke, whose 1-1 Champions League draw at Chelsea in midweek belied their league form. Alexander Meier, tapping in a rebound of a Ralf Faehrmann save in the 16th minute, and Marco Russ, ghosting past two defenders before hitting the opposite corner from 15 yards eight minutes later, had Eintracht 2-0 ahead before the 25-minute mark.
Schalke started their comeback when Slobodan Medojevic, sliding to cut out a Julian Draxler cross, allowed them back into in the 40th minute. His handling giving Maxim Choupo-Moting the opportunity to chip his penalty kick straight down the middle and Draxler then leveled matters in the 50th minute when he headed home from a Coupo-Maxim cross.
But Schalke had to survive the final 28 minutes short-handed, first Kevin-Prince Boateng collecting a second yellow card, then Draxler seeing straight red for a retaliatory kick-out at Carlos Zambrano. Medojevic was also sent off with a second yellow in the closing stages as the match finished with both teams short.
In the other afternoon affair, Augsburg came out on top of six-goal battle at home, defeating Werder Bremen 4-2. Tobias Werner scored the winner with a 77th minutre header after Francisco Caiuby's drive hit the crossbar and rebounded for the diving finish. Werner then set up Tim Matavz in stoppage time for the clinching goal.
Daniel Baier and Paul Verhaegh -- a penalty -- also scored for the winners while Davie Selkie gave Bremen a third-minute lead and Franco DiSanto scored from a 56th minute penalty to level matters before Werner decided the issue.
Sunday's program has Bayer Leverkusen at VfL Wolfsburg and 1. FC Cologne home to Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Leverkusen currently fifth on seven points, could climb over the top four with a victory, while Gladbach could move onto eight points with a triumph.
