BERLIN: Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund dropped their first points of the season on Saturday with a 1-1 draw at Nuremberg.
Having won their first five league games, Dortmund stumbled as left-back Marcel Schmelzer’s first-half free-kick was canceled out by Nuremberg center-back Per Nilsson’s second-half strike.
Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp brought a weakened team with center-back Mats Hummels missing with a back injury.
Star striker Robert Lewandowski and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan started on the bench and were rested after Borussia’s 2-1 Champions League defeat at Napoli on Wednesday.
“We wanted to play a little better, but we can live with the point,” said Klopp before revealing both attacking midfielder Marco Reus and Schmelzer picked up injuries.
“Marcel has a hardening of his left thigh, we have to wait on him, while Marco has a heavily bruised thigh, which is extremely painful. It’ll be close as to whether they play on Tuesday,” Klopp added ahead of Dortmund’s German Cup second-round clash at second division 1860 Munich.
Dortmund remain a point clear at the top, but Bayer Leverkusen moved up to second place with a 4-1 win at Mainz 05.
Australia star Robbie Kruse scored two first-half goals, his first Bundesliga goals for Leverkusen since joining from Fortuna Duesseldorf.
The 24-year-old drilled home a pass from Germany winger Sidney Sam after 19 minutes, set up Sven Bender for Leverkusen’s second, then converted a pass from captain Simon Rolfes for Bayer’s third just before half-time.
The league’s joint top-scorer Stefan Kiessling then scored his fifth goal of the season when he headed home completely unmarked early in the second half, before Mainz midfielder Yunus Malli netted a late consolation.
The victory lifts Bayer over European champions Bayern Munich into second, but Pep Guardiola’s Bavarians are at Schalke 04 later.
Hanover 96 stay fourth after a 2-1 win at home to Ausgburg with Hungary midfielder Szabolcs Huszti netting an 89th-minute penalty.
After sacking coach Thorsten Fink last week in the wake of their 6-2 drubbing at Dortmund, Hamburg slumped to their fourth defeat of the season at home to neighbors Werder Bremen.
Ex-Bayern Munich striker Nils Petersen scored both of Bremen’s goals either side of half-time to compound their north German neighbors’ misery in a 2-0 defeat.
Before the game Hamburg’s director of sport Oliver Kreuzer confirmed ex-Holland coach Bert van Marwijk has been approached to replace Fink with Rodolfo Cardoso the current caretaker coach.
Wolfsburg moved up to sixth with a 2-1 win at home to Hoffenheim as Croatia’s ex-Bayern striker Ivica Olic scored both Wolves goals.
Hoffenheim took the lead when French striker Anthony Modeste pounced on a mistake in the Wolves defense and fired home with a quarter of an hour gone.
Wolfsburg came back with two goals in four minutes either side of half-time as Olic fired home from close range for both.
Dortmund stays top despite Nuremberg draw
