Hamburg top table after day of come-backs

SV Hamburg moved to the top of the German Bundesliga on Saturday after coming from two goals down to beat a ten-man Bayer Leverkusen 3-2.

Hamburg are on 10 points, two more than Bayern Munich, Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund, who clawed their way back from three goals down to draw 3-3 against a nine-man Schalke side.

It was the first time in Germany in eight years that a team managed to come from 3-0 down to draw a game.

In Hamburg Tranquillo Barnetta and Patrick Helmes gave the visitors a two goal lead within the first 24 minutes, but Paolo Guerrero pulled one back in the 36th minute.

Worse was to follow for Leverkusen as Manuel Friedrich was sent off five minutes from the break.

Ivica Olic equalized for Hamburg six minutes after the restart before Mladen Petric scored the winner in the 72nd minute.

Schalke were leading 3-0 in the 67th minute at Borussia Dortmund, but Neven Subotic then pulled one back for the home side. Three minutes later Swiss international Alexander Frei scored his side's second.

Schalke then had Christian Pander sent off in the 73rd minute and Fabian Ernst three minutes later.

Dortmund then pushed forward against the nine men and were rewarded for their efforts a minute from time when they were awarded an unjustified penalty for a handball and Frei made no mistake from the spot.

Bayern Munich moved into second place in the table with a 3-0 lead at Cologne. Italian striker Luca Toni scored two goals in the second half before former Cologne striker Lukas Podolski added a third.

Werder Bremen finally won their first game of the season, scoring three times in eight minutes late in the second half to beat Energie Cottbus 3-0.

VfB Stuttgart were held to a goalless draw at Hoffenheim, while Hertha Berlin and VfL Wolfsburg played to a 2-2 draw in the capital.

Sunday's matches sees Hanover at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach, while VfL Bochum face Arminia Bielefeld. Friday's game between Eintracht Frankfurt and SC Karlsruhe was postponed after the field was deemed unplayable.