Berlin: Defending champion Bayern Munich ground out a hard-fought 2-0 win over Nuremberg to maintain its winning start to the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Franck Ribery met Philipp Lahm's cross with a fine header to break the deadlock in the 69th, and Arjen Robben sealed the result when he eluded three defenders and scored through the goalkeeper's legs in the 78th.
Bayern toiled to break down the Nuremberg defense, however, in what was the 187th derby between the sides.
"Nine points from three games. Everything's wonderful," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said. Schalke's poor season start continued with a 2-1 loss at Hannover, where the visitors finished with nine players and the hosts 10.
"Three games and only one point is definitely not we expect at Schalke," said the team's under-pressure coach Jens Keller. Bayer Leverkusen beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 4-2 to win eight Bundesliga games in a row for the first time.
Freiburg drew 3-3 at Hoffenheim, where three players and the Freiburg coach were sent off.
Wolfsburg midfielder Luiz Gustavo was sent off in a 2-0 defeat at Mainz, with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Nicolai Mueller scoring for the home side.
Later on the day the Bundesliga celebrated its 50th anniversary, Hertha Berlin defeated Hamburger SV 1-0 to increase the pressure on visiting coach Thorsten Fink.
"HSV would be a lot better if people calmed down a bit," Fink said after the game. Colombia forward Adrian Ramos scored in the 74th, stroking the ball in from close range after Nico Schulz burst into the Hamburg penalty area to set him up.
Hertha withstood the visitors' desperate efforts for an equalizer to ensure the club's best start to a Bundesliga season.
"It was a very close, exciting game, tight to the end. We had the luck to score the decisive goal," Hertha coach Jos Luhukay said.
Bayern coach Pep Guardiola opted to hand Mario Goetze his competitive debut for the side, with fellow off-season signing Thiago Alcantara also starting. Despite claiming three-quarters of the game's possession and outshooting the visitors 25-5, Bayern lacked the cutting edge to turn chances into goals.
"The defeat is merited. But we fought brilliantly and showed great spirit," Nuremberg coach Michael Wiesinger said.
His team came closest to scoring in the first half when Daniel Ginczek's fierce effort crashed back off the crossbar in front of the goal line in the 15th. David Alaba had the chance to score from the penalty spot in the 33rd — after Robben fell theatrically in a tussle for the ball with Per Nilsson — but Raphael Schaefer saved the Bayern defender's weak effort.
Bayern striker Mario Mandzukic was fortunate to avoid a red card for a dangerous challenge on Berkay Dabanli before the break. Schaefer pulled off several great saves, denying Mandzukic on the hour and then Goetze shortly afterward.
Ribery scored one minute after Goetze made way for Toni Kroos, prompting a wave of relief around the stadium. The Frenchman was shown a yellow card for taking off his jersey while celebrating his first header in 54 Bundesliga goals.
"That was strange," Ribery said with a grin. "Strange but super." Robben also scored an unusual goal, scoring with his right foot for just the third time in 47 Bundesliga goals.
"It was an important win. I'm satisfied, especially with the second half and the way we controlled the game," said Guardiola, whose side has now gone a club-record 28 league games without defeat.
Schalke faced an uphill battle at Hannover when captain Benedikt Hoewedes was sent off for conceding a penalty on Mame Diouf in the 14th. Szabolcs Huszti duly scored from the spot, and the Hungarian crossed for Diouf to score with a header in the 42nd.
Adam Szalai pulled one back in the 55th but it proved to be a consolation.
There was still time for Huszti to be sent off for a raised foot in the 74th, and Schalke defender Christian Fuchs to earn his second yellow in the 85th. In Leverkusen, Stefan Kiessling's 23rd-minute penalty put the home side ahead, five minutes before he pulled the ball back for Sidney Sam to make it 2-0. Martin Stranzl and Juan Arango pulled 'Gladbach level with two goals within three minutes.
But Sam grabbed his second on the hour mark, and then set up Gonzalo Castro to seal the result in the 72nd.
"We lost our concentration for 10 minutes and 'Gladbach were back in the game. The reaction after that was very good," Leverkusen coach Sami Hyypia said. Hoffenheim striker Sejad Salihovic was sent off after scoring his side's first goal from a penalty. TV replays showed the Bosnian slapped Julian Schuster's face as the Freiburg midfielder tried to recover the ball.
Freiburg's Francis Coquelin received two yellow cards in as many minutes before the break, when Christian Streich was sent to the stands for protesting, and Freiburg's Admir Mehmedi received a straight red card in the final minute.
