Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has resumed his duel with Robert Lewandowski to be the Bundesliga’s top scorer by netting twice in yesterday’s 2-1 win over Mainz on the opening weekend of the new season.
Aubameyang netted 25 league goals last season, finishing second to Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski’s 30 in the scorers’ charts, and the duo look set to lead the way again in 2016/17.
Lewandowski scored a hat-trick in Bayern’s 6-0 rout of Werder Bremen on Friday and his Borussia rival Aubameyang opened his account less than 24 hours later.
The Gabon star headed in a 17th-minute opener and then added a late penalty before Japan striker Yoshinori Muto pulled one back at the death for the visitors.
Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel was without Marco Reus, who was watching on in the stands as he recovers from a groin injury, but he started with three summer signings in his line-up.
He gave Bundesliga debuts to Spanish centre-back Marc Bartra, signed from Barcelona, and 19-year-old French winger Ousmane Dembele, brought in from Rennes, while ex-Bayern midfielder Sebastian Rode also started.
Aubameyang was unmarked at the far post to head in the opener from a cross from the left by Germany winger Andre Schuerrle.
He then doubled his tally on 89 minutes when Schuerrle was brought down in the area and the Gabon star converted the resulting penalty, before Muto set up a nervous ending with a header in the 92nd minute.
Elsewhere, VfL Wolfsburg also got off to a winning start with a 2-0 victory at Augsburg. Star off-season signing, Germany striker Mario Gomez — the Bundesliga’s top scorer over the last decade — was not included in the starting line-up as he regains his fitness after injury at Euro 2016. But his new team-mates picked up three points without him.
Wolves took the lead when Dutch striker Bas Dost fired across the face of goal and new signing Daniel Didavi lashed home a shot from the edge of the area on 35 minutes.
Swiss international left-back Ricardo Rodriguez then drove in a low free-kick on 89 minutes.
Cologne enjoyed a 2-0 win at Darmstadt as Marcel Risse and Anthony Modeste both netted for the hosts.
Hamburg were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Ingolstadt as US international Bobby Wood’s fine opening goal for the hosts was cancelled out by a late finish from Austria international Lukas Hinterseer.
Schalke 04 opened their season with a 1-0 defeat at 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt as captain Alex Meier scored the first-half winner.
There was plenty of second-half drama as Meier had a penalty saved before the hosts were reduced to 10 men when their Jamaica international centre-back Michael Hector was sent off for hauling down Schalke’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who was through on goal.