Berlin. Jamie Gittens ensured Borussia Dortmund made a triumphant debut under new coach Nuri Sahin by beating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in the Bundesliga opener on Saturday.
The match was marked by protests by Dortmund fans against the club’s sponsorship deal with a German arms manufacturer.
Fares Chaibi had Frankfurt’s best chance of the game in the 71st minute, but the Algerian was slow to connect with Niels Nkounkou’s cross.
Gittens capitalised on a lower-risk situation in the reply. The 20-year-old English winger eluded a defender on the left side of the area before finishing from a tight angle.
Gittens sealed the match by finishing off a counterattack in the 90th minute.
After finishing runners-up last season with the most points in their history, Stuttgart started the new campaign with a 3-1 defeat at Freiburg. Leipzig held on after being sent off and beat Bochum 1-0.
Ermedin Demirović gave Stuttgart the lead against his former club with a bicycle kick in the second minute of play. But Sebastian Hoeness’s team found themselves stuck after that.
Freiburg, in their first match since the retirement of long-serving coach Christian Streich, responded with three goals to give new coach Julian Schuster a good start.
Bochum were unable to capitalise when Leipzig captain Willi Orban was sent off five minutes from time. Norwegian midfielder Antonio Nusa’s goal, on his Bundesliga debut, in the 59th minute was enough for Leipzig to emerge victorious.
Newly promoted Holstein Kiel suffered a 3-2 defeat at Hoffenheim. Augsburg also drew 2-2 with Werder Bremen and Mainz drew 1-1 with Union Berlin.
