The first round of the new Bundesliga season came to a close on Sunday with two matches. Paderborn made their top flight debut after earning promotion for the first time in club history last season, while Borussia Mönchengladbach faced Stuttgart, a team that narrowly avoided the relegation playoff last season.
Bundesliga scores: Mainz draws Paderborn on late penalty, Kramer saves Gladbach
Paderborn came ever so close to a win in their first game in the top flight, while Christoph Kramer saved a point for Gladbach in stoppage time.
Thomas Starke
Paderborn 2-2 Mainz
SC Paderborn's first ever match in the Bundesliga was a tough introduction to the top flight as the newcomers took the lead with three minutes left, only to concede a penalty deep in stoppage time. Shinji Okazaki put the visitors ahead in the 33rd minute, finishing off a lose ball after a free kick. Paderborn responded well, grabbing an equalizer five minutes later when Elias Kachunga beat Mainz goalkeeper Lorios Karius with a shot from outside the box.
In the 87th minute Uwe Hünemeier put a short range header past Karius to give Paderborn the lead, but it wouldn’t last. Mainz were awarded a rather dubious penalty in the final seconds of stoppage time and Ja-Cheol Koo converted to grab a point for Mainz.
Just when it looked like Stuttgart would pull off a road when against Mönchengladbach to open the season, Christoph Kramer came the rescue for the home side in stoppage time, grabbing an equalizer and a point for Gladbach. After a scoreless first half, Stuttgart took the lead in the 51st minute when Alexandru Maxim fired a low shot past Yann Sommer to put the visitors in front.
Gladbach had a goal disallowed for offside midway through the second half, but just when it looked like a loss was inevitable, Kramer popped up in the 90th minute with the equalizer.
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