Mainz miss chance to knock Bayern off top

Mainz 05 wasted their chance to knock Bayern Munich off the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday as they crashed to a 4-1 defeat at Hanover 96. Defending champions Bayern stay top of the league despite dropping their first points of the season after being held to a 1-1 draw at Freiburg on Tuesday before their dramatic 5-4 win on penalties over Chelsea in Friday's UEFA Super Cup final. Mainz took a 12th-minute lead at Hanover through striker Nicolai Mueller, but Thomas Tuchel's side suffered their first defeat after three straight victories as Senegal striker Mame Diouf levelled before Poland forward Artur Sobiech put the hosts in front before the break. Hanover doubled their lead late on with Ivory Coast forward Didier Ya Konan and midfielder Edgar Prib both scoring in the last 10 minutes to leave Mirko Slomka's side fourth in the league, while Mainz drop to fifth. Elsewhere, struggling Hamburg picked up their first win of the season after two consecutive defeats with a 4-0 thumping of promoted Eintracht Braunschweig. Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart put Hamburg ahead in the seventh minute on their first attack before Cameroon striker Jacques Zoua doubled the lead on 17 minutes. Hamburg confirmed their first three points -- and Braunschweig's fourth straight defeat -- when 19-year-old Hakan Calhanoglu came on for Van der Vaart on 79 minutes to claim a brace. The talented Turkish teenager, signed from Karlsruhe in July, scored his first goals for his club in quick succession, including a stunning free-kick. Meanwhile, Borussia Moenchengladbach moved up to seventh as they romped to a 4-1 home win over Werder Bremen. Venezuelan winger Juan Arango opened the scoring on 36 minutes with a wonderful strike from the left and Gladbach then added three more in the second half, including one from German international forward Max Kruse. Norway midfielder Havard Nordtveit's 69th minute own-goal proved to be a mere consolation for Robin Dutt's Bremen, who have now lost two on the bounce. Wolfsburg enjoyed a 2-0 win at home to Hertha Berlin with Ivica Olic and Dieg on target, while Augsburg picked up their second straight win, following up a 2-1 win over VfB Stuttgart last weekend with a 1-0 success at Nuremberg thanks to a late goal from substitute Kevin Vogt. Stuttgart's defeat last weekend saw coach Bruno Labbadia sacked and so Thomas Schneider will be in charge for Sunday's visit of Hoffenheim, while Borussia Dortmund chase their fourth straight win at the start of the season when they travel to Eintracht Frankfurt. Source: AFP