Scorpion kick, flares and late Hamburg win in derby; Dortmund smile

Substitute Yussuf Poulsen grabbed the winner with his first SV Hamburg goal after Luka Vušković's stunning scorpion kick in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Werder Bremen on Sunday.

The first Bundesliga Northern derby since 2018 will live long in the memory after a roller-coaster clash full of drama and tensions, which occasionally boiled over.

Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 home win over fifth-placed Hoffenheim in the rain was much more serene.

The hosts cut the gap to second-placed RB Leipzig to just a point after Julian Brandt and Nico Schlotterbeck, linked with a move away in the media, scored either side of the interval.

Over in Hamburg, Dane Poulsen has struggled for game-time since his move from RB Leipzig but expertly fired in a first time shot on 84 minutes to endear himself to home fans.

"It can't get better than that," he told DAZN. "Players love a game like this."

Fellow Dane Jens Stage had given visitors Bremen the lead on half-time when he struck from the edge of the area. Hamburg had lost the ball up-field and Romano Schmid quickly countered.

Hamburg played better in the second half and a shout for a penalty was turned down before Belgian Albert Sambi Lokonga slid in a leveller.

The bargain signing from Arsenal used his quick feet to score his third of the season after Bremen failed to clear a ball into the box.

Vušković then hooked in a deep free-kick with a remarkable piece of skill, back-heeling the ball in mid-air behind his back and into the goal.

Bremen almost immediately burst up the other end and Schmid was again the creator for Hamburg-born Justin Njinmah to neatly control and finish on 78 minutes.

But Hamburg, who snatched a late victory over VfB Stuttgart last weekend, again had the last laugh and are 13th - just two places and a point below Bremen.

The final whistle prompted an unsavoury bench-clearing as both sets of players and coaching staff grappled with each other, before sense prevailed and Hamburg went to celebrate in front of their jubilant fans.

The Bundesliga has very few derbies compared to England, Spain and Italy so players and fans were determined to make a spectacle - for good and bad reasons.

The second half was delayed by fans setting off smoky flares and throwing small firecrackers onto the field. They eventually calmed down after players had stood around on the pitch for several minutes.

Bundesliga supporters have been protesting for weeks about government plans to bring in tighter security measures for stadiums. It was unclear if the disorder was due to this, Hamburg going behind or just over-excited derby fever.

The duo last met in the second division in the 2021-22 season, with the away side winning both encounters.

Now two of Germany's biggest football rivals are together again in the big time after Hamburg's promotion last season.

The Volksparkstadion was rocking long before kick-off, despite Hamburg coming off the back of losing on penalties at home in the German Cup last 16 to other northern team Holstein Kiel in midweek. Dortmund also lost in the Cup to Bayer Leverkusen.

On Saturday, clear leaders Bayern Munich thrashed Stuttgart 5-0 away after Harry Kane scored a hat-trick as a substitute.