Leaders Leverkusen win as Bundesliga hails Beckenbauer

Bayer Leverkusen have started where they left off, as they resumed their Bundesliga season with another victory, a last-gasp 1-0 win at Augsburg through Exequiel Palacios.

The Argentina World Cup winner struck on 90 minutes to leave Xabi Alonso's side four points clear of champions Bayern Munich, who had returned from the mid-season break with a 3-0 home victory over Hoffenheim on Friday.

The champions Bayern, though, do also have a game in hand.

Like all Bundesliga matches this weekend, Saturday's game in Augsburg featured a minute's silence for one of the league's greatest players, Franz Beckenbauer, who died last Sunday.

Leverkusen are now unbeaten in 17 league games and are top at the halfway point of the season. They claim the unofficial "winter champions" moniker as they dream of a first-ever Bundesliga title.

Fourth-placed RB Leipzig came out of the mid-season break still in slumber, with Eintracht Frankfurt recording a 1-0 win in eastern Germany.

It was Leipzig's first home defeat of the league season despite dominating the chances.

Ansgar Knauff was Frankfurt's match-winner with his early finish from Niels Nkounkou's superb cross making all the difference.

Borussia Dortmund are now three points behind Leipzig in fifth after winning 3-0 at bottom side Darmstadt.

Julian Brandt's scuffed finish midway though the first half and a second-half goal from Marco Reus - set up by the returning Jadon Sancho - helped the Black and Yellows' seal a first league victory in five matches.

Youssoufa Moukoko added the third in stoppage time.

Dortmund, without the ill Mats Hummels, handed a starting debut to Chelsea loanee Ian Maatsen at left back while fellow new loan signing Sancho came off the bench for his Dortmund return.

The winger looked bright and calmly set up Reus despite having been banished from the Manchester United first team since September.

Third-bottom Mainz drew 1-1 with Wolfsburg, Freiburg and Union Berlin played out a 0-0 stalemate and new Cologne coach Timo Schulz began his reign with a 1-1 draw at home to Heidenheim. The hosts stayed second-bottom.

In Augsburg, Leverkusen on-song striker Patrik Schick could not break the deadlock despite the visitors having 24 attempts on goal.

Wortz was introduced to try to conjure up some magic yet it looked too late.

But then Alonso's men, also missing players due to the African Nations Cup, showed they were made of the stuff of champions.

Spain's Grimaldo, one of the signings of the season, passed to Palacios and his fellow midfielder rifled home.

Australian Associated Press