Christian Gimenez scored two goals Sunday to put Hertha Berlin in first place in the Bundesliga after a 2-0 win over Schalke.
The Argentine striker, signed this year, scored in the 39th and 52nd minutes as Berlin jumped from 10th to first and capped a weekend of upsets by beating the second-place team.
Berlin took control of the match in the 30th, with its combination play delighting the 60,500 at the Olympic Stadium, the site of the World Cup final.
``The team played great today. It was a fantastic match in front of a fantastic backdrop,'' Berlin manager Dieter Hoeness said.
Eintracht Frankfurt added another upset with a 3-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen, handing the team its first loss.
Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen and Hamburger SV were among the teams that lost Saturday and gave Berlin a chance to top the table for the first time since Dec. 2, 2000.
Berlin leads FC Nuremberg on goal difference with both equal with eight points from four matches. Bayern Munich is one behind, joined by three others.
Schalke wasted several early chances or was thwarted by the saves of Berlin goalkeeper Christian Fiedler.
``We played football like we were asleep,'' Schalke's Fabian Ernst said. ``We should apologize to the fans for this performance.''
Schalke dropped Gerald Asamoah from the team for the match, alleging the Germany forward told teammates he would create ``problems'' for coach Mirko Slomka if he didn't start.
While Slomka called it a ``breach of trust,'' Asamoah defended himself.
``I have been here eight years and never have done anything to feel guilty about,'' Asamoah said. ``I didn't make a mistake this time either. I don't find the measures right and I feel hurt.''
Frankfurt won in league for the first time this season as Japan forward Naohiro Takahara levelled three minutes after Ahmed Madouni scored for Leverkusen.
Michael Thurk, fresh off a hat trick in the UEFA Cup, scored in the 70th and Patrick Ochs added another in the 84th.
``After that first goal, some of our players apparently thought we had already won,'' Leverkusen coach Michael Skibbe said.
Also, it was: Wolfsburg 1, Hannover 96 2; Werder Bremen 2, Stuttgart 3; Arminia Bielefeld 2, Bayern Munich 1; Borussia Dortmund 1, Hamburg 0; Energie Cottbus 2, Mainz 05 0; FC Nuremberg 1, VfL Bochum 1; and Alemannia Aachen 4, Borussia Moechengladbach 2.
