Serhou Guirassy and Hiroki Ito among international stars to shine on brilliant Bundesliga weekend
The Bundesliga has long been home to some of the greatest talents in the world, but several international stars truly stole the limelight last weekend. From super Serhou Guirassy's four-goal scoring exploits for Borussia Dortmund, Hiroki Ito's first strike for Bayern Munich and more, we recap a memorable matchday for some big global names.
Serhou Guirassy
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Country: Guinea (22 caps, nine goals)
There are great weekends - and then there are Guirassy weekends....
The top scorer in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League exhibited his formidable finishing ability on the Bundesliga stage with as many as four goals in a big 6-0 win for Dortmund over Union Berlin.
Watch: Guirassy steals the show as Dortmund demolish Union Berlin
The four strikes came from a total of eight shots, while Guirassy scored a very special kind of hat-trick, known in Germany as a lupenreiner Hattrick, with three goals within eight second-half minutes without any other player netting in between. Small wonder then that after the match new Dortmund coach Niko Kovač called the Guinea international, who now has 13 Bundesliga goals this season, "world class."
Hiroki Ito
Club: Bayern Munich
Country: Japan (19 caps, one goal)
While Bayern signed Ito from last season's runners-up VfB Stuttgart in the summer for his steely defensive ability rather than his goal threat, he showed the Allianz Arena faithful in his first Bundesliga start at home for his new side that he is not lacking in that regard when called upon.
Watch: Ito scores first Bayern goal as leaders beat Frankfurt
Want more Bundesliga Action?
The 6'2'' defender lashed a loose ball from a corner into the net in the 61st minute for a vital second goal as Bayern went on to win 4-0 and maintain their eight-point lead at the top of the table. Having missed the whole season until recently due to a foot injury, Ito offfers an ideal extra element to aid Vincent Kompany's Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League title ambitions in the coming months.
Amine Adli
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Country: Morocco (14 caps, one goal)
Having played a full part in Leverkusen's historic double win last season, Adli has faced an injury-disrupted 2024/25 campaign. The Morocco international promptly made up for lost time on his first start since October in Kiel last weekend, however.
Watch: Adli scores and assists in win at Kiel
Adli piroutted around the Kiel penalty area before sending a perfect cross for Patrik Schick to bundle the champions into an early lead, and then raced onto a Florian Wirtz ball and hit a delightful little chip to double the advantage himself. Leverkusen managing director for sport Simon Rolfes was understandably full of praise for Adli's performance and added: "He is a great guy who is incredibly popular within the team and has his heart in the right place."
Jae-sung Lee
Club: Mainz
Country: South Korea (94 caps, 13 goals)
Since joining Mainz from Holstein Kiel in 2021, Lee has been a consistent performer regardless of where the 05ers have found themselves in the table. As Bo Henriksen's team go in search of a maiden Champions League qualification, the South Korean continues to have a decisive impact.
Watch: Lee's impact off the bench against St. Pauli
The 32-year-old was only brought on at half-time as Mainz were being held at home by relegation battlers St. Pauli, but he directly contributed to both goals in his team's ultimate 2-0 victory. First, Lee pounced on Nikola Vasilj's spill from close range to put his side in front, before releasing goalscorer Paul Nebel with a pinpoint through ball for the second deep into injury time. The result leaves Mainz just one point behind Freiburg in fourth, with this match-winning display reminiscent of Lee's similar performance on Matchday 14 when he scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Bayern Munich.
Gift Orban
Club: Hoffenheim
Country: Nigeria
Orban was a January signing from French outfit Lyon with Hoffenheim struggling to find the back of the net. The Nigerian has settled in well in Sinsheim, though, and he was again on the scoresheet this past weekend as Hoffenheim picked up a credible point against European-chasing VfB Stuttgart.
Watch: Orban snatches point against Stuttgart
The Swabians were the dominant force throughout, but Orban's clinical touch allowed Hoffenheim to score one of their only two shots on target in the match. Receiving the ball from Andrej Kramarić, the 22-year-old coolly cut inside Maximilian Mittelstädt before burying past Alexander Nübel with aplomb for his fourth goal in seven Bundesliga appearances since his arrival. For context, only Kramarić and Adam Hložek have more for the club this term.
Ritsu Dōan
Club: Freiburg
Country: Japan (55 caps, 10 goals)
Freiburg registered their biggest win of the season on Matchday 23 as they hammered Werder Bremen 5-0, and Dōan did not miss out on the chance to boost his goalscoring tally as he netted his first brace of the season.
Watch: Dōan's double for Freiburg against Bremen
With the score at 3-0, the Japan international added extra gloss to proceedings. After slotting low into the corner from the edge of the box, he was found in the middle by Jan-Niklas Beste and prodded into the corner in injury time - both were first-time efforts. Dōan now has eight Bundesliga goals this season - a career high - and, along with Vincenzo Grifo, is Freiburg's most dangerous outlet as they aim to finish in the top four.
Related news
Serhou Guirassy named Player of the Month!
The Borussia Dortmund striker takes the prize for February after an impressive month in front of goal.
Why Freiburg can finish in the top four
The Black Forest club currently occupy fifth in the standings and are well-placed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time...
Guirassy: "I'm not a born goalscorer"
The Dortmund forward has scored prolifically in the Bundesliga and Champions League this season in a career-best campaign, but the late bloomer insists "I'm not surprised."