HAMBURG, Germany (Kyodo) Red-hot Shinji Kagawa struck for the third straight game as the Japan midfielder keyed Borussia Dortmund's 3-1 victory over St. Pauli on Saturday.
Germany's defenders seem to have no answer in the early going of the Bundesliga season for Kagawa, who now has four goals in the first six games and kept his team three points behind leaders Mainz with its fifth win.
Mainz, which edged Bayern Munich 2-1, is on the maximum 18 points. Dortmund hosts Bayern next weekend.
"I didn't have to do much (for the goal)," said Kagawa, who is making a run at Naohiro Takahara's 11 goals with Frankfurt in 2006-2007, the most scored by a Japanese player in a European season. "I think everyone deserves credit for that one."
Kagawa also set up the opener in the 17th minute for Jurgen Klopp's side with a cross for Kevin Grosskreutz.