Borussia Dortmund looked to have recovered from a brilliant early Darmstadt goal, but had to settle for a single point after a stellar effort from the newly promoted side.
Careless defending gives the visitors an early lead
Dortmund started as expected, racing out of the gate and bearing down on the visitors from the first whistle. Henrikh Mkhitaryan had the first real chance of the game, a powerful shot from the edge of the box ran wide of the post, giving 'keeper Christian Mathenia a taste of things to come.
Dortmund's forward play left them exposed, however, and it wasn't long before Darmstadt took advantage. A sublime pass up the left wing from Konstantin Rausch was picked up by Jerome Gondorf, who swung it perfectly into the box and onto the boot of Marcel Heller. The winger fired a world-class volley into the left of Roman Bürki's goal, leaving the Swiss keeper rooted to the spot as the ball shot past him.
The hosts were quick to resume their assault, with several good chances created over the remainder of the half. A good cross from Marco Reus was only narrowly missed by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, to visible disappointment from his team. This was followed minutes later by another from Mkhitaryan, this time just beyond Aubameyang's reach.
Youngster Julian Weigl also had a shot on goal - a well-struck effort from range was met by the gloves of Mathenia and safely cleared away.
Despite continued efforts by Dortmund to push forward, Darmstadt refused to be intimidated, defending well and pushing back on the counter whenever possible.
A free kick in the final minute of the first half looked to be a good chance for Dortmund; Reus's ball in was well placed for Aubameyang, but again the visitors' defence proved to be too solid and the ball was safely cleared.
Record-breaker Aubameyang turns the game around
The second half looked to be a similar story to the first, Dortmund were again pressing forward, looking for any kind of gap in the Darmstadt defense.
It seemed only a matter of time before one team conceded, and it was the hosts that finally got the breakthrough they had been looking for. A looping ball over to the edge of the Darmstadt box was caught by Matthias Ginter, flicked in to Aubameyang and hit home to level the game at 1-1. Not only was this Aubameyang's eighth goal of the season, it extended his incredible Bundesliga record of goals in opening matches, having now scored in all seven of his matches this season.
The goal seemed to reinvigorate Thomas Tuchel's side and it wasn't long before Dortmund were in front. A great through ball from substitute Adnan Januzaj was chased down by Aubameyang and fired towards the right of Mathenia's goal. Despite the keeper getting a toe to the ball, there was enough power to carry it into the roof of the net and give the home fans something to cheer about.
Darmstadt's patience rewarded
Darmstadt were down but not out, and a free kick proved to be the opportunity they needed to level the score. A long ball from the halfway line was knocked back into the path of team captain Aytac Sulu, who kept his composure and slotted the ball past Bürki to level the game and save a point for the visitors.
Tuchel's men were visibly disappointed with the result and will no doubt be looking for better in next week's clash with league leaders Bayern München. A single point today leaves a 4 point gap between the two teams, and Dortmund will have to be on top form if they hope to narrow it.