Bayern win streak stays at Dortmund
BERLIN: Champions Bayern Munich outclassed title rivals Borussia Dortmund 3-1 away on Saturday to go four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and stretch their perfect run under coach Jupp Heynckes to seven straight victories in all competitions.
Arjen Robben’s superb leftfooted effort put them ahead in the 17th minute and forward Robert Lewandowski added a second when he flicked in with a back heel for his 11th of the season.
David Alaba’s intended cross ended up in the back of the net in the 67th minute to seal the win before Marc Bartra grabbed a late consolation goal.
Bayern’s victory was their seventh straight in all competitions since Heynckes took over last month following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti, while Dortmund are in complete free fall, suffering their third loss in their last four league games.
Bayern, five points behind Dortmund only three weeks ago, are now top on 26 points, with RB Leipzig, 2-1 winners against Hanover 96, second on 22. Dortmund, who had won six of their first seven league matches, drop to third on 20.
“What an outstanding performances,” Heynckes, who had led Bayern to a treble of titles in 2013, told reporters. “Four weeks ago we could never have imagined that we would now be six points ahead of Dortmund and four of Leipzig.”
“This is something we worked on hard. I want to pay my compliments to the team. They were 100 percent motivated. We really wanted to win this.”
The match lived up to its top Bundesliga billing with an entertaining first half and with Bayern gradually taking control.
They constantly worked their way into the box and Dortmund’s Bartra was no match for speedy winger Kingsley Coman, who left the Spaniard in his wake.
Robben completed a fine move with a trademark shot to become Bayern’s all-time top foreign scorer with his 93rd league goal.
The hosts should have scored but were again let down by their bad finishing as Andriy Yarmolenko failed to convert when oneon-one with Bayern keeper Sven Ulreich and Shinji Kagawa scraped the post with a shot a little later. Instead it was Bayern who struck again with Lewandowski flicking in a Joshua Kimmich cutback in the 37th and Alaba’s cross floating past the Poland striker and keeper Roman Buerki into the net.
Four weeks ago we could never have imagined that we would now be six points ahead of Dortmund and four of Leipzig.
JUPP HEYNCKES , Bayern manager