Lewandowski equals long-standing record

BERLIN: Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski scored in his 11th consecutive home league match in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Schalke to equal the Bundesliga record.

The Poland striker, who now has 26 in all competitions, has netted in all of Bayern’s league games this season at the Allianz Arena. He equalled the record of Jupp Heynckes, Bayern’s head coach, who missed Saturday’s game with flu.

Heynckes also scored in 11 consecutive home games for Borussia Moenchengladbach in 1972/73.

Despite Lewandowski’s feat, Bayern captain Thomas Mueller scored the goal of the day in Germany to seal the win which restored Bayern’s 18-point lead as Schalke drop to sixth.

Mueller scored one of his finest goals in the famous red shirt on 36 minutes.

He sprinted onto a Arjen Robben pass in the area, but instead of passing inside as the defence expected, fired home from the tightest of angles past the despairing goalkeeper Ralf Faehrmann.

“It was bitter to concede the goals, especially the second,” admitted Faehrmann. “I thought it was going to be pulled back inside, but you can’t assume things like that against Mueller.”

Bayern have now won 21 of their last 22 games in all competitions.

Earlier, Belgium striker Michy Batshuayi, on loan from Chelsea, scored his third Bundesliga goal in two games in Borussia Dortmund’s 2-0 home win over Hamburg.

Dortmund signed the 24-yearold on loan for the rest of the season after selling top-scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal last month.

As promised, the Belgian celebrated with a somersault after scoring on his home debut.

The win left Dortmund third, a point behind second-placed RB Leipzig, who won 2-0 at home to Augsburg on Friday while Eintracht Frankfurt stormed up to fourth with a 4-2 thrashing of bottom side Cologne.