Aubameyang hits four, Bayern held
Ancelotti plays down Robben spat
PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG (pix) netted four goals yesterday as Borussia Dortmund routed bottom side Hamburg 5-2 away, while Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich drew 1-1 at home with Hoffenheim.
It was a fine result for Hoffenheim, who remain unbeaten this season under their 29-year-old coach Julian Nagelsmann.
But the day belonged to Aubameyang, who redeemed himself for a midweek indiscretion with four clinically taken goals as Dortmund won for the first time in five league games to go fifth.
Aubameyang had been suspended by coach Thomas Tuchel for Wednesday’s 1-0 Champions League win at home to Sporting Lisbon after he flew to Milan in a private jet with friends on Monday.
But all seems to have been forgiven in Hamburg as the Gabon striker celebrated his first goal with Tuchel amidst plenty of smiles.
‘Auba’ needed just 27 minutes to score his first three goals and hit his fourth after the break.
“I made a mistake and I had to apologise. I have already said ‘sorry’ to the team and the coach,” Aubameyang told Sky.
“I needed to render my services to the whole team and the coach, who I get on very well with.”
In Munich, Bayern were denied a sixth straight win by third-placed Hoffenheim, who preserve their unbeaten record this season.
Hoffenheim’s Kerem Demirbay beautifully timed his arrival in the box to smash Nadiem Amiri’s pass into the top-left corner on 16 minutes, but the lead did not last.
When Douglas Costa fired in a cross, Hoffenheim midfielder Steven Zuber deflected the ball between his own goalkeeper’s legs for an own goal on 34 minutes with Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski waiting at the far post.
Bayern saw their luck desert them as they fished for the winning goal.
Having beaten Tottenham Hotspur away in the Champions League in midweek, Bayer Leverkusen enjoyed a 3-2 win over Darmstadt with goals by Hakan Calhanoglu, Julian Brandt and Charles Aranguiz.
Wolfsburg shot up out of the relegation places to 13th with a 3-0 win in pouring rain at 10 man Freiburg as Germany striker Mario Gomez scored twice while Ricardo Rodriguez converted a late penalty.
Late goals from substitutes Raul Bobadilla and Halil Altintop gave Augsburg a 2-0 win at Ingolstadt.
Cologne dropped to sixth after suffering a 1-0 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt, the only goal coming from midfielder Mijat Gacinovic’s fifth-minute header.
On Friday, fourth-placed Hertha Berlin won 3-0 at home to jaded Borussia Moenchengladbach as Salomon Kalou scored a hattrick for his first goals since April. – AFP BAYERN MUNICH boss Carlo Ancelotti dismissed Arjen Robben’s sideline spat as just something “from the media” after the Dutchman was substituted in the Bundesliga leaders’ 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim.
Robben was replaced by French winger Kingsley Coman on 78 minutes and the Dutch winger stormed past Ancelotti when he was taken off, without making eye contact.
The 32-year-old is renowned for sulking when substituted and Ancelotti said there was nothing to be read from Robben’s body language.
“He played really well for 70 minutes and then I used a fresh player,” explained Ancelotti.
“Every time that I substitute Arjen Robben, a lot of people seem to think that there is a problem, but there isn’t one – at most, it’s from the media.”