Bayern squeeze past Hamburg with late goal

Hernandez nets hattrick for Leverkusen as Werder score first win

Champions Bayern Munich needed an 88thminute winner by Joshua Kimmich to beat Hamburg SV 1-0 on Saturday and protect their three-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.

Strugglers Hamburg had battled hard to protect a goalless draw, hoping to end a three-game losing run, with goalkeeper Rene Adler making a string of saves before Kimmich drilled in a Franck Ribery cutback at the far post.

Three points ahead

The result lifted Bayern to 15 points, three ahead of second-placed Borussia Dortmund, who beat Freiburg 3-1 on Friday.

“It was an extremely difficult game for us, as expected,” said Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti. “Hamburg played with a lot of intensity and were well positioned. They made it hard for us. It was slightly different in the second half and we managed to use our chance in the end.”

Bayern, who take on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League next week, faced a determined Hamburg team, looking to turn around their disappointing start to the season.

Their first big chance came after an hour with Javi Martinez’s effort cleared on the line by Adler, who was also on hand to save a curled David Alaba free kick 10 minutes later.

Ancelotti brought on Ribery and the Frenchman added instant pace down the left wing but neither Thomas Mueller nor Robert Lewandowski could beat Adler from close range.

The keeper was finally beaten when Ribery launched another trademark run, cut across the goalmouth and Kimmich slipped in to score the winner to extend Bayern’s perfect start to the season with their fifth win in five matches.

Borussia Moenchengladbach climbed to fourth on 10 points after easing past Ingolstadt 2-0 for their tenth straight home win under coach Andre Schubert. Cologne, in third place on 10 as well, were to take on RB Leipzig yesterday.

Hertha Berlin conceded a stoppage time equaliser from Michael Hector to draw 3-3 at Eintracht Frankfurt and drop to sixth on 10.