Lewandowski strikes twice
Payet, Radonjic seal it for Marseille in France
Munich, Feb. 6: Robert Lewandowski scored two goals to take his season tally to 35 as Bayern Munich came from behind to beat Hoffenheim 4-3 on Wednesday and reach the quarterfinals of the German Cup.
Bayern are back on target to win the German domestic double again this season after retaking the lead in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
However, the win over Hoffenheim was marred by defensive errors which could prove costly if repeated against Bayern’s title rival Leipzig in the league on Sunday.
Bayern went behind to an own goal for the second cup game in a row when Jerome Boateng turned the ball into his own net in the eighth minute while trying to block a shot with his shin.
Four minutes later, it was the turn of Hoffenheim’s Benjamin Hubner to score an own goal by deflecting a cross past the goalkeeper with his knee to make it 1-1.
Thomas Muller put Bayern into the lead in the 20th off a cross from David Alaba. Lewandowski scored in the 36th and 80th minutes
Hoffenheim wasted a string of second-half chances, but Moanes Dabbur took advantage of mix-ups in Bayern’s defense to score two late goals which left Bayern under pressure. — AP
Paris, Feb. 6: Dimitri Payet scored a brilliant goal as second-placed Marseille claimed a 2-0 victory at Saint-Etienne on Wednesday to cut the gap to Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain back to 12 points although hundreds of their diehard fans were stopped from watching the game.
Andre Villas-Boas’ Marseille opened up a six-point lead over thirdplaced Rennes, who lost 10 at Lille on Tuesday, by bouncing back from successive goalless stalemates against Bordeaux and Angers.
The match was delayed by 15 minutes after clashes between the two sets of fans outside the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
According to firefighters and the Saint-Etienne prosecutors’ office, there were no injuries or arrests.
However, the game was played without visiting supporters — believed to number around 400 -- who left under police escort despite making a round trip of around 650km.
Payet gave Marseille a seventh-minute lead with a magnificent individual goal, shaping to cross before cutting onto his left foot and hammering
the ball past bewildered home goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier from what seemed an impossible angle.
The former West Ham United star has scored 10 goals in all competitions this season.
The away side made the points safe in the 85th minute, as Nemanja Radonjic drilled a fine
left-footed shot.
Earlier on Wednesday, Lyon failed to close the gap to the top three as they were held to a goalless draw at home by lowly Amiens. Rudi Garcia’s side sit sixth in the table, seven points adrift of Rennes, who occupy the third and final Champions League qualification spot. — AFP