Bayern extend Bundesliga lead
GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany, Jan 24, (AP): Bayern Munich extended their German league lead to seven points as Robert Lewandowski scored for the eighth Bundesliga game in a row to earn a 4-0 win over last-place Schalke on Sunday.
After title rivals Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund all lost earlier in the weekend, three assists from Joshua Kimmich took Bayern a step closer toward what would be their record-extending ninth consecutive Bundesliga title.
Kimmich put Bayern on track for the win with a superb 33rd-minute cross which left Thomas Müller needing only a simple headed finish to score the opening goal. Kimmich also set up Lewandowski in the 54th when the Polish striker beat defender Ozan Kabak before scoring his 23rd goal in 17 Bundesliga games this season.
Müller headed in another goal in the 89th off a Kimmich free kick, and David Alaba made it 4-0 soon after from long range.
Bayern had goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to thank as the team recorded back-to-back shutouts in the league for the first time this season. Neuer made a series of saves in the first half and showed fast reactions to parry an angled header from Mark Uth in the 11th as Schalke threatened to score first.
Despite Bayern’s two late goals, it was a far closer game than Bayern’s 8-0 hammering of Schalke on the opening day of the season in September, testament both to Schalke’s recent improvement under new coach Christian Gross and to Bayern’s own
dip in form, with two rare defeats this month.
The German and European champions’ punishing schedule will only intensify next month with a trip to the Club World Cup in Qatar and a Champions League last-16 game against Lazio.
Schalke are last in the league with seven points from 18 games and are 10 points from safety as it battles deepseated financial problems worsened by the coronavirus pandemic. They have lost all three games since a hat trick from U.S. striker Matthew Hoppe led the team to a 4-0 win over Hoffenheim on Jan. 9 – the club’s first league win in nearly a year.
Improving Monaco beat Marseille 3-1 in the French league for a fifth win in six games, while the struggling visitors slipped to a fourth straight defeat despite taking an early lead.
After defender Guillermo Maripan equalized for Monaco, midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni headed in the second goal and forward Stevan Jovetic thumped in a superb angled free kick in the last minute to complete what ended up as a comfortable win.
Arkadiusz Milik started on the bench for Marseille after joining on loan from Italian club Napoli.
The Poland striker, who signed an 18-month deal late Thursday night, scored 48 goals in four seasons for Napoli but had not featured for the Italian club during this campaign.
Marseille took a deserved lead in the 11th minute when winger Nemanja Radonjic chased a long ball out of defense, sprinted clear down the left flank and finished confidently from close range.
For much of the first half Marseille looked the better side, but familiar frailties resurfaced.
Maripan headed in the equalizer from a corner just after the break, with Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda rooted to the spot as the ball sailed into the top corner.