The Malta Independent on Sunday
Bayern Munich underlines title credentials routing Cologne 5-1
Bundesliga top scorer Robert Lewandowski bagged another two goals as Bayern Munich routed Cologne 5-1 to end its two-game winless streak and consolidate its league lead on Saturday.
Lewandowski took his season tally to 28 as Bayern stayed two points clear of Leipzig, which beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-2 with an injury-time winner in the late game.
Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka, making his first league start since recovering from the coronavirus, lifted a cross for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to open the scoring in the 18th minute, then brilliantly set up Lewandowski in the 34th.
Goretzka received the ball from Lewandowski, turned and played the ball through Cologne defender Rafael Czichos' legs, and sent it to the right for Lewandowski to finish.
Defensive errors from David Alaba and Jérôme Boateng allowed Ellyes Skhiri to pull one back after the break as Cologne enjoyed an encouraging phase.
Bayern coach Hansi Glick sent on Thomas Müller and Serge Gnabry in the 64th. The former was making his comeback from the coronavirus and he needed less than a minute to set up Lewandowski's second goal.
Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer almost gifted Cologne a way back when he lost the ball to Dominick Drexler, but the midfielder's effort from a difficult angle went back off the post.
Gnabry sealed the result in the 82nd and wrapped up the scoring in the 86th.
LATE LEIPZIG
Alexander Sörloth scored in injury time to keep Leipzig on Bayern's heels. There were complaints from Gladbach that the Norwegian forward pushed Valentin Lazaro before reaching Christopher Nkunku's cross, but the goal was awarded after a VAR check.
Dayot Upamecano, who is joining Bayern next season, had a game to remember for Leipzig. The French defender conceded a penalty for a clumsy challenge on Breel Embolo in the fifth minute, but helped set up Yussuf Poulsen for 2-2 in the 66th.
Jonas Hofmann converted the penalty and Marcus Thuram headed Gladbach into an early 20 lead.
But the visitors offered little thereafter. Sörloth had a goal ruled out for handball before he set up Nkunku for Leipzig's first in the 57th. Poulsen's equalizer was deserved and Sörloth's winner rewarded the home team's perseverance.
It was Leipzig's fifth win in succession, while Gladbach slumped to its third defeat in three games since it was announced coach Marco Rose will take over Dortmund next season.
SCHALKE SHAMBLES
Schalke sporting director Jochen Schneider had to deny reports of mutiny within the squad before the struggling team lost in Stuttgart 5-1. Kicker and other media outlets reported several players asked for Christian Gross, already Schalke's fourth coach of the season, to be replaced.
The team's performance seemed to confirm the reports.
Japan midfielder Wataru Endo was left completely free to score his first two goals in the league, before more lackluster defending allowed Saša Kalajdžić to score in the 34th.
Sead Kolašinac answered for Schalke in the 40th, but substitute Nabil Bentaleb saw his weak penalty saved and Endo set up Philipp Klement for Stuttgart's fourth in the 88th. Daniel Didavi completed the rout in injury time.
"A very bitter defeat," said Gross, whose team remains last, nine points from safety with 11 rounds remaining. "I'm not giving up."
DORTMUND'S REVIVAL
Borussia Dortmund beat Arminia Bielefeld 3-0, and Hertha Berlin's winless streak stretched to nine games after losing at Wolfsburg 2-0.
Dortmund cut the gap on fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt to three points. The top four qualify
League.
Bielefeld's defeat was good news for Hertha, which lost despite a good performance in Wolfsburg. Only goal difference is keeping Hertha above Bielefeld in the relegation zone. for the
Champions
Messi scores, assists in Barcelona 2-0 win at Sevilla
Lionel Messi unlocked Sevilla's defense with a goal and an assist to finally give Barcelona a muchneeded victory over a first-class opponent on Saturday.
Messi's quick feet and vision, Ousmane Dembele's speed and finishing touch, and a defensive performance that Ronald Koeman called his team's best of this Spanish league marked the 2-0 win in Seville.
The victory lifted Barcelona past Real Madrid into second place, two points behind leader Atlético Madrid, which has two matches in hand.
Barcelona also halted Sevilla's climb up the standings by ending its six-round winning streak, keeping Julen Lopetegui's side in fourth place at eight points off the lead. A win by Sevilla would have moved it ahead of Barcelona and made it a firm title contender.
Equally as important, the victory boosted Barcelona's hopes of coming back from a 2-0 deficit when it hosts Sevilla next week in the return leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal.
"If we can overturn the tie on Wednesday, our entire season turns around," Barcelona's Gerard Pique said. "After playing like this at Sevilla, not giving them a single scoring chance, we are confident that we can do good things this season."
Barcelona struggled under Ronald Koeman during the coach's first two months in charge. But the former Barcelona defender has the team unbeaten in 15 straight rounds and on a seven-game winning run away from Camp Nou in the competition.
Still, his team had yet to beat a top rival in any competition -last week it lost to Paris SaintGermain 4-1 - until its strong showing at Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium.
Dembele opened the scoring in the 29th minute when Messi played him clear on a quick attack to end Sevilla's excellent defensive streak of five straight clean sheets in the league.
Hamrun Spartans gave an impeccable display yesterday against title challengers Gzira United to stay strong at the top of the standings, and oust the Maroons from the title race.
Trailing Hamrun by seven points, Darren Abdilla’s side is now out of contention leaving the title affair to a two-horse race, Hamrun and Hibernians, who cross swords next Saturday in the most important clash of the season.
Gzira had one favourable result result yesterday, that of beating the Spartans to reduce the gap. But frankly were always struggling against a better outfit.
Without Marcelina, Hamrun coach Mark Buttigieg opted from a three-man defence with French import Dielna joining Serrano Valero and Gojkovic.
On the flanks Hamrun can boost of the best two lateral defenders on the island, Joseph Mbong and Juan Corbalan, with both gibving a five star performance,
with the latter voted as the player of the match.
Gzira never settled down, and things got worse for them when on 27 minutes Hamrun broke the deadlock with a Sasere deflected shot beating Haber.
Gzira almost levelled matters on 35 minutes but Correa’s drive missied the base of the upright by a whisker.
Before the break Haber was outstanding when he blocked a point blank effort by Doumbia.
In the second half Gzira had long possession of the ball but the Spartans were never in danger.
With eleven minutes to go Hamrun sealed the issue when Soares crossed towards Dielna on the far post and the Frenchman
home.
In the remaining minutes Gzira thre everything forward and the Spartans defence had some rare anxious moments.
Then on 90 minutes the unexplained happened when Mbong anticipated Steve Borg, but the referee opted incredibly for the penalty which was converted by Martin Davis. first-timed beautifully