Bayern extend Bundesliga lead
berlin — Bayern Munich left it late to beat Ingolstadt 2-0 and open a seven-point lead with its main rivals dropping points in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Second-placed Leipzig was beaten 3-0 at home by Hamburger SV, third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt was defeated by the same score to Bayer Leverkusen, and fourthplaced Borussia Dortmund lost 2-1 at bottom club Darmstadt.
Bayern, which hosts Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday, looked to be laboring toward its second straight league draw after an uninspiring performance before Arturo Vidal struck in the final minute and Arjen Robben added another in injury time.
With just one Bundesliga goal so far after scoring 32 in all competitions last season, Thomas Mueller’s disappointing season epitomizes the club’s unexpected dip in form. But the Germany forward crossed for Vidal to score from close range, and Robben played a one-two with fellow substitute Douglas Costa to seal it.
Robert Lewandowski and Mueller had come closest for the side in the first half and Lewandowski struck the post in the second. Ingolstadt remains second last. Schalke was hosting Hertha Berlin later Saturday.
Leipzig slumped to its first defeat at home in the Bundesliga after an impressive performance from relegation-threatened Hamburg.
The on-loan Kyriakos Papadopoulos, who claimed the winner against parent club Bayer Leverkusen last weekend, opened the scoring with a thumping header to a corner at Leipzig. Papadopoulos first joined Leipzig on loan from Leverkusen before switching to Hamburg in the winter transfer period.
Walace claimed the second from another corner from Nicolai Mueller in the 24th for the Brazilian’s first Bundesliga goal. Again, Papadopoulos was in the thick of the action.
Mueller set up Aaron Hunt to seal the victory in injury time as Hamburg left the relegation zone.
Sky TV reported before the game that Leverkusen’s board of directors had decided to fire Roger Schmidt regardless of today’s result, but the coach’s position will be strengthened after a comprehensive defeat of high-flying Frankfurt.
Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez opened the scoring early with a volley after Kai Havertz eluded four Frankfurt defenders and the rebound from an attempted clearance fell kindly for the Mexico striker.
Another volley made it 2-0 after the hour-mark. Karim Bellarabi didn’t let Kevin Kampl’s cross touch the ground and neither did Chicharito for his second goal. —