Bayern Munich captain Oliver Kahn admitted he was relieved at surviving a Hansa Rostock fightback as the German giants came away with a 2-1 win on Friday to open a three-point gap at the top of the Bundesliga.
This was the first German league game of the year after the six-week winter break and Bayern looked to be cruising having built a 2-0 halftime lead courtesy of goals from Franck Ribery and Luca Toni.
But Kahn's side made a nervous start to the second half as their defense leaked an early goal.
PHOTO: AP
"It was clear to us that it would become a combative game, as it proved early in the second half," Kahn said. "But we successfully shut them out and expectations on us are as high as always. In the first half, we showed we can deal with the pressure. It's always important to win your first game back after the winter break."
Having beaten Hansa 3-0 on the opening weekend of the season last August, Bayern struggled in the run-up to the winter break with two lifeless 0-0 draws against mid-table sides and had seen their six-point lead in October evaporate by last month.
But Bayern had their French midfield star Ribery to thank when he put them ahead by converting Ze Roberto's cross to beat Hansa goalkeeper Stefan Waechter on ten minutes.
PHOTO: AP
Toni and Miroslav Klose then both narrowly missed the target.
Italian World Cup winner Toni bagged his tenth league goal of the season -- and his 19th in all competitions for Bayern this season -- when he latched onto defender Willy Sagnol's pass and made it 2-0 on 42 minutes.
But Hansa pulled one back after the break when striker Enrico Kern broke down the right flank.
His shot beat Kahn, but not the post.
Christian Rahn then smashed the rebound onto the crossbar before Kern made no mistake with his second attempt on 52 minutes.
Hansa had the chance to draw level moments later when only a superb tackle from Ze Roberto denied midfielder Fin Bartels a clear shot on goal.
Toni then squandered a chance to put the game beyond doubt 10 minutes from time when he powered his way through the defense, but smashed his shot over the bar.
Bayern's win now puts pressure on their main title rivals, Werder Bremen, to pick up a win at home to strugglers VfL Bochum.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two