Bayern Munich drew level on points with Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday with a 3-0 win over VfL Wolfsburg as Dutch winger Arjen Robben scored his third goal in consecutive games.
With Bayer drawing 1-1 with Bochum, Bayern’s eighth straight league win leaves Louis van Gaal’s side level with Leverkusen on 45 points and second only on goal difference.
Since joining Bayern from Real Madrid last August, Robben has now scored seven goals in 13 league games and with French playmaker Franck Ribery recovering from injury, the Dutchman is in top-class form.
“We began very well, but after taking a 2-0 lead we lost our concentration too easily,” van Gaal said.
Bayern got off to the ideal start when Robben, wearing red leggings after breaking Bundesliga rules in previous weeks by wearing grey ones, curled in his shot after two minutes as the Dutchman netted for the third week running.
Munich defender Daniel van Buyten, who turned 32 yesterday, scored his sixth league goal of the season — his second in successive games — with a header on 26 minutes to put Bayern in control against the defending champions.
Bayern extended their lead when Wolfsburg defender Andrea Barzagli found his own net on 57 minutes and, to add insult to injury, striker Grafite had his penalty saved by Bayern goalkeeper Hans-Joerg Butt on 66 minutes.
The Brazilian finally netted with time running out to leave his side 12th.
As Wolfsburg’s coach Lorenz Guenther Koestner, in charge since Armin Veh was sacked two weeks ago, admitted: “Bayern’s superiority caused my team a great deal of pain.”
A second-half equalizer cost Bayer Leverkusen three points as they drew 1-1 at VfL Bochum after the guests took the lead on the stroke of halftime when striker Eren Derdiyok fired home on 45 minutes.
Bochum hit back with a goal after a dream pass from former Schalke midfielder Lewis Holtby on 68 minutes found striker Zlatko Dedic, who coolly beat Leverkusen goalkeeper Rene Adler.
On Saturday night, VfB Stuttgart beat second-from-bottom Nuremberg 2-1 to go eighth in the table, with midfielder Roberto Hilbert hitting the 87th-minute winner.
Since succeeding Markus Babbel as Stuttgart coach in December, former Spurs boss Christian Gross has gone seven league games — eight in all competitions — without defeat and this was his fifth consecutive league win.
His side play Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League later this month.
Cologne are up to 11th after drawing 3-3 with Hamburg SV.
Germany defender Marcell Jansen opened the scoring for Hamburg with a goal after just two minutes, before Cologne’s defender Youssef Mohamad equalized on 31 minutes.
Hamburg striker Mladen Petric put his side back into the lead when he lifted the ball over Cologne goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon on 36 minutes, then drilled home a penalty for handball on 50 minutes, before Cologne fought back.
First Milivoje Novakovic netted a direct free-kick, then midfielder Adil Chihi equalized on 88 minutes.
The draw leaves Hamburg fourth in the table, nine points behind leaders Leverkusen. Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy made his eagerly awaited debut when he played the last minute for Petric.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim moved into seventh after their 2-1 win over Hannover 96, while SC Freiburg drew 0-0 with Schalke 04 to leave the Royal Blues third.
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