A 90th-minute Robert Lewandowski goal saw 10-man league leaders Bayern Munich earn a dramatic 2-1 win at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday despite conceding the joint fastest goal in German Bundesliga history.
The Poland striker sealed the champions’ comeback after Germany Under-21 striker Kevin Volland had opened the scoring with nine seconds gone, darting onto David Alaba’s loose pass and drilling his shot home at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena.
Volland’s super early goal matched the record set by Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s Karim Bellarabi on the opening day of last season at Borussia Dortmund.
Photo: Reuters
However, Bayern equalized when a Douglas Costa shot rocketed off the hands of Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann and Thomas Mueller jabbed home the rebound with his knee on 40 minutes.
Hoffenheim wasted the chance for an historic first win over Bayern at the 15th attempt when Eugen Polanski blasted his penalty attempt off the post after Jerome Boateng’s handball saw the Germany international sent off for a second yellow card on 72 minutes.
Bayern claimed the dramatic winner when Brazil winger Costa fired in a superb cross, Mario Goetze let the ball roll and Lewandowski drilled home his shot.
“I’m happy with the win and, above everything with the performance,” said Bayern’s relieved coach Pep Guardiola, who read his side the riot act on the sidelines in the first half.
The result kept Bayern top of the table having routed Hamburg SV 5-0 on the opening weekend.
“I find it hard to find the right words, because we are all so disappointed,” Hoffenheim coach Markus Gisdol said. “I have to pay my team a huge compliment, they had Bayern Munich on the verge of defeat.”
Bayer Leverkusen are second after a 1-0 win at Hanover 96 also left them with two wins.
Dead-ball specialist Hakan Calhanoglu’s 18th-minute free-kick sealed the win to give Leverkusen a boost before Wednesday’s Champions League play-off qualifier, second-leg, at home to SS Lazio, who they trail 1-0 after the first leg.
Belgian attacking midfielder Kevin de Bruyne started what could be his last match for last season’s runners-up VfL Wolfsburg in a 1-1 draw with Cologne.
The 24-year-old, despite having said earlier in the week he would be staying with Wolfsburg for this season, is reported to have agreed terms with Manchester City and would earn £200,000 (US$313,890) per week in the English Premier League, if his present club accept Man City’s improved offer of £55 million.
Hosts Cologne took the lead when striker Simon Zoller lobbed Wolfsburg goalkeeper Koen Casteels on the half-hour mark.
However, Wolfsburg, who are fifth, equalized when ex-Arsenal and Juventus striker Nicklas Bendtner tapped home a Daniel Caliguri cross at the far post on 83 minutes to ensure they shared the points.
Schalke 04, who routed Werder Bremen 3-0 on the opening weekend of the season, are third in the table after their 1-1 draw at newly-promoted SV Darmstadt 98.
Die Konigsblauen fell behind after 18 minutes when midfielder Konstantin Rausch slotted his shot into the top right-hand corner from outside the area.
Germany international Julian Draxler, who has been linked to a move to Italian champions Juventus, equalized for Schalke when the left winger fired home on 47 minutes after converting Franco di Santo’s pass.
Hamburg moved up to ninth with a 3-2 win at home to ten-man VfB Stuttgart as their ex-Arsenal defender Johan Djourou scored the 89th-minute winner after Stuttgart right-back Florian Klein was sent off for a second booking in as many minutes.
Hertha Berlin had briefly led the table on Friday night after their 1-1 draw at home to Werder Bremen when Valentin Stocker’s goal was canceled out by Anthony Ujah’s equalizer.
Marco Russ scored late to salvage a 1-1 draw for Eintracht Frankfurt at home against Augsburg, canceling out Brazilian forward Caiuby’s 23rd-minute strike.
Additional reporting by AP
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