Bayern Munich continued their astonishing scoring run by demolishing Hertha BSC Berlin 6-0 away on Saturday with Arjen Robben scoring a hat-trick as the Bavarians took their tally to 20 goals in three matches.
Having beaten TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 7-1 in the Bundesliga a week ago and Basel 7-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, Bayern raced into a 3-0 lead after 19 minutes at Hertha Berlin on an evening when three of their goals came from penalties.
Thomas Mueller, Toni Kroos and Mario Gomez, who took his tally to eight in three games, shared the other goals.
Photo: EPA
Bayern kept up the pressure on leaders Borussia Dortmund, who beat Werder Bremen 1-0 with an early Shinji Kagawa strike, while Hamburg SV’s relegation worries increased with a 3-1 home defeat by fellow stragglers SC Freiburg.
Kagawa scored his ninth goal of the season as Dortmund, who also hit the woodwork twice in the first half, extended their unbeaten Bundesliga run to a club record 20 games.
The champions have 59 points from 26 games, five clear of Bayern. Borussia Moenchengladbach, who snatched a 2-1 win at Bayer 04 Leverkusen with Igor de Camargo’s 88th-minute goal, are third on 51.
Six-time champions Hamburg, the only ever-present team since the Bundesliga was founded in 1963, remain 14th with 27 points, but are now only two clear of Freiburg, who are 16th in the relegation playoff spot.
Poor Hamburg defending allowed Johannes Flum and Daniel Caligiuri to put Freiburg 2-0 ahead by halftime.
Cedrick Makiadi fired in the third following a well-worked free-kick in the 72nd minute, before Ivo Ilicevic grabbed a consolation for Thorsten Fink’s troubled side, who have taken one point from their past five matches.
Bayern winger Franck Ribery, who tormented Hertha all match, began by bursting down the left and pulling the ball back for Thomas Mueller to score from close range in the ninth minute.
Mueller turned provider to set up the second for Robben three minutes later and the Dutchman was on target again in the 19th minute, converting a penalty awarded for a foul on Mueller.
Toni Kroos cleared an Adrian Ramos header off the line as Hertha tried to claw their way back into the game, but two goals in as many minutes after halftime killed off the contest.
In other action, Augsburg defeated FSV Mainz 05 2-1, while VfL Wolfsburg edged Nuremberg 3-1.
Additional reporting by Staff writer
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