Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola admitted the European champions were just happy to see off Eintracht Braunschweig 2-0 and extend their record Bundesliga run ahead of a busy month.
Bayern’s victory at Munich’s Allianz Arena was down to Dutch winger Arjen Robben’s first-half brace as the Bavarians ran out of steam in the second-half.
The three points extended Bayern’s record unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to 39 matches and came just four days after they set a record of 10 consecutive Champions League victories by beating CSKA Moscow in Russia.
“It’s one game more and we won,” Guardiola said. “We dominated possession and, in the first half, we were very strong mentally after [last Saturday’s 3-0 win at] Dortmund and the trip to Moscow.”
“In the second half we didn’t manage to bring [striker] Mario Mandzukic into the game, but at the end, I am happy with the performance,” he said.
However, Bayern were lackluster in the second-half against bottom side Braunschweig.
Having played in sub-zero temperatures in Moscow on Wednesday, match-winner Robben was just glad to play on a normal surface after wet snow had made conditions tough on CSKA’s heavy pitch.
“That was a hard game in Moscow, including the travel,” the 29-year-old said. “When you come back here and play on a good pitch, it’s simply fun.”
Bayern host Bavarian neighbors Augsburg in the third round of the German Cup on Wednesday, then travel to Werder Bremen in the league on Saturday before hosting Manchester City in the Champions League on Dec. 10.
After hosting Hamburg, Bayern then travel to Morocco for the Club World Cup in a bid to win their second piece of silverware under Guardiola, having won the UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea in August.
Borussia Dortmund picked up their first victory in three league games with a hard-fought 3-1 win at 10-man Mainz 05 to stay third behind second-placed Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern.
Borussia, who must win in Marseille in a fortnight to reach the last 16 of the Champions League, can reclaim second place in the Bundesliga if they beat Leverkusen in Dortmund on Saturday.
Dortmund took the lead on 70 minutes in Mainz when Gabon’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired home a superb free-kick, only for Cameroon’s Eric Choupo-Moting to equalize with a penalty four minutes later.
Mainz were reduced to 10 men when Colombia’s Elkin Soto was sent off for using his hand to stop the ball going into the net and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski fired home the first of two penalties.
“You have to evaluate the win in the context of our situation,” Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp said, who lost his entire back four ten days ago through injury.
“We showed a very, very good fighting spirit,” he said. “The fact that in certain situations our opponents had their chances to win the game says everything about Mainz’s class.”
In other games on Saturday Bayer Leverkusen beat Nuremberg 3-0, Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen drew 4-4, Hertha Berlin and Augsburg played out a goalless draw, while Schalke 04 defeated VfB Stuttgart 3-0.
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