Bayern Munich restored some normality to the Bundesliga table on Tuesday as the reigning champions eased past surprise early leaders SC Paderborn 07 4-0 to take over first place.
Munich also leapfrogged TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and FSV Mainz 05 — who both played out draws to slip two points behind Bayern, while Schalke 04 picked up their first victory of the season.
Munich did not wait long to strike, taking the lead after eight minutes with some fine passing.
Photo: AFP
Arjen Robben fed Thomas Mueller, who back-heeled to Mario Goetze and the youngster placed his shot perfectly inside the right post to make it 1-0.
Munich doubled their advantage in the 14th minute thanks to a powerful strike by Robert Lewandowski.
The champions then took their foot off the gas, but Goetze added his second goal in the 78th minute, pouncing on a loose ball in the penalty area, before Mueller got his name on the score sheet in the 85th minute to see Bayern to 11 points.
Photo: Reuters
“We were well prepared for this game. We wanted to take good some things from the last match,” Goetze said, referring to Munich’s 0-0 draw at Hamburg SV at the weekend.
Hoffenheim missed their chance to keep pace with Munich, but Jannik Vestergaard scored three minutes into stoppage-time to secure a 3-3 draw at home to SC Freiburg and see them move on to nine points.
Mike Frantz scored in the 32nd and 33rd minutes for Freiburg. Tarik Elyounoussi pulled back a goal in the 44th minute and Sebastian Rudy equalized for Hoffenheim from a free-kick after 63 minutes.
Freiburg went ahead when Vladimir Darida converted a penalty in the 75th minute, but the Czech international was sent off six minutes later, setting up Vestergaard’s heroics.
Haris Seferovic scored in the 82nd minute to secure a 2-2 draw for Eintracht Frankfurt at home against Mainz.
Jonas Hofmann gave Mainz the lead after 41 minutes and Shinji Okazaki grabbed his fifth of the season for the visitors in the 44th minute, but Alexander Maier halved the deficit for Frankfurt a minute into stoppage-time, before Seferovic secured the point.
Schalke picked up their first victory of the season with a double strike early in the second half to beat Werder Bremen 3-0 on the road.
Max Meyer scored in the 48th minute and Roman Neustaedter doubled the lead in the 51st for Schalke, before Tranquillo Barnetta made it 3-0 in the 85th minute.
“When things go bad, then everybody is criticized, but when things go well, then everything is OK. We played well and deserved to win this game,” Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar said.
“We had a lot of pressure coming into the game, but we really played a strong second half,” said Schalke coach Jens Keller, who was without the suspended Julian Draxler and Kevin-Prince Boateng.
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