Bundesliga top-scorer Robert Lewandowski’s 25th goal of the season was enough for Bayern Munich to comfortably beat Cologne 1-0 and provisionally stretch their lead to eight points on Saturday.
“When you only win 1-0, it’s dangerous to the end. It’s a pity, because we had chances, but we have the three points,” Lewandowski said.
Lackluster defending allowed him to score in the 10th minute, firing inside the far corner after Xabi Alonso and then Thiago Alcantara encountered a similar lack of resistance.
Photo: AP
With seven games remaining, Lewandowski already has one more than his previous season-best of 24 for Borussia Dortmund in 2012-2013.
“There are still lots of games and goals to score, I hope. The number I need for the top-scorers’ trophy is not an issue for me,” said Lewandowski, who is competing with Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (22 goals) and Bayern teammate Thomas Mueller (19).
With the lead in the bag, Bayern comfortably dominated the rest of the half without too much exertion.
Genki Haraguchi scored one and set up another for high-flying Hertha BSC to beat Ingolstadt 04 2-1 and consolidate third place.
Haraguchi shot the home side ahead in the second half and crossed for Solomon Kalou.
Lukas Hinterseer pulled one back to make it exciting with 15 minutes remaining, but John Anthony Brooks cleared off the line to safeguard Hertha’s three points.
Andre Schuerrle scored in injury time to salvage a 1-1 draw for VfL Wolfsburg against SV Darmstadt 98, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim boosted their chances of avoiding the drop with a 3-1 win against Hamburg SV, while FSV Mainz 05 drew against Werder Bremen 1-1.
Anis Ben-Hatira gave relegation-threatened Eintracht Frankfurt a 1-0 win over Hannover 96 in the late game, leaving the visitors 10 points from safety with little hope of survival.
SERIE A
AFP, MILAN, Italy
Belgium midfielder Radja Nainggolan struck six minutes from time as AS Roma maintained their bid for Champions League soccer with a 1-1 home draw against Inter that ended their bid for nine consecutive league wins.
Roma’s eight-game winning streak has put Luciano Spalletti’s men right back in contention for a top-three finish as leaders Juventus and SSC Napoli continue their duel for top spot in Serie A.
Spalletti was forced to think on his feet after Roma, with a five-point lead on both Inter and ACF Fiorentina at the start of the day, failed to conjure a first-half opener and conceded to Ivan Perisic’s 53rd-minute strike.
The goal sparked Roberto Mancini’s visitors into life, but Roma finally awoke from their slumber to level in the 84th minute when Nainggolan pounced on Edin Dzeko’s mis-hit shot to slam the ball past Samir Handanovic.
Roma remained in third place, but were seven points behind Juventus ahead of their city derby with Torino yesterday, when Napoli, three points behind the champions in second, were to host Genoa.
LIGUE 1
AFP, PARIS
Teenaged substitute Gaetan Perrin turned the tide as a late Olympique Lyonnais rally saw them climb to third in Ligue 1 with a 2-0 home win over Nantes on Saturday.
While champions Paris Saint-Germain were to celebrate their latest Ligue 1 title at home against second-placed AS Monaco yesterday, the race for the third Champions League spot remained wide open.
Lyon went into the game in fourth and had been regretting a series of spurned chances before the impressive Rachid Ghezzal dribbled round four Nantes defenders and lashed a shot at goal in the 83rd minute.
The shot was deflected by a desperate defender, but Perrin, who had been on the pitch just two minutes, was in the right place to nod the ball home.
Last season’s Ligue 1 standout striker Alexandre Lacazette then converted a penalty four minutes into stoppage-time after he had been tripped in the area, delivering a deserved 2-0 win.
The opener had come just as Nantes looked like they would emerge from the game with more than a point when a period of pressure saw Adrian Thomasson’s shot from the edge of the area for Nantes fizz just wide.
However, Bruno Genesio’s Lyon dug deep to suggest they might have what it takes for a late run for Europe.
AS Saint Etienne got their push for Europe back on course with a late flurry of goals to win 3-0 at home against Montpellier Herault.
In another relegation struggle, En Avant de Guingamp climbed five points above the drop zone when they clinched a 1-0 win against Stade de Reims courtesy of their Senegalese striker Younousse Sankare’s 26th-minute shot.
Morgan Amalfitano got his first goal of the season to hand mid-table Lille OSC a 1-0 victory over second-bottom Toulouse.
Stade Malherbe Caenbeat rock-bottom ESTAC Troyes 2-1.
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