For once, Robert Lewandowski did not score a goal, as the Poland star’s club-record scoring streak for Bayern Munich ended at 19 consecutive games on Friday when he failed to get a goal their 3-1 win against SpVgg Greuther Furth in the Bundesliga.
Lewandowski, who hit the crossbar in the 40th minute, also missed out on equaling Gerd Muller’s record of scoring in 16 Bundesliga games in a row.
Lewandowski’s 19-game run includes matches in the league, DFB-Pokal and UEFA Champions League going back to a 3-3 draw against DSC Arminia Bielefeld on Feb. 15.
Photo: Reuters
Furth, who had not won any of their opening five Bundesliga games since promotion, made a reasonable start, but were caught cold when Thomas Muller opened the scoring in the 10th minute.
Canadian international Alphonso Davies set off on a counterattack down the left wing and his cross took a kind deflection for Muller to dispatch the ball in off the right post from outside the penalty area.
Joshua Kimmich’s second goal for Bayern in the 31st minute was similar, this time Leroy Sane providing the cross.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Furth’s defenders allowed the Bayern players too much space — although not enough for Lewandowski.
The home team were given a lifeline in the 48th minute when Benjamin Pavard was sent off for a bad challenge on midfielder Julian Green, who would have been through on goal.
However, Bayern still had enough offensive power to extend their lead in the 68th minute, when Sebastian Griesbeck scored an own-goal under pressure from Lewandowski, who looked disappointed not to have netted himself.
Cedric Itten got a consolation goal for Furth in the 87th minute.
Bayern consolidated top spot after taking the league lead with a 7-0 rout of another promoted team, VfL Bochum, last weekend.
“We’re happy with how it’s going, but we mustn’t lose touch — it’s about always taking the next step. That’s the most fun, to keep improving,” Muller said after scoring his second league goal of the season. “In the end it’s a sport based on results ... especially in Germany, especially for us, the results are going our way. So nobody has anything to complain about, but we mustn’t lose touch with our own development.”
LA LIGA
AP, MADRID
The troubles for Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman keep piling up on Friday after he received a two-match ban for complaining at the end of Barcelona’s 0-0 draw against Cadiz in La Liga the day before.
The result extended Barcelona’s winless streak to three matches and increased the pressure on Koeman.
Koeman was sent off deep into stoppage-time for complaints directed at the fourth official.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation ruled that this merited a tougher two-game suspension than the automatic one-game ban for a red card.
Koeman will miss Barcelona’s home match against Levante UD in La Liga today, as well as the team’s visit to defending champions Atletico Madrid next weekend.
One of the reasons that upset the Dutch coach was the sending off of midfielder Frenkie de Jong after a second yellow card earlier in the match.
Barcelona argued that De Jong touched the ball before contacting his opponent and should not have been booked.
“In this country, they send you off for nothing,” Koeman said.
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