Lewandowski, Gnabry braces send Bayern 5 clear, Frankfurt finally go down

Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry both scored twice as Bayern Munich romped to a 5-1 win at home to Cologne on Saturday to open up a five-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting headed Bayern into an early lead before Lewandowski, the league’s top scorer, struck twice to increase his league tally to 28 goals this season.

Gnabry came off the bench to claim two late goals behind closed doors at the Allianz Arena on his first appearance since tearing a thigh muscle in Bayern’s Club World Cup final win in Qatar.

Second-placed RB Leipzig can trim Bayern’s lead later at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Bayern had taken just a point from their previous two games and coach Hansi Flick made just one change - Choupo-Moting for Kingsley Coman - from the side which routed Lazio 4-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday. Bayern quickly built a 2-0 lead through Choupo-Moting and Lewandowski with Leon Goretzka playing a big role in both goals.

After floating in a cross which Choupo-Moting headed home on 18 minutes, Goretzka combined with Lewandowski to prise open the Cologne defence.

However, Cologne fought back in their bid to claim a first win in Munich since February 2011.

Midfielder Ellyes Skhiri, who also netted both goals in Cologne’s 2-1 win at Dortmund last November, chipped Manuel Neuer four minutes after the break to pull a goal back. Flick settled any nerves by bringing on Thomas Mueller for his first appearance a fortnight after testing positive for Covid-19.

A minute after coming on, Mueller’s pass split the Cologne defence and found Lewandowski who restored the two-goal cushion on 65 minutes.

A horrible mistake by Neuer outside his own area left the Bayern goal unattended, but Cologne midfielder Dominick Drexler could only hit the post.

Lewandowski came within a whisker of a hat-trick when he just failed to connect with Lucas Hernandez’s cross. Gnabry was on hand to make it 4-1 before grabbing his second after Goretzka’s excellent pass with both his goals coming in the last ten minutes. Wolfsburg remain third after their 2-0 home win over Hertha Berlin, whose defender Lukas Kluenter turned the ball into his own net before Maxence Lacroix scored the hosts second.

Wolfsburg defender Marin Pongracic was sent off in added time for a second booking.

England winger Jadon Sancho converted a penalty and Brazil midfielder Reinier scored his first goal for the club as Dortmund stayed fifth with a 3-0 home win over Arminia Bielefeld.

Japan midfielder Wataru Endo netted his first two Bundesliga goals as Stuttgart’s 5-1 thrashing of bottom side Schalke, whose Algeria midfielder Nabil Bentaleb had a second-half penalty saved.

FRANKFURT’S UNBEATEN RUN ENDS: On Friday, fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt had their 11-match unbeaten run ended by a shock 2-1 defeat at Werder Bremen, whose rising American star Josh Sargent, 20, hit the winning goal.

Andre Silva gave Frankfurt a ninth-minute lead with his 19th Bundesliga goal of the season. Only Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski with 26 goals has had a more prolific season. Bremen, who started the match in 12th place after going three games without a win, levelled in the 47th minute through Czech star Theodor Gebre Selassie although the goal needed to be cleared by VAR.

Rising American star Josh Sargent sealed the three points just after the hour mark.

Despite the defeat, Frankfurt remain fourth and in the Champions League spots but are seven points behind leaders Bayern who have a game in hand.

Eintracht have a five-point cushion, however, over Bayer Leverkusen in fifth place.



German League results on Saturday:

Borussia Dortmund 3 (Dahoud 48, Sancho 58-pen, Reinier 81) Arminia Bielefeld 0; Bayern Munich 5 (Choupo Moting 18, Lewandowski 33, 65, Gnabry 82, 86) FC Cologne 1 (Skhiri 49); VfL Wolfsburg 2 (Klünter 38-og, Lacroix 89) Hertha Berlin 0; VfB Stuttgart 5 (Endo 10, 26, Kalajdzic 34, Klement 88, Didavi 90+2) Schalke 1 (Kolasinac 40); On Friday: Werder Bremen 2 (Gebre Selassie 47, Sargent 62) Eintracht Frankfurt 1 (Andre Silva 9)