Müller helps fire leaders Bayern to victory, Dortmund win again
11 February 2023, Bavaria, Munich: Munich's Thomas Mueller (C) celebrates scoring his side's first goal with team mates during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and VfL Bochum at Allianz Arena. Photo: Peter Kneffel/dpa - IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with the requirements of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga and the DFB Deutscher Fußball-Bund, it is prohibited to use or have used photographs taken in the stadium and/or of the match in the form of sequence pictures and/or video-like photo series.
Record-breaking Thomas Müller helped keep Bayern Munich clear at the top of the Bundesliga with the opening goal in a 3-0 home win against lowly Bochum on Saturday.
It was the captain’s 428th Bundesliga game, beating Gerd Müller to become the club’s top outfield player in terms of league appearances.
Second-placed Union Berlin are a point behind after showing huge resilience again to hit back and win 2-1 at fifth-placed RB Leipzig.
Robin Knoche’s penalty after Mohamed Simakan’s careless handball sealed the victory after two superb strikes either side of the break from Benjamin Henrichs and Janik Haberer. Yossuf Poulsen later had a Leipzig leveller ruled out on review.
Union fans were jubilant at the end but silent for the first 15 minutes in protest at Leipzig’s Red Bull links and only being formed in 2009. Leipzig’s Willi Orban was benched after donating stem cells.
Borussia Dortmund are two points further back after Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Julian Brandt secured a 2-0 success at Werder Bremen, their sixth win in a row in all competitions.
Fourth-placed Freiburg came back with two Vincenzo Grifo penalties after two Dan-Axel Zagadou fouls for a 2-1 home win over derby rivals VfB Stuttgart, who remain third-bottom.
Former Stuttgart coach Pellegrino Matarazzo took charge of plummeting Hoffenheim for the first time but they conceded early in a 3-1 home loss to Bayer Leverkusen. Mainz also beat Augsburg 3-1.
Second-bottom Hertha Berlin welcome Borussia Mönchengladbach on Sunday when Cologne entertain Eintracht Frankfurt. On Friday, bottom side Schalke drew 0-0 with Wolfsburg.
Bayern, who visit Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League last 16 first leg on Tuesday, had scored the most goals in the Bundesliga this season while Bochum had conceded the highest number.
Yet Bayern – playing a back three – laboured early on and spurned several chances. But the breakthrough came when Saidy Janko’s back-pass was too short and Müller nipped in to score on 41 minutes.
He was taken off at the break with a minor calf problem, a precaution ahead of PSG, and substitute Kingsley Coman made it 2-0 midway through the second half when he nutmegged goalkeeper Manuel Riemann.
Gnabry then won and converted a penalty as Bayern supporters partied on the 50th anniversary of their fan friendship with Bochum.
But coach Julian Nagelsmann was not happy, telling reporters: “If we play like that on Tuesday, it won’t be enough. We have no great flow at the moment.”
Dortmund, with Youssoufa Moukoko going off with a first-half leg injury, initially struggled to open up Bremen.
But they took the lead when Bynoe-Gittens smashed in at the near post on 67 minutes soon after coming on before Brandt made the game safe.
This time there was no way back for Bremen, who famously won 3-2 after being 2-0 down after 89 minutes in their first game in August.
Dortmund, who on Wednesday host Chelsea in the Champions League, stay in striking distance of Bayern after 20 of 34 Bundesliga games.
Dortmund coach Edin Terzic said: “The win shows the quality of our squad. Unfortunately it doesn’t look great for Youssoufa.”
©dpa
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