Berlin, Feb 3 (IANS) Front-runners Bayern Munich staged a faultless performance to crush hapless Frankfurt 5-0 whereas Nuremberg sealed their second win of the season with a 3-1 at Berlin to close the 19th round.
Bayern Munich continued their pursuit of the 23rd Bundesliga title as the German giants cruised to a 5-0 victory on home soil Sunday, giving them a 13-point lead in the standings, Xinhua reported.
Meanwhile Frankfurt suffered their ninth loss of the season to remain on 14th position.
The Bavarians needed just a couple of minutes to establish their rhythm as Mario Goetze broke the deadlock with just 12 minutes on the clock. The German international utilized an assist by Mario Mandzukic to control the ball with his chest before he volleyed home from inside the box.
Frankfurt had to thank goalkeeper Kevin Trapp that Bayern were only able to add a second goal before the break. Franck Ribery capitalized on a rebound to double the lead into the bottom left at the 44th minute.
After the restart, Bayern started where they left off but Frankfurt’ s custodian Trapp denied more than once. However, he was hapless when joker Arjen Robben got his name on the score sheets at the 67th minute.
The defending champions were not done with the scoring as Dante made it 4-0 on the scoreboards, nodding home Franck Ribery’s corner two minutes later.
Frankfurt were unable to put up some resistance in the dying minutes of the game therefore Mandzukic marked his 11th goal of the season with one minute remaining. Consequently Bayern remain unbeaten at their 44 Bundesliga game in row.
“I am really satisfied. That was our best game of the season. We controlled the match and created a lot of chances,” Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said.
Elsewhere, Nuremberg came from behind to secure a 3-1 win at Berlin. Adrian Ramos gave the hosts the lead but Markus Feulner and Josip Drmic’s brace wrapped up Nuremberg’s second consecutive win.
Nonetheless, it was a controversial win as referee Michal Weiner denied Berlin a penalty and a straight red card for Nuremberg in the closing period.
“Our victory was lucky regarding the controversial decisions towards the end of the game. Based on our fighting spirit we have earned us three points,” Nuremberg coach Gertjan Verbeek.
