Bayern Munich topped the Bundesliga for the first time this season with a 7-0 thrashing of Bochum on Saturday as Robert Lewandowski scored for a record 13th consecutive home league game.
Joshua Kimmich netted twice while Lewandowski poached a second-half goal to claim another league record as Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting all scored for Bayern.
Greek defender Vasilios Lampropoulos scored a first-half own goal as Bochum ran out of luck at the Allianz Arena.
“Bochum worked hard, but everything went right for us after the first goal,” Sane told Sky.
Bayern will lose top spot if Wolfsburg maintain their 100 percent record with a fifth straight win on Sunday against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Bayern have won their last seven games, scoring at least three goals on each occasion, with Dortmund, Leipzig and Barcelona on the list of defeated opponents.
Bochum, who have now won just once in 35 games at Bayern, were 4-0 down at half-time.
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“We were just really up for it,” said Bochum-born Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka, who extended his contract in mid-week until 2026.
“It was fun for us. Not so much for Bochum which I regret, personally.”
Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann made three changes from starting side which won at Barcelona on Tuesday and was pleased with the “manner of the win. None of our goals came from being greedy, we’re on the right path.”
Sane on song
It was a gala afternoon for Sane, who had been whistled by disgruntled Bayern fans during the Bavarian giants’ opening games this season after a series of below-par performances.
The 25-year-old has since flourished with five assists and three goals in the last five games and also netted twice for Germany during this month’s World Cup qualifiers.
The ex-Manchester City winger started the rout by curling in a spectacular free-kick over a wall of defenders from 30 yards out.
Sane then laid on a cross which Kimmich fired past Bochum goalkeeper Manuel Riemann.
Gnabry made it 3-0 by finishing a counter-attack and guiding his shot inside the far post.
Bochum’s luck had completely deserted them when Lampropoulos intercepted a pass to Lewandowski, only to roll the ball into his own goal.
It was 45 years to the day since Bayern recovered from 4-0 down at half-time in Bochum to claim a stunning 6-5 win, but there was to be no fairytale revenge on Saturday.
Sane again dribbled into the box, rolled a pass to Gnabry, who flicked the ball onto Lewandowski to tap in and claim his latest Bundesliga record after scoring a new milestone of 41 goals in Germany’s top flight last season.
Kimmich slotted home a towering Goretzka header before Lewandowski’s replacement Choupo-Moting found the net at the third attempt after his first two shots were saved.
Thomas Mueller had a late goal ruled offside. which was little comfort for Bochum, who suffered their heaviest Bundesliga defeat.
Leipzig held at Cologne
Three days after their 6-3 mauling at Manchester City in the Champions League, RB Leipzig were made to work for a 1-1 draw at Cologne.
Anthony Modeste gave Cologne a second-half lead after he and team-mate Mark Uth both had efforts ruled offside.
The VAR also spotted an offside when Leipzig playmaker Emil Forsberg put the ball in the net before Malian midfielder Amadou Haidara headed the visitors level.
Leipzig have now taken just four points from a possible 15 from their first five league games under new head coach Jesse Marsch.
AFP
