BAYERN MUNICH AVOIDED falling further behind Bundesliga pacesetters Borussia Dortmund as they defeated struggling Stuttgart 4-1 in an entertaining contest at the Allianz Arena on Sunday.
Dortmund, who thrashed Hannover 5-1 on Saturday, began the weekend six points clear and that is how things remain after Bayern held off a spirited Stuttgart side to secure what ended up being a routine win.
Bayern enjoyed a flying start and had an early lead through Thiago Alcantara, but complacency soon set in and Stuttgart capitalised to go into half-time level – Anastasios Donis’ gorgeous long-range effort doing the damage.
The frame of the goal was struck at both ends by Nicolas Gonzalez and Robert Lewandowski — the latter from a penalty — in the second period, but a Christian Gentner own goal had already restored Bayern’s advantage.
Leon Goretzka and Lewandowski – making amends for his penalty miss – settled matters inside the final 20 minutes.
It was hardly vintage football from Bayern for the opener as Lewandowski accidentally nudged Thomas Muller’s cross to the edge of the box with a poor first touch, and luckily Thiago was on hand to fire into the bottom-left corner.
But Bayern eased off after going ahead and paid the price in the 26th minute – Donis brilliantly finding the top-right corner from 25 yards.
Bayern looked refocused after the break and regained the lead – albeit fortuitously – just before the hour as Serge Gnabry’s fiercely struck half-volley took a huge deflection off Gentner and found the net.
A manic period followed, with Gonzalez’s shot ricocheting off Manuel Neuer and then himself before hitting the post.
And Lewandowski followed suit, seeing his spot-kick strike the upright after he had been tripped by Marc-Oliver Kempf.
But Goretzka headed Bayern into a 3-1 lead in the 71st minute after meeting Joshua Kimmich’s delivery, and Lewandowski rounded things off six minutes from the end, coolly taking it past Ron-Robert Zieler and finishing with aplomb.
Just over a week out from the 2019 Six Nations openers, Murray Kinsella and Gavan Casey are joined by Bernard Jackman to look at Ireland’s bid for another Grand Slam:
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