Robben’s sweetly struck curler – the type of goal he has scored through a long career – left Roman Burki with no chance. Photo/DM
BERLIN, Germany, Nov 4 – Bayern Munich stamped their authority on the Bundesliga on Saturday by opening a four-point lead as Robert Lewandowski netted an audacious goal in their commanding 3-1 win at Borussia Dortmund.
Defending champions Bayern stay on course to win the German League for a sixth straight season after dominating the high-tempo showdown at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park.
A superb curling strike from Dutch playmaker Arjen Robben on 17 minutes put Bayern head before a cheeky backheel from Lewandowski deflected off a defender on its way to the back of Dortmund’s net on 37 minutes.
Having missed Bayern’s 2-1 win at Celtic on Tuesday in the Champions League with a thigh injury, Lewandowski claimed his 11th league goal in as many games this season and is currently the Bundesliga’s top-scorer.
Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the top scorer last season in Germany just ahead of Lewandowski, has now failed to score in each of his last five games, but still has 10 goals in 11 league matches.
Left-back David Alaba was credited with Bayern’s third goal which flew into Dortmund’s net just ahead of Lewandowski’s outstretched foot on 67 minutes.
Defender Marc Barta, who was injured in April’s bomb attack on the Dortmund team bus, scored the hosts’ consolation goal two minutes from time.
The win leaves Bayern unbeaten in their seven games since Jupp Heynckes took charge at the end of September.
Third-placed Dortmund have now won just one of their last seven games in all competitions which has seen them surrender a five-point lead over Bayern in the league.
They now trail Bayern by six points and are two behind RB Leipzig, who went second earlier with a 2-1 comeback win at home to Hanover 96.
Germany striker Timo Werner, 21, who has just recovered from a neck injury, proved his form ahead of the world champions’ high-profile friendly matches against England and France in the next 10 days.
Werner set up Yussuf Poulsen’s equaliser and then netted an 85th-minute winner after the Brazilian Jonathas had given visitors Hanover the lead at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena.
The result got Leipzig back to winning ways after last week’s back-to-back cup and league losses to Bayern and a 3-1 defeat at Porto in the Champions League.
Elsewhere Schalke, who are now undefeated in their last six games in all competitions, climbed to fourth — level on 20 points with neighbours Dortmund — with a 1-0 win at Freiburg.
Winger Daniel Caligiuri scored the only goal against his old club.
Hamburg moved out of the bottom three with a 3-1 win at home to Stuttgart, who had midfielder Dzenis Burnic sent off after just 13 minutes for two yellow cards.
Aaron Hunt put Hamburg ahead from a free-kick after a goalkeeping blunder by Ron-Robert Zieler, but Stuttgart levelled just after half-time when Daniel Ginczek converted a penalty.
However, Filip Kostic put Hamburg back in front and Germany Under-17 international Jann-Fiete Arp, with his second in two games, sealed the win.
Borussia Moenchengladbach dropped to seventh after their 1-1 draw at home to Mainz.
Mainz took the lead on 19 minutes through French defender Abdou Diallo, but Gladbach equalised when towering Danish centre-back Jannik Vestergaard headed home midway through the second half.
Mid-table Augsburg and Bayer Leverkusen shared the points in a 1-1 draw as Kevin Volland’s strike just after the break was quickly cancelled out by Austrian defender Kevin Danso.
