BERLIN (Germany): Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich resisted a second-half fightback by Eintracht Frankfurt to claim a 5-2 win ahead of Tuesday’s top-of-the-table clash at Dortmund.
Bayern cruised into a 3-0 lead with goals by Leon Goretzka, the league’s top-scorer Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller at the Allianz Arena before Frankfurt rattled the hosts.
“We clearly need to talk about that, that’s not on,” said Bayern midfielder Goretzka. “We’ll be at 100 per cent when we play there.”
Frankfurt defender Martin Hinteregger bagged two quick goals from successive corners, volleying home and then heading in to make it 3-2 on 55 minutes.
The Bavarians started with Manuel Neuer in goal and Benjamin Pavard, Jérôme Boateng, David Alaba and Davies in a back four.
Joshua Kimmich and Goretzka featured in a twin holding role behind Kingsley Coman, Müller and Ivan Perišić, with hitman Lewandowski up front.
Serge Gnabry, Lucas Hernández, Joshua Zirkzee and Michaël Cuisance took over from Perišić, Boateng, Coman and Kimmich in the second half.
After the restart an impressive Lewandowski header found the net following a Coman cross. The game seemed over but the men from Hesse bounced back.
Hinteregger bagged a brace within three minutes, dispatching a loose ball before heading past Neuer, and Bayern were on tenterhooks.
This was the second weekend of the Bundesliga’s restart, following a two-month hiatus, as the first top European league to resume during the pandemic.
A minute’s silence was held before the day’s five matches to remember the victims of COVID-19, which has so far claimed over 8,200 lives in Germany.
