Berlin: Bayern Munich cruised to a 2-0 win over newly-promoted Cologne to extend lead at the top while Schalke beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the 145th “Revierderby” in the German Bundesliga.
The Bundesliga front-runners dominated the game. Cologne defended deep but were unable to deny Mario Goetze the opener in the 19th minute.
The Bavarians failed to make use of goalscoring opportunities while Cologne came close twice, with neither Adam Matuschyk or Anthony Ujah able to beat Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Bayern besieged Cologne’s goal area nonetheless the spectators had to wait until the 66th minute when Daniel Halfar scored an own goal to double the lead for Bayern Munich. With the result, Bayern establish a two-point lead in the standings while Cologne suffered their second straight loss.
Schalke earned a 2-1 victory over rivals Dortmund as first half goals by Joel Matip and Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting were enough to overcome the former Champions League finalist.
The Royal Blues started the derby brightly as Matip broke the deadlock with a header from Dennis Aogo’s corner after just 10 minutes.
Dortmund’s defence remained absolutely disorganised as Schalke capitalised on a failed clearance attempt by Adrian Ramos following a rebound, allowing Choupo-Moting to slot home from very close range at the 23rd minute.
The two-goal advantage for Schalke was a wake-up call for the visitors, who reduced the arrears through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang only three minutes later.
Dortmund gained momentum but failed to restore parity on the road. Thus, Juergen Klopp’s men suffer their third loss of the season whilst Schalke earned their second win.
