Berlin: Bayern Munich continued their relentless run with a goal fest at Wolfsburg, while third-placed Bayer Leverkusen shared the spoils with Hannover in the 24th round of the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Bayern came from behind to crush resilient Wolfsburg 6-1. The Bavarians underlined their title-defence ambitions after their 16th consecutive win creating a 23-point lead atop the standings, which was brought back down to 20 when Borussia Dortmund defeated Sport-Club Freiburg 1-0 on Sunday.
FSV Mainz 05 drew 1-1 Hertha Berlin on Sunday as well.
The Wolves staged an auspicious start as Naldo headed home the opener against Bayern. The deficit seemed to be a wake-up call for Pep Guaridiola’s men when Xherdan Shaqiri cancelled out the opener nine minutes later.
Bayern completed their comeback at the hour mark as Thomas Mueller beat custodian Diego Benaglio to make it 2-1.
Bayern were then able to extend their lead with four goals within 17 minutes. Mario Mandzukic made it 3-1 with his volley shot in the 66th minute. Frenchmen Franck Ribery added the fourth goal before Mueller and Mandzukic wrapped up their braces to inflict Wolfsburg’s ninth loss of the season.
In the other fixtures on Saturday, Borussia Moenchengladbach suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to FC Augsburg, while Schalke inched closer to overtaking Leverkusen with a 4-0 thrashing of 10th-placed Hoffenheim.
Hamburger SV drew 1-1 with Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuttgart were held to a 2-2 draw by bottom club Braunschweig.
In the last game on Saturday, Nuremberg lost at home to Werder Bremen 2-0. (Agencies)