Bayern overpower M'gladbach, Dusseldorf flabbergast Schalke

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Champions Bayern Munich demolished hosts Borussia Moenchengladbach 5-1 to join leaders Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga and reignite the title race on Saturday.

Rejuvenated Bayern, who have now won 11 of their last 12 league games, scored twice in the first 11 minutes through Javi Martinez and Thomas Mueller before two second-half Robert Lewandowski goals ensured the most straightforward of wins.

Gladbach lost their third straight league home game by at least three goals for the first time in their club history.

Bayern, who were seven points off the top a few weeks ago, are now level on 54 with Dortmund, who lost 2-1 to Augsburg on Friday. Gladbach drop to fourth on 43.

"I am very satisfied with our game and we could have scored one or two goals more," said Bayern coach Niko Kovac, whose team face Liverpool in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg later this month.

"It was one of our best games this season. We have now reset everything and the title race starts again from zero."

Lewandowski, who joined Claudio Pizarro on 195 goals at the top of the all-time foreign scorers' list in the Bundesliga, almost opened his account after 35 seconds when his shot was saved by Yann Sommer but the resulting corner was headed in by Martinez.

Bayern doubled their lead in the 11th minute when Mueller latched on to a Serge Gnabry cross to slot in with his second effort.

They then missed several golden chances to increase their lead and instead it was Gladbach's Lars Stindl who scored to cut the deficit in the 38th.

Lewandowski restored their two-goal advantage two minutes after the restart to make it 120 Bundesliga goals with Bayern and climb to third on their all-time scorers' list.

Gnabry drilled in from close range in the 75th before Lewandowski completed the rout with a stoppage-time penalty.

Serge Gnabry of Bayern Munich celebrates scoring their fourth goal during the Bundesliga match against Monchengladbach at Borussia-Park in Monchengladbach, Germany, March 2, 2019. /VCG Photo

Dejected Tedesco

Schalke crashed 4-0 at home to Fortuna Duesseldorf on Saturday, increasing the pressure on head coach Domenico Tedesco.

After the director of sports Christian Heidel resigned last weekend, Tedesco is perilously close to being sacked after his side's mauling at the Veltins Arena left them 14th — seven points from the relegation places.

Schalke face Manchester City away on March 12 in the Champions League last 16 looking to overturn a 3-2 defeat from the first leg, but Tedesco could be gone before then following their 13th defeat in 24 league games.

Heidel, who had backed Tedesco publically since their last league win in January, walked away after last weekend's 3-0 defeat at Mainz.

Schalke were torn apart by mid-table Duesseldorf, whose Polish striker Dawid Kownacki scored his first two goals in only his third Bundesliga match.

A penalty by striker Dodi Lukebakio gave Duesseldorf the lead before Kownacki grabbed his first, then midfielder Benito Raman made it 3-0 with 20 minutes left.

Kownacki netted his second after Raman's shot was stopped by Schalke's Germany Under-21 goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel, but the parry fell into the Pole's path six minutes from time.

Head coach Domenico Tedesco of Schalke looks dejected during the Bundesliga match between FC Schalke 04 and Fortuna Duesseldorf at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, March 2, 2019. /VCG Photo

Elsewhere, RB Leipzig squeezed past bottom side Nuremberg with a 1-0 away win to move up to third. Leipzig knocked Gladbach down to fourth after surviving a first-half scare at Nuremberg, whose midfielder Hannes Behrens smashed an early penalty attempt off the crossbar.

Leipzig took the three points when Lukas Klostermann scored from a corner just before half-time.

Eintracht Frankfurt, who face Inter Milan in the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday, moved up to fifth with a 3-2 win at home to ten-man Hoffenheim thanks to a headed 96th-minute goal by substitute striker Goncalo Paciencia.

The Portugal forward came on with 10 minutes left to break the hearts of Hoffenheim, who had been 2-1 up before playing the last 25 minutes with ten men after Ghana defender Kasim Adams received a second yellow card.

Frenchman Sebastian Haller headed Frankfurt level on 89 minutes before Paciencia's dramatic late winner. Defender Niklas Stark made amends for an own goal just after the break against Mainz to net Hertha Berlin's winning goal in their 2-1 home victory after Marko Grujic, on loan from Liverpool, had equalized at the Olympic Stadium.

Bayer Leverkusen climbed to sixth, among the Europa League places, after running out 2-0 winners over mid-table Freiburg thanks to goals by Chile's Charles Aranguiz and Jamaica winger Leon Bailey.

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters