Ribery brace gets Bayern back to winning ways

BERLIN (AFP) –

Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery and his teammate Toni Kroos celebrate during the Bundesliga match against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Bayern Munich bounced back from their midweek Champions League defeat in Belarus asRibery scored both goals in their 2-0 win at home to Hoffenheim.

Bayern Munich bounced back from their midweek Champions League defeat in Belarus as France star Franck Ribery scored both goals in their 2-0 win at home to Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Having lost 3-1 to BATE Borisov in Minsk on Tuesday — their first defeat in 10 competitive games this season — Bayern enjoyed a comfortable win at the Allianz Arena with their seventh straight domestic league victory.

With second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday, Bayern took the chance to go five points clear at the top of the table.

“The team played very smart, we were very clever,” said Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes.

“Ribery was outstanding, not only because of the two goals, but because he has also back-tracked and won balls for us in defence.

“If the whole team puts in work like that, then we are right where I want to be.”

Ribery opened the scoring on 19 minutes after Thomas Mueller’s pass down the left.

The Frenchman beat Hoffenheim defender Andreas Beck and fired the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Koen Casteels from eight metres.

Schalke’s goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall plays the ball during their German first division Bundesliga football match against Wolfsburg in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany. Schalke won 3-0.

Then after some good build up play between striker Mario Mandzukic and midfielder Toni Kroos, Ribery was the fastest to react and beat Casteels again on 47 minutes.

Both Bayern captain Philipp Lahm and Mueller picked up injuries ahead of Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Ireland in Dublin.

Lahm finished the match with heavy bruising on his left shin while Mueller had to go off after 26 minutes following an accidental clash with team-mate Mario Mandzukic which left him with a cut cheek.

There was no happy return to Gelsenkirchen for Wolfsburg’s ex-Schalke 04 coach Felix Magath as the Royal Blues enjoyed a 3-0 win.

Magath spent two years at Schalke before he was sacked in February 2011 when he returned to Wolfsburg.

Magath’s team were well beaten at Gelsenkirchen’s Veltins Arena thanks to goals by Peru striker Jefferson Farfan, Dutch forward Ibrahim Afellay and midfielder Roman Neustaedter.

“We only fought for the first 45 minutes, then we gave the points away,” said Magath.

“At 2-0 down, the game was over as a contest. We were clearly inferior at that point, but at the moment we haven’t got the morale to come back.”

It was Wolves’ sixth game without a win and their third straight defeat to leave Magath’s team second from bottom, while Schalke move up to third.

Hamburg continued their rise up the table with a 1-0 win at Bavarian side Greuther Fuerth thanks to South Korean striker Son Heung-Min’s first-half goal.

Mainz’ defender Nikolce Noveski celebrates scoring during their German first division Bundesliga football match against Fortuna Duesseldorf 1895 in Mainz, Germany. Mainz won 1-0.

Hamburg are undefeated in their last four games and the win in Bavaria leaves Thorsten Fink’s team a healthy eighth.

Mainz enjoyed a 1-0 win at home to Fortuna Duesseldorf, whose goalkeeper Fabian Giefer is making a name for himself having conceded just three goals in seven games this season.

Giefer was beaten by an 85th-minute header from Macedonia midfielder Nikolce Noveski as Duesseldorf suffered their first Bundesliga defeat since winning promotion in May.

Freiburg enjoyed their first win in four games with a 3-0 victory at home to Nuremberg.

Congo midfielder Cedrick Makiadi headed in the first goal in the opening period before the hosts’ defence capitulated late on as Daniel Caligiuri converted a 92nd minute penalty, before Marco Terrazzino netted the third, less than a minute later.

On Friday, Werder Bremen lost 3-1 at Augsburg as the hosts enjoyed their first win of the season.

On Sunday defending champions Borussia Dortmund are at Hanover while Stuttgart host Leverkusen.