Bayern thump Bochum to retake Bundesliga top spot

Bayern Munich forward Leroy Sane celebrates next to striker Harry Kane in Sunday's big win
AFP

Bayern Munich bounced back from Wednesday’s Champions League drubbing in Barcelona, thumping rock-bottom Bochum 5-0 away to return to the Bundesliga summit on Sunday.

RB Leipzig’s 3-1 comeback win over Freiburg on Saturday sent them three clear atop the table overnight, but Bayern reclaimed the lead on goal difference as five different players got on the scoresheet.

“It’s fun to score goals,” Jamal Musiala told DAZN.

“We can be happy today and take the rhythm and flow with us in the next few games.”

Bayern may have looked impressive going forward under new coach Vincent Kompany but stumbled into Sunday’s game having won just one of their last six in all competitions.

“It was hard to take and it hurt,” Musiala said of the 4-1 loss to Barcelona.

“We have to look ahead. It’s still early in the season.”

Just days after former Munich coach Hansi Flick picked apart the high Bavarian line in Barcelona, Bayern were almost caught out again early.

Moritz Broschinski sped past Minjae Kim and beat Manuel Neuer to the ball, but his shot was too soft, allowing the Korean to clear the ball off the line.

Olise gave Bayern the lead in simple fashion, curling a free kick over the Bochum wall and beyond the reach of goalie Patrick Drewes, who was well out of position.

Bayern doubled up 10 minutes later again from a set piece, with Musiala getting his head to a Joshua Kimmich free kick.

Bayern then cut loose in the second half, with Kane, Sane and Coman all scoring in a 14-minute period.

The England captain took advantage of some superb lead-up work from Musiala to hammer the ball into the top left of the net, his ninth goal in eight league games.

Sane pounced after 65 minutes when Bayern pressured Bochum into an error playing out from the back and Coman smashed a superb effort in off the crossbar to round out the big win.

“Bayern simply showed their quality,” said Bochum’s Maximilian Wittek.

While Bayern are top on goal difference, Bochum finish the weekend dead last, with just one point from eight games.

Union, Frankfurt draw

Elsewhere, Union Berlin held Eintracht Frankfurt to a 1-1 draw in the German capital to climb to fourth, with Benedict Hollerbach’s strike cancelling out Mario Goetze’s opener.

Goetze profited as Union failed to clear a pinball in the box 14 minutes in, the former Germany midfielder tapping in from a metre out in his 300th Bundesliga game.

The hosts burst out of the blocks after half-time, with captain and stalwart Christopher Trimmel hitting the inside of the post early.

Union equalised after 66 minutes, slicing through on the counter from a Frankfurt free kick and allowing Hollerbach to unleash a deft chip over Kevin Trapp.

Frankfurt’s hopes were dashed with 13 minutes left as Arthur Theate collected a second yellow for raising his boot in a collision with Skarke.

Having shaken off the challenge, Skarke looked to have won the match for Union in stoppage time but his strike was ruled out by VAR for a narrow offside.

Goalscorer Hollerbach slammed the late VAR decision, which cost his side third spot on the table, as “scandalous”.

“It’s a centimetre, something you cannot see at all. It’s a real shame and against the spirit of football.”

In Sunday’s late game, Heidenheim played out a scoreless draw at home with Hoffenheim.

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