COLOGNE, Germany: Robert Lewandowski bagged a hat trick as Bayern Munich scored for a record 66th Bundesliga game in succession to beat Cologne 4-0 and restore its six-point lead on Saturday.
Robert Lewandowski, no stranger to breaking scoring records for Bayern, claimed the opening goal in the ninth minute off a pass from Thomas Müller — after a video review check for offside — to make it 66 league games in a row since Bayern was last shut out in February 2020 by Leipzig in a 0-0 draw. The previous record of 65 games was also set by Bayern in 2014.
Corentin Tolisso tightened Bayern’s grip on the game with a fine shot into the top-left corner. Cologne thought it had a chance of getting back into the game when Mark Uth put the ball into the net following a Bayern blunder in defense, but it was ruled narrowly offside.
Leroy Sané, back after a positive test for the coronavirus, set up Lewandowski for two more goals in the second half. That made Lewandowski only the second player ever to 300 goals in the Bundesliga. The Polish striker has 23 goals in 19 Bundesliga games this season, and 34 goals in total.
The win saw Bayern recover from last week’s 3-2 loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach, when it had to field reserve and youth players amid a virus outbreak in the squad. Most of the affected players returned to face Cologne, but not left back Alphonso Davies, who is likely to be sidelined for weeks with heart muscle inflammation.
HOFFENHEIM BEATEN
Hoffenheim came into the weekend in third and harboring hopes of returning to the Champions League for the first time since 2018-19 but losing to Union Berlin 2-1 didn’t help.
Union players scored all of the goals as Andreas Voglsammer canceled out Timo Baumgartl’s early own goal before Grischa Prömel scored the winner.
LEIPZIG WINS
Leipzig’s gradual recovery under new coach Domenico Tedesco took another step forward after beating Stuttgart 2-0 to rise to seventh.
Leipzig took the lead against relegation-threatened Stuttgart with an Andre Silva penalty after defender Konstantinos Mavropanos blocked a cross with his arm.
FRUSTRATED WOLFSBURG
Wolfsburg and Hertha Berlin were both left disappointed after they drew 0-0 in a game between teams seriously underperforming their expectations.
Wolfsburg coach Florian Kohfeldt won his first three games in charge in October and November but hasn’t won since in the Bundesliga or Champions League, and is under pressure after averaging less than a point per game. Hertha is 13th and Wolfsburg 14th in the 18-team league.
Mainz stayed seven games unbeaten at home with a 1-0 win over Bochum.
Unrelenting Bayern beats Cologne, sets league scoring record
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Unrelenting Bayern beats Cologne, sets league scoring record
- Robert Lewandowski, no stranger to breaking scoring records for Bayern, claimed the opening goal in the ninth minute off a pass from Thomas Müller
- Leroy Sané, back after a positive test for the coronavirus, set up Lewandowski for two more goals
Wawrinka rolls back the years to beat Lebanon’s Benjamin Hassan in front of Federer
- 3-time Slam winner upped his level when required to serve his way past Hassan at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
- Top-ranked Arab player on the ATP Tour, Moez Echargui of Tunisia, was also in action on day 1, slipping to the narrowest of defeats to Mpetshi Perricard
DUBAI: Forty-year-old Stan Wawrinka, the three-time Grand Slam winner who is competing in his final Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this week, rolled back the years on Centre Court to overcome Lebanese wildcard Benjamin Hassan in straight sets and become the oldest player to win a match in the Dubai tournament’s 34-year history.
Wawrinka’s record was previously held by his Swiss compatriot, the legendary Roger Federer, so it was fitting then that the 20-time Grand Slam winner was inside the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium to cheer on his fellow Olympic gold medalist.
“I’m not sure it’s the best record of his to have,” Wawrinka joked in his on-court interview as fans switched from cheering his every move to applauding an on-screen image of Federer, who won the title here eight times, including his last at the ripe old age of 37 in 2019. “(The appreciation of the fans) is one of the reasons why I have kept playing for so long — to enjoy these matches and these tournaments. I’m super grateful to all those who came out tonight.”
Wawrinka looked far from a player ready to hang up his racket as he beat Hassan 7-5, 6-3 and without dropping a single service game. That is not to say the German-born Hassan failed to put up a fight, but only that whenever he got close — and he forced three break-points across the two sets — Wawrinka seemed to go up a level. In both games where the Swiss looked like he might see his serve broken, he pulled an ace out of his bag to finish the match with nine aces overall.
“All good things have to come to an end,” Wawrinka said when asked why he is choosing to step away now when he evidently still has so much to offer. “Nobody can play forever and as much as I am passionate and still playing well, I know that it’s the right thing to do.”
Hassan, ranked World No. 289 and making his Dubai debut, revealed he was thankfully not aware of Federer’s presence until after the match, adding: “Stan played really good and was serving unbelievable. I had my chances to come back in the second set but unfortunately missed some returns. It was tough, but I’m happy with my performance. Lots of things to work on, of course, but overall, it was just a privilege to be here, to play my first match, and against Stan — it’s incredible.”
Asked in his post-match news conference whether he had taken the chance to speak with Federer at all, Hassan raised his hand in the air: “I’m never washing this hand again! He came to me and said ‘good match’ and I said ‘thank you’ in German. He looked a little bit surprised to hear that, but, yeah, I will always keep this hand dry now in the shower!”
Another Arab player was in action on day one as Tunisian Moez Echargui also made his Dubai debut, taking on France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. In a match of the finest margins, Echargui — the highest-ranked Arab on tour at 141, yet ranked 83 places below his opponent — forced three tiebreaks before Mpetshi Perricard edged the final set to progress 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4).
Having made his ATP 500 debut last week in Doha, this month is proving eye-opening for the 33-year-old North African as he embraces the experience of playing in such high-profile events. Echargui and his coaches are using the new opportunities afforded to him as a wildcard to improve and learn as much as possible against the world’s best players.
“Going on Centre Court and playing against top players, it is where we want to be, playing in these big tournaments, in front of these big crowds”, said Echargui, whose next stop is Indian Wells next week. “Despite the result, I’m feeling really positive about it. I knew the match would be a hard one, so I just tried to stay focused all of the way through. I’m proud to represent my country and to represent all of the Arab world, especially here in Dubai. It’s such a privilege. It’s been fulfilling — a great experience.”
