In-form Arjen Robben scored his 100th goal for Bayern Munich as the runaway Bundesliga leaders cruised to a 2-0 victory over lowly Freiburg on Tuesday.
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Robben headed the milestone goal in the 41st minute before Thomas Mueller made it 2-0 three minutes after the restart.
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The Dutch winger Robben joined Munich in 2009 from Real Madrid and his 100th goal in all competitions came in his 184th match for the two-time reigning German champions.
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“My goals are not the most important. I don’t head many goals, but what counts are the three points,” Robben told Sky TV.
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The latest win moved unbeaten Munich to 42 points, 12 clear of second-placed Wolfsburg.
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Augsburg lost again four days after their 4-0 meltdown against Munich, 2-0 at Hanover; SV Hamburg crashed 1-0 at home against 10-man Stuttgart who left last place with the rare win; and Cologne and Mainz drew 0-0.
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Munich coach Pep Guardiola fielded an attacking line-up with Robben, Muller, Franck Ribery, Mario Goetze and Robert Lewandowski.
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Mueller and Robben aimed wide and Goetze’s shot was parried by Roman Buerki before Robben broke the deadlock in the 41st with a diving header for his ninth goal of the season from close range after Ribery headed a pin-point chipped pass from Xabi Alonso into his path.
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Mueller was denied by the left post two minutes later but the Germany forward did better in the 48th, nodding home off Juan Bernat’s effort against the crossbar.
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The game remained lopsided and Bernat was denied a third by the post, although Alonso, Lewandowski and Medhi Benatia – famously not wanted by Freiburg five years ago – limped off injured in the last home game of the year and could be doubtful for the 2014 finale Friday in Maniz.
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Stuttgart were the better team in Hamburg and took a 42nd-minute lead from Florian Klein’s low shot.
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The visitors had Georg Niedermeier sent off for a last-man foul on Artjoms Rudnevs in the 53rd, and were lucky that Hamburg captain Rafael van der Vaart fired the ensuing free-kick against the crossbar.
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Van der Vaart had another shot saved as Hamburg rarely threatened despite their one-man advantage, and failed to get a fourth straight home win.
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Stuttgart jumped from last place out of the danger zone into 15th with 16 points, behind Hamburg on goal-difference. Dortmund, Freiburg and Werder Bremen are the bottom three on 14 each.
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“We tried everything but didn’t have any clear chances. We started well but then collapsed again. I have no explanation for it,” Van der Vaart told Sky.
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Cologne are 10th with 19 points and Mainz 11th on 18 after their stalemate. Mainz are winless in eight games as Shinji Okazaki was denied by the crossbar in the 76th.
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Augsburg wasted an early chance in Hanover from Alexander Esswein, and they paid for it seven minutes later when Salif Sane headed the hosts ahead. Joselu got the second with a 55th-minute penalty.
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1 Comment
He is my best player in the whole wide world. I love this man