Bayern escapes with victory |
http://www.sina.com.cn 2005/03/21 18:04 Shanghai Daily |
Bayern Munich earned a flattering 3-1 home win over Hansa Rostock on Saturday to move back into provisional top spot in the Bundesliga, keeping the pressure on title rival Schalke 04. Bayern fell behind to an early goal from Uwe Moehrle, hit back through Lucio just before halftime and finally moved ahead with a deflected Claudio Pizarro strike in the 65th minute. A Michael Ballack penalty in the 89th gave the scoreline a sheen Bayern scarcely merited against its relegation-threatened opponent. "We were lucky," said Bayern coach Felix Magath. "Rostock made it very difficult for us in the first half." Victory took the Bavarians back to the top with 53 points. Schalke, trailing Bayern only on goal difference, will reclaim the leadership if it gets something from the game away to FSV Mainz. Werder Bremen moved back up to third place on 47 points with a 2-1 win at FC Nuremberg, although VfB Stuttgart, in fourth on 45 points, will leapfrog it into the third Champions League qualification spot if it wins at home to SC Freiburg. Hertha Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen also stayed in the hunt for third spot with routine home wins on Saturday, Hertha beating Arminia Bielefeld 3-0 and Lever-kusen edging Kaiserslautern 2-0. Hamburg SV, the other team chasing third place, lost ground with a surprise 2-3 home defeat by Borussia Dortmund. The results leave Hertha in fifth with 44 points, followed by Leverkusen and Hamburg on 43. Bayern had Roy Makaay back from injury for the visit of Rostock and the Dutch striker almost got the opener in the eighth when his free kick smacked the crossbar. The home side was punished for a casual attitude, though, when Moehrle beat Lucio to head in a cross from Michael Hartmann and give Rostock the lead in the 16th. Bayern made little headway before Lucio atoned for his earlier mistake by smashing in an equalizer at the far post in the 41st, after Bixente Lizarazu's cross from the left had found him unmarked. In France, Sylvain Wiltord scored the lone goal on Saturday to lead Lyon over host Strasbourg 1-0 and 11 points clear at the top of the French first division. The striker ran onto a pass in the 58th, taking one touch to control the ball and slotting it past goalie Stephane Cassard. Lyon, which is looking for a record-equaling fourth straight league title, leads the league with 62 points from 30 matches. Also on Saturday, it was: Toulouse 0, Sochaux 0; Bastia 1, Metz 0; Caen 2, Rennes 2; Istres 1, Nice 1; Lens 2, Bordeaux 0; and Nantes 0, Ajaccio 0. (Reuters) |