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Bayern beat Hannover 2-0 in Bundesliga

Malta Independent Saturday, 14 September 2013, 21:29 Last update: about 11 years ago

Borussia Dortmund achieved its best start to a Bundesliga with a comprehensive 6-2 rout of Hamburger SV for five wins from five games on Saturday.

Bayern Munich also won, defeating Hannover 2-0 for an 11th straight league win at home.

Bayern wasn't inspired in its new Oktoberfest-inspired brown and white strip in the first half but stepped up its performance after Toni Kroos crossed for Mario Mandzukic to open the scoring in the 51st minute.

Franck Ribery pounced on the rebound after Arjen Robben's initial effort was saved to secure the win in the 64th.

"The games after the international break are always difficult for us," Ribery said. "It was much better in the second half. We had more energy, a lot of movement and we got the goals."

Bayern begins its Champions League defense at home against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday.

Former Bayern midfielder Luiz Gustavo was sent off for the second time in his third game for new club Wolfsburg, which lost 3-1 at Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen visits Manchester United on Tuesday.

Kevin-Prince Boateng's first goal for Schalke was enough for a 1-0 win at Mainz. The former AC Milan midfielder ran at the home side's defense, feigned to shoot, and unleashed a fine effort past Mainz goalkeeper Heinz Mueller in off the far post.

Schalke hosts Steaua Bucharest on Wednesday.

Eintracht Frankfurt won 3-0 at 10-man Werder Bremen, and Augsburg came from behind to beat Freiburg 2-1.

In the late game, Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored in the 19th and fellow offseason signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan made it 2-0 three minutes later, when Robert Lewandowski backheeled the ball for Mkhitaryan to take in stride and slot inside the left post.

Hamburg defender Lam Zhi-Gin pulled one back four minutes later with a perfectly struck curling shot inside the far post.

Dortmund twice hit the crossbar before Heiko Westermann scored an unlikely equalizer with Hamburg's second attempt in the 49th.

"The first goal came from nothing, the second — nothing," Marco Reus said. "We punish ourselves for the work we put in. It shouldn't happen. If we cut that out, we're unbeatable."

Dortmund hit the crossbar yet again, and Rene Adler made a host of saves, before Mkhitaryan set up Aubameyang for his second in the 65th.

Lewandowski made it 4-2 in the 73rd, Reus fired through a defender's legs to score the next minute, and Nuri Sahin crossed for Lewandowski to wrap up the win with a header in the 81st.

"What they did up front had me shaking and quaking. That was simply awesome. It was fun to watch," said Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp, before he turned attention to Tuesday's game at Napoli. "The Champions League can come. We're ready."

It was another day to forget for Luiz Gustavo, who was sent off in the 85th for a second yellow card, five minutes after earning the first for protesting a referee's decision.

"It was the fourth red card for us in the fifth game," Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking said. "That's from only five fouls in all games. I have to make clear we're not a dirty team."

Leverkusen captain Simon Rolfes sprung the offside trap with a brilliant ball over the top for Sidney Sam to slot past Diego Benaglio in off the far post in the 24th.

On his 34th birthday, Ivica Olic equalized with a volley in the 39th.

Stefan Kiessling restored Leverkusen's lead with a header from a free kick in the 65th, and wrapped up the win with a wonderful strike in injury time.

Vaclav Kadlec got Frankfurt off the mark in the 14th when he got ahead of his marker to convert Bastian Oczipka's cross from close range.

Cedrick Makiadi struck the post as Bremen sought a response, before Franco di Santo was sent off in the 26th for catching Oczipka badly in the head with his boot.

It got worse for Bremen in the 34th when Kadlec — an offseason signing from Sparta Prague — headed in his second.

Aaron Hunt earned a dubious-looking penalty but the Bremen captain had his spot kick saved by Kevin Trapp, and an own goal from Sebastian Proedl in the 77th completed a miserable afternoon for the home side.

Tobias Werner's last-minute winner gave Augsburg three successive Bundesliga victories for the first time.

Halftime substitute Admir Mehmedi scored seconds after going on for Freiburg, but Halil Altintop equalized in the 61st and Werner emerged to become the hero.

"We fought brilliantly," Augsburg coach Markus Weinzierl said.

 
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