Landmark Robert Lewandowski goal enough for Bayern Munich against Cologne
Robert Lewandowski moved into the Bundesliga's all-time top ten list of goalscorers as Bayern Munich consigned rock-bottom Cologne to their 13th defeat of the season.
Bayern 1-0 Cologne
Goals: 1-0 Lewandowski (60')
Thomas Müller, Niklas Süle and Lewandowski forced strong saves from Timo Horn as Bayern did everything but score in a decidedly one-sided first half. Cologne's only real chance fell to Milos Jojic, whose ambitious 18-yard chip was deflected over. The Billy Goats otherwise spent the opening 45 camped almost exclusively in their own half.
The second period produced much more of the same as David Alaba stabbed wide and Lewandowski headed wide from close range, before the Bundesliga leaders got the breakthrough. Müller cushioned Jerome Boateng's dinked ball into the path of Lewandowski, who gleefully stuck away his 166th Bundesliga goal.
It was training ground stuff from thereon in, with Lewandowski and James Rodriguez all going close. Cologne didn't wilt, though, and almost snatched a late equaliser when Lukas Klünter wriggled free in the area, only to be denied by a flying stop from veteran Bayern stopper Tom Starke.
Want more Bundesliga Action?
Man of the Match
Even when faced with a nine-man Cologne defence, Lewandowski still managed to get on the scoresheet. The Bayern No.9 now sits level tenth with Hannes Löhr in the Bundesliga's top 10 list of goalscoring greats.
Match stats
- Lewandowski has found the net in all eight of Bayern’s home games this term. He has also scored 33 times in as many Bundesliga games in 2017, and has a Bundesliga-leading 15 goals for the current campaign.Franck Ribery has overtaken Bayern's current sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic as the Bavarian club's leading foreign appearance maker (366).Stefan Ruthenbeck has lost his first two games as Cologne boss. No Billy Goats coach has ever started off with three consecutive defeats.Fifteen of the 32 goals Cologne have conceded this season have come from set-pieces - more than anyone else in the division.Not since 1964 has the bottom club in the Bundesliga won away from home against the league leaders.Cologne's Chris Führich, 19, and Filip Kusic, 21, made their Bundesliga debuts.
Line-ups:
Bayern: Starke - Rafinha, Boateng, Süle, Alaba – Tolisso (Coman 46'), Rudy, Vidal (James 46') – Müller (c), Lewandowski, Ribery (Kimmich 76')
Unused subs: Weinkauf, Hummels, Martinez, Wriedt
Absentees: Neuer (foot), Thiago (thigh), Ulreich (adductor)
Coach: Jupp Heynckes
Cologne: T. Horn - Olkowski, Sorensen, Mere, Heintz, J. Horn (Kusic 76') - Jojic, Lehmann (c), (Clemens 84') Özcan, Handwerker (Führich 66') - Klünter
Unused subs: Müller, Risa, Ouahim, Bisseck
Absentees: Maroh (hamstring), Risse (knee), Hector (ankle), Zoller (muscular injury), Cordoba (hamstring), Guirassy (toe), Osako (chest problems), Pizarro (ankle)
Coach: Stefan Ruthenbeck
Watch: Lewandowski and Heynckes reflect on the striker's landmark