Lewandowski fails to score but Bayern build Bundesliga lead

BERLIN: This time, Robert Lewandowski failed to score.
It didn’t matter on Saturday as others did for Bayern Munich to stretch their Bundesliga lead to nine points with a 4-1 win in Freiburg.
Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman and Marcel Sabitzer got the goals as Bayern put the pressure on second-placed Borussia Dortmund, which hosted fourth-placed Leipzig later.
Six rounds remain after this weekend.
Lewandowski recovered from a midweek injury scare to start but failed to add to his 31 league goals. Last season, the Poland star scored against Freiburg in the penultimate round to match Gerd Müller’s Bundesliga record of 40. He broke it in the final game of the season against Augsburg.
Bayern had more of the ball in the first half against Freiburg but struggled to create clear-cut chances against the well-organized home team.
Freiburg’s first lapse led to the opener, scored by Goretzka in the 58th with a header to Joshua Kimmich’s free kick. Goretzka was making his first start since Dec. 4.
But substitute Nils Petersen equalized six minutes later, just seconds after going on for Freiburg.
Bayern’s Serge Gnabry repeated the feat in the 73rd after replacing Benjamin Pavard. The Germany forward fired inside the left post after Nico Schlotterbeck failed to deal with Lucas Hernández’s cross.
Coman added a brilliant strike from distance in the 82nd, and Sabitzer completed the scoring in the sixth minute of injury time. It was the Austrian’s first goal in the Bundesliga.
Sabitzer went on in the 86th for Coman but there was some confusion around the substitution as it appeared Bayern may have briefly played with 12 players. There was a brief holdup in play and heated discussion among players and officials before referee Christian Dingert allowed the game to continue.
Third-placed Bayer Leverkusen defeated Hertha Berlin 2-1 to leave the visitors second from bottom on goal difference from Arminia Bielefeld, which came from behind to draw with Stuttgart 1-1.
They left the relegation scrap finely poised. Hertha, Bielefeld and Augsburg are all on 26 points, just one behind Stuttgart. Augsburg have played two games fewer than their relegation rivals.
Bochum won at Hoffenheim 2-1 and last-placed Greuther Fürth drew at Eintracht Frankfurt 0-0.

Lewandowski fails to score but Bayern build Bundesliga lead