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Bayern beat Augsburg, Hamburg overturn Gladbach

Stefan BienkowskiFebruary 14, 2016

Bayern have picked up a comfortable win against Augsburg ahead of their Champions League tie against Juventus in midweek. Hamburg, meanwhile, overturned Gladbach to win for the first time in seven games.

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Deutschland Bundesliga FC Augsburg and FC Bayern München
Image: Getty Images/Bongarts/M. Hangst

Augsburg 1-3 Bayern Munich

(Bobadilla 86‘ – Lewandowski 15‘, Lewandowski 62', Müller 78')

Bayern Munich continued their charge towards another Bundesliga title on Sunday night wih a professional 3-1 win over Augsburg.

Although the pairing usually ensures a feisty encounter, the hosts offered very little from start to finish and instead opted to allow Bayern the lion's share of possession and multiple chances on goal.

Fortunately for Markus Weinzierl's side, the Bavarian giants were once again far from their best and rarely took advantage of the time and space offered to them on the night.

Pep Guardiola will have a number of concerns ahead of this week's Champions League first leg against Juventus, beginning with the fact that he didn't have a single central defender to pick from on Sunday. However, he will take solace in Robert Lewandowski's continued form.

The Polish striker was responsible for both of Bayern's first two goals and once again showed a specific ability to create chances even when the team around him are still playing in first gear.

The opening goal came in the 15th minute when a cross dilled in from Thomas Müller found the striker with his back to goal. Yet with a quick jink and flick of his feet, Lewandowski had turned and slotted the ball in to the Augsburg net.

Deutschland David Alaba
Alaba had his hands full with the muscular Bobadilla.Image: Reuters/M. Dalder

The second came shortly after the break, when the Bayern striker was offered a wonderful through ball from Thiago Alcantara to run on to and simply tap past an unprotected Marwin Hitz in the Augsburg goal. The striker could hardly believe his luck as the home side's defense tumbled around him but didn't wait around for long before doubling Bayern's lead.

Bayern picked up a third only a few minutes later when a Douglas Costa cross forced a save from Hitz in the 78th minute. The ball then landedback at the feet of the Brazilian who unselfishly passed to Müller on the six-yard line, to casually knock home.

Bayern would afford Augsburg a consolation goal five minutes from time when powerful striker Raul Bobadilla was allowed to turn and shoot in the box to knock the ball past Manuel Neuer but in truth Augsburg had conceded defeat long before that.

It's another three points in the standings for Bayern in a match that they'll be surprised they won so easily.

Deutschland Bundesliga Hamburger SV and Borussia Mönchengladbach
Rudnevs jumped on an Adler clearance to score Hamburg's second.Image: picture alliance/dpa/D. Bockwoldt

Hamburg 3-2 Borussia Mönchengladbach

(Hinteregger (own goal) 38', Rudnevs 41', Ilicevic 80' – Johnson 14', Raffael 88')

This looked as though it was going to be another difficult afternoon for Bruno Labbadia's Hamburg side when in the 14th minute the rebound of a Josip Drmic's shot was picked up by an opposing player and 15 seconds later Fabian Johnson had tapped the ball past Rene Adler in the Hamburg goal.

Yet contrary to a narrative that has seen Hamburg go without a win since November 28, the home side stepped up for a corner in the 38th minute and knocked in an equalizer when a poor clearance from Mahmoud Dahoud landed at the feet of Gideon Jung. The midfielder then swung at the ball only to see his shot deflect in off Gladbach central defender Martin Hinteregger.

From then on in it this was Hamburg's game to lose. Three minutes after the first, a hopeful punt from Adler found the on running Artjoms Rudnevs to knock a shot past a pursuing Oscar Wendt and goalkeeper Yann Sommer with a level of technique that had evaded Hamburg's attack for some time. Within five minutes Hamburg had equalized and then taken the lead.

Hamburg confirmed all three points late on in the second half when an Emir Spahic knock on from the corner found late substitute Ivo Ilicevic at the back post with a simple header past the keeper. The hosts were three goals to the good.

Gladbach would show a late flutter of attacking threat when Raffael dinked a shot over Adler in the 88th minute, forcing the hosts to endure a nervous end to the match, but in the end it was a win that Hamburg thoroughly deserved.