Bundesliga: Robert Lewandowski Nets 30th Goal of Season as Bayern Munich Crush Bayer Leverkusen to Close in on Title
Robert Lewandowski scored his 30th league goal of the season on Saturday as Bayern Munich came from behind to claim a 4-2 victory at Bayer Leverkusen and move a step closer to the Bundesliga title.
Bayern Munich, with the win, remain firmly on course to retain the Bundesliga title with four games remaining.
Lucas Alario fired the hosts into the lead after 10 minutes as Leverkusen, without the injured Kai Havertz, scored with the first chance of the game.
But Bayern recovered from the early shock and Kingsley Coman curled in the equaliser in the 28th minute before the visitors struck twice in three minutes to turn the game around.
Leon Goretzka completed a sensational passing move in the 42nd minute and Serge Gnabry chipped the ball over keeper Lukas Hradecky on the stroke of halftime.
Bundesliga top scorer Robert Lewandowski headed in Thomas Mueller's 20th assist of the season.
Lewandowski took his tally to 30 league goals but is still 10 shy of the all-time league record of 40 set by Gerd Mueller in 1971-72.
It was Bayern's ninth straight win but there was also some cheer for Leverkusen despite their setback in the race for a Champions League spot.
German youth international Wirtz made a name for himself with a superb 89th-minute strike that beat keeper Manuel Neuer and made him the youngest Bundesliga scorer at 17 years and 34 days.
Wirtz set the new record for youngest scorer in the German top flight, aged 17 years and 34 days, beating the record set by Nuri Sahin for Borussia Dortmund in November 2005 by 48 days.
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The game also saw Bayern lend their support to protests over the death of black American man George Floyd, with all their players wearing armbands bearing the slogan "Black Lives Matter".
Leaders Bayern moved 10 points clear of Borussia Dortmund, who play Hertha Berlin later.
ALSO READ | Mainz Beat Frankfurt 2-0 as Paderborn, RB Leipzig and Fortuna Duesseldorf, Hoffenheim End in Draws
Elsewhere, a late equaliser from Christian Strohdiek gave bottom-of-the-table Paderborn a faint glimmer of hope in the race for survival, as they snatched a 1-1 draw away to RB Leipzig.
Chelsea-bound Leipzig striker Timo Werner set up Patrik Schick on 27 minutes to give Leipzig the lead, but they were forced to defend it with 10 men after Dayot Upamecano was booked twice in the first half.
Strohdiek's last-minute strike gave Paderborn their fourth draw in five games, though Steffen Baumgart's side remain eight points off Fortuna Duesseldorf who occupy the relegation play-off place.
Duesseldorf themselves missed the chance to move towards safety, as they battled to a dramatic 2-2 draw against 10-man Hoffenheim.
A headed opener from Rouwen Hennings and a red card for Hoffenheim's Benjamin Huebner put the home side in pole position, but the visitors struck back with goals from Munas Dabbur and Steven Zuber before Hennings saved a point with a late penalty.
Uwe Roesler's side remain three points adrift of survival, after goals from Moussa Niakhate and Pierre Kunde Malong gave fellow strugglers Mainz a rare 2-0 win over local rivals Eintracht Frankfurt.
