Cheers as Bayern top, Dortmund lose 31-match record

Cheers as Bayern top, Dortmund lose 31-match record

Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller fired Bayern Munich back to the top of the Bundelsiga on Saturday with a 2-0 win at Schalke while champions Borussia Dortmund saw their 31-match unbeaten run ended by Hamburg.

Bayern Munich's midfielder Toni Kroos (L) and Schalke's midfielder Jermaine Jones fight for the ball during their German first division Bundesliga football match in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany. Bayern won 2-0.

Bayern clinched a fourth win in four matches and reclaimed top spot on goal difference from Eintracht Frankfurt, who also have a perfect 12 points following their 2-1 win at Nuremburg on Friday.

Saturday marked the start of Oktoberfest in Munich, the world's largest beer festival, and Bayern celebrated in style despite missing French star Franck Ribery, sidelined with a thigh injury.

Both Bayern's goals came in the space of three minutes in the second half.

Kroos, who was on the scoresheet in the 2-1 win over Valencia in the Champions League in midweek, found the target after 55 minutes with a right-foot drive.

Then Mueller doubled the lead in the 58th minute after a mazy run to delight veteran coach Jupp Heynckes.

"It's very gratifying to have a five-point gap (over Dortmund) but the championship is a 34-match marathon," said Heynckes, with Bayern on the crest of a wave having won all seven of their matches to date in all competitions for their best ever start.

Meanwhile, Dortmund's 31-match unbeaten run came to an end in a shock 3-2 loss at struggling Hamburg, who registered their first league win of the season.

The star for Hamburg was South Korea's Son Heung-Min, who scored twice.

Son grabbed the opener after just two minutes and a second -- his team's third -- just before the hour mark.

Ivo Ilicevic had added a second for Hamburg in the 55th minute while Croatia's Ivan Perisic scored both of Dortmund's goals in the 46th and 59th minutes.

The champions now stand fourth in the table and coach Juergen Klopp lamented their poor early play.

"We made a very poor start - that wasn't in the plan. And they made the most of their chances. But we will keep plugging away," he said.

Hamburg coach Thorsten Fink, who had been under pressure to deliver after three straight losses, said he believed his men may have turned the corner.

"We turned in an efficient showing today and it's great to get this boost," said Fink.

Mainz also claimed their first win of the season, beating Augsburg 2-0.

Fortuna Duesseldorf were held 0-0 by Freiburg while Wolfsburg claimed a point in a 1-1 draw with promoted Greuther Fuerth thanks to an equaliser from Croat veteran Ivica Olic.

On Sunday, Bayer Leverkusen welcome Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Ruhr derby while second from bottom Stuttgart travel to Werder Bremen.

Third-placed Hanover travel to rock-bottom Hoffenheim, who have lost all four matches, conceding 12 goals.

On Friday, goals from Austrian striker Erwin Hoffer and Japanese midfielder Takashi Inui had fired newly-promoted Eintracht Frankfurt briefly top of the table with a 2-1 win at Nuremberg.

The 25-year-old Hoffer, on loan from Serie A side Napoli, put the visitors ahead after 25 minutes when he picked up a corner from the right off Inui to fire into the net on front of a crowd of 45,000 at the Nuremberg Stadium.

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