Bayern win overshadowed by Guardiola’s decision

Champions Bayern Munich opened up an eight-point lead in the Bundesliga at the start of the German season’s one-month winter break by beating Hanover 96 1-0 on Saturday (December 19) on the eve of coach Pep Guardiola announcing he was leaving in the summer.

With more than half a dozen players missing through injury Bayern, whose near-flawless first half to the campaign has seen them win 15 and lose one of their 17 games, needed a Thomas Mueller penalty to prevail as second-placed Borussia Dortmund conceded two late goals in a surprise 2-1 defeat at Cologne.

But the focus was on Spaniard Guardiola, who has won back-to-back German league titles in his two seasons so far, and had refused to end speculation of a move to the English Premier League.

Both teams came close in an aggressive start, Hanover ‘keeper Ron-Rober Zieler keeping out a close range shot from Thiago Alcantara in the fifth minute.

Manuel Neuer tipped a header from Leon Andreason onto the bar at the other end four minutes later and Zieler came to the rescue again when he hoofed a Mueller effort off the line on the half hour.

The visitors were awarded a penalty for handball in the 39th minute when Christian Schultz blocked a Kingsley Koman cross with his arm. Mueller stepped up to send Zieler the wrong way.

Dortmund dropped eight points off Bayern’s 46-point pace even though a first-half header from Sokratis Papastathopoulos had given them the lead in Cologne. Simon Zoller equalised eight minutes from time after a mistake by stopper Roman Buerki and Anthony Modeste drilled in a last-minute winner.

Hertha Berlin, surprise contenders for a Champions League spot next season, eased past Mainz 05 with a 2-0 victory on Sunday (December 20) to tighten their grip on third place.

Goals from Vladimir Darida and Salomon Kalou either side of halftime ensured Hertha won their third straight Bundesliga game, and their fifth in six matches, to move up to 32 points at the start of the winter break.

It put them five points clear of fourth-placed Bayer Leverkusen and six behind second-placed Dortmund.