Unbeaten Bayern Munich extends Bundesliga lead

Unbeaten Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich opened up an 11-point gap at the top after goals from Thomas Mueller and Kingsley Coman eased them past Hertha Berlin 2-0 on Saturday, their 13th win in 14 league games.

The champions, looking for a record fourth straight Bundesliga title, are on 40 points, eight clear of second placed Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern were looking fresh after their midweek 4-0 mauling of Olympiakos in the Champions League and despite key injury absences including Arjen Robben, Douglas Costa, David Alaba, Mario Goetze and Thiago Alcantara.

Coach Pep Guardiola fielded his 14th different starting eleven in 14 league games this season but they were dominant from the start, striking twice late in the first half with Mueller nodding in from a Medhi Benatia header in the 34th minute to take his league goal tally to 13 in 14 matches.

Frenchman Coman added another four minutes before halftime.

Bayern’s domination can be gauged by the fact they enjoyed more than 70 percent possession and had 24 shots on goal to Hertha’s four.

Dortmund crushed struggling VfB Stuttgart 4-1 on Sunday (November 29) with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring twice as they rediscovered their dominant form after two defeats in the past nine days.

Dortmund’s 10th win in 14 games tightened their hold on second place, seven ahead of third-placed VfL Wolfsburg, who only managed a goalless draw at Augsburg.

With out-of-form captain Mats Hummels on the bench, Dortmund got off to a dream start with Gonzalo Castro nodding in on the rebound after three minutes and setting up Aubameyang for his 16th goal of the season in the 19th minute.

Daniel Didavi snatched a 40th-minute goal against the run of play for the visitors, who had interim coach Juergen Kramny on the bench after the departure of Alexander Zorniger this week.

Dortmund, who lost to Hamburg SV in the league on Nov. 20 and FK Krasnodar in the Europa League in midweek, quickly re-established control after the break.

Stuttgart defender Georg Niedermeier, trying to clear his cutback in the box, then slid in for an own goal to make it 3-1 in the 65th minute.

It was Stuttgart’s fourth own goal in 14 league games this season — a Bundesliga record — as they remained in the relegation playoff spot on 10 points, having conceded a club record 35 goals so far.

Gabon international Aubameyang fired his 17th goal of the campaign in the last minute to complete their dominant victory in front of an 81,000 crowd.

Also on Sunday, Bayer Leverkusen went 1-0 down to Schalke 04 thanks to an Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting effort in the 50th minute but the hosts earned a point through an 85th-minute own goal from Sascha Riether and climbed to sixth on 21 points.