Bayern Munich’s Sebastian Rode scores his team’s third goal against Darmstadt 98 during their Bundesliga match in Darmstadt, Germany yesterday. (Reuters)

AFP/Munich


Bayern Munich knocked Borussia Dortmund off top spot in the German league yesterday with a 3-0 win at Darmstadt in the Bundesliga’s David verses Goliath clash. With Dortmund hosting Bayer Leverkusen today, Pep Guardiola’s Bayern took their chance to go top with their fifth win from five games and leave Darmstadt hunting a first win over the Bavarian giants after seven attempts.
This was their first league meeting since 1982 after Darmstadt’s promotion last season. The Munich squad has a market value of 559 million euros ($632m), compared to Darmstadt’s 19 million, and their tally of 40 fan clubs is dwarfed by the 4,000 Bayern can boast.  
All three scorers—new signings Arturo Vidal, Kingsley Coman and Sebastian Rode—claimed their first goals of the season with Munich’s star forward Robert Lewandowski injured and Thomas Mueller on the bench.
Vidal opened his Bayern account by turning his defender just outside the box and curling a shot in off the post on 20 minutes.
Rode then punished his former club by dribbling to the box and his cross was buried by France Under-21 international Coman on 62 minutes.   
Rode then claimed his own when his shot hit the post and he slotted home the rebound to claim Bayern’s third on 63 minutes. The result left Darmstadt in 12th place.
Bottom side Borussia Moenchengladbach’s disastrous start to the season continued as they suffered their fifth straight defeat in losing 1-0 at neighbours Cologne in the Rhineland derby.
French striker Anthony Modeste claimed his seventh goal in all competitions, and his fourth in the Bundesliga, with a crisp header on 64 minutes.
The victory lifted Cologne up to fourth while Gladbach, who lost their opening Champions League group stage match 3-0 at Seville on Tuesday, remain rooted to the foot of the table.
Wolfsburg celebrated their 70th birthday with a 2-0 win at home to Hertha Berlin as Dutch striker Bas Dost netted twice to lift his side up third.
After netting the opener on 76 minutes, Dost drilled home a penalty on 89 minutes after a foul on Germany international Julian Draxler.
Ingolstadt made history as the first Bundesliga team to win all three of their home games in their debut season in Germany’s top flight after Moritz Hartmann drilled home a 93rd-minute penalty which put the Bavarians fifth.
Bremen were reduced to ten men five minutes into injury time when midfielder Philipp Bargfrede was sent off for fouling Ingolstsadt’s USA international Alfredo Morales.
Hamburg were held to a goalless draw at home to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Mainz are up to sixth after Friday’s 3-0 win at home to Hoffenheim with midfielder Yunus Malli claiming a hat-trick to leave the attacking midfielder with five goals in five games.
Japan striker Yoshinori Muto hit the crossbar.