European football: Müller stars on 400th league start as Bayern run riot

  • 4/20/2024
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Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller scored twice on his 400th Bundesliga start and Harry Kane bagged his 33rd league goal of the season in a 5-1 victory at Union Berlin. Leon Goretzka and the 18-year-old Mathys Tel were also on target as Thomas Tuchel capped a successful week featuring a Champions League semi-final place and a comfortable win on the road. Second-placed Bayern ceded the title to Bayer Leverkusen last week but have moved to 66 points from 30 matches, three points clear of VfB Stuttgart, who visit Werder Bremen on Sunday. Bayern led on the half-hour when Tel’s pass into the box was left by Müller and Goretzka thumped in a shot off the underside of the bar against relegation-threatened Union. Kane scored the second with a free-kick and it was more of the same in the second half as Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s cross was rifled into the net by Müller. Tel finished from Kane’s pass just past the hour before a rampant Bayern added a fifth through Müller. Yorbe Vertessen scored a late consolation for the home side who are three points above the relegation playoff spot. RB Leipzig moved three points clear in the fourth guaranteed Champions League qualifying place with a 2-1 win at Heidenheim, though they have played a game more than fifth-placed Borussia Dortmund, who host Leverkusen on Sunday. Loïs Openda’s 23rd Bundesliga goal of the campaign five minutes from the end secured the win for Leipzig. Bottom-placed Darmstadt ended a 22-game winless streak as they secured a 2-0 away victory at second-bottom Cologne. Christoph Klarer and Oscar Vilhelmsson scored second-half goals to leave Darmstadt nine points off the relegation playoff position with four games left. Jonas Wind’s first Bundesliga goal since November secured a 1-0 victory for Wolfsburg over Bochum to move his side five points clear of the relegation playoff spot. Robin Hack got a hat-trick for Borussia Mönchengladbach but still ended up on the losing side as Hoffenheim edged a seven-goal thriller 4-3 after Anton Stach scored an added-time winner. Napoli’s hopes of playing in European football next season suffered a setback as they endured a frustrating 1-0 defeat at lowly Empoli in Serie A. Empoli, who are battling relegation, scored after four minutes when Alberto Cerri headed in a close-range cross. In the second half, Napoli pushed forward trying to find an equaliser but failed to create any clear openings. Napoli are eighth with 49 points, three points off Lazio in sixth, six points behind Roma, who are fifth and have two games in hand, and 10 adrift of fourth-placed Bologna, who have played one match fewer than the Naples side. Serie A is set to get at least five spots in an expanded Champions League competition next season. Empoli are 15th with 31 points, four points clear of the drop zone, but are likely to slip back closer to danger after Saturday evening’s relegation clash between 17th-placed Verona and 16th-placed Udinese.

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