Bayern Munich have eased to a comfortable 4-1 win over FC Koln to extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga this evening.
The hosts needed just three minutes to open the scoring as Bastian Schweinsteiger rose highest in the box to head the ball past Timo Horn from a corner.
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Bayern doubled their lead inside the opening 10 minutes as Horn parried a Robert Lewandowski effort into the path of Franck Ribery, leaving the Frenchman to fire a low shot in.
Lewandowski attempted to continue the early onslaught for the German champions, but he saw an effort blocked before Horn denied him again.
Despite Bayern's first-half dominance, Koln kept themselves in contention at the interval as Anthony Ujah found himself in space at the back post following a quick counter-attack, leaving him to head the ball past Manuel Neuer.
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Pep Guardiola's side pushed to restore their two-goal cushion early in the second half, but Thomas Muller nodded the ball just wide after Rafinha played the ball in.
The visitors' opportunities remained limited, but they managed to test Neuer when Ujah looked for his second, but his weak finish was an easy save for the Bayern keeper.
The home side did manage to add a third with just over 20 minutes to go when Ribery chipped the ball forward for Arjen Robben, who coolly headed in from a tight angle.
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It took the champions just a few minutes more to add to the score as Ribery found Robben again, but the Dutchman pulled it back to set up Lewandowski for a simple finish.
Bayern pressed for a fifth in the final minutes of the match, but Mario Gotze headed the ball over before Horn tipped a 25-yard effort from Robben clear.
The result leaves Bayern 11 points clear at the top of the table, while Koln stay 13th.
Sian Cowper
