A?second-half power play from German champions Bayern Munich turned their game into a stunning comeback at home against Wolfsburg yesterday, while another powerhouse Schalke 04 lost good chances to catch up after a 0-0 draw with Bielefeld.
Bayern staged the exciting show from two goals down to beat Wolfsburg 4-2 and go fourth in the Bundesliga table with nine games played.
The 69,000 full house at the Allianz Arena saw the strangely lethargic men in red concede two goals in as many minutes to Grafite and Edin Dzeko after barely more than half an hour, but Franck Ribery netted before the break and Mark van Bommel equalized ten minutes into the second half, first goals of the season for both Bayern men.
The champions completed a stirring turnaround when sub Tim Borowski blasted his side into the lead just after the hour, and although there were chances at both ends in an increasingly absorbing battle, Bastian Schweinsteiger wrapped up the points with a tap-in ten minutes from time.
Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann was understandably delighted with his side's performance.
"A huge compliment to the team for turning the match around and exploiting their quality to get the result," he said.
Also yesterday, Schalke 04 were falling ever further behind the league leaders. A 0-0 home draw to Bielefeld yesterday was their game in a row without a Bundesliga win.
For Schalke fans, the game was a disappointing affair just two days after the team's 3-1 UEFA Cup win over Paris St. Germain.
They struggled against Arminia Bielefeld - a team they had beaten in their last eight encounters - with the game ending in a lackluster scoreless draw.
Werder Bremen, lost further ground when they were held 1-1 away to Hanover 96, leaving them in eighth place with 13 points.
At present, Bayer Leverkusen lead the standings with 18 points following their 2-0 win at home to Cologne on Friday. Hamburg SV, now second on 17 points, can reclaim the lead today if they beat third-placed Hoffenheim.
(Xinhua News Agency October 27, 2008)