BERLIN: Robert Lewa­ndowski scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich came from behind to stay top of the Bundesliga with a 4-2 win over Borussia Dortmund in their ‘Klassiker’ on Saturday.

Lewandowski completed his hat-trick in the last minute, just after Leon Goretzka put Bayern ahead for the first time. Erling Haaland had fired the visitors into an early two-goal lead.

“We had a bit of luck in the end but it was deserved, because we were the dominant team,” Bayern coach Hansi Flick said.

The win kept Bayern two points clear of RB Leipzig, who increased the pressure on the defending champions earlier with a 3-0 win at Freiburg.

It was the sixth consecutive league game in which Dortmund conceded at least four goals in Munich, a bitter blow for Edin Terzi’s team after frustrating Bayern for the first 88 minutes.

Dortmund complained that Leroy San fouled Emre Can in moving him off the ball in the buildup to Goretzka’s goal, but referee Marco Fritz allowed play to continue.

“If it was a Bayern player it would have been a foul. That’s just the way it is,” Dortmund captain Marco Reus claimed.

The visitors made a furious start. Haaland scored in the second minute with the help of a deflection from Bayern defender Jerome Boateng, seven minutes before Thorgan Hazard set Haaland up for a tap in.

But Lewandowski pulled one back in the 26th and equalised from the penalty spot before the interval after Mahmoud Dahoud fouled Kingsley Coman in the area.

Haaland hurt his right ankle after a foul from Boateng and had to go off in the 60th. Boateng was carried off 10 minutes later after injuring himself making a clearance.

Bayern pushed harder for the win with Dortmund relying on long balls forward for reserve team striker Steffen Tigges. The visitors were without Jadon Sancho, Gio Reyna and Raphal Guerreiro due to injury.

Goretzka reacted quickly to Thomas Meunier’s attempted clearance to score in off the left post, and Lewandowski claimed his 31st goal of the season while Dortmund were still reeling.

“We started good but then ... we didn’t play football anymore,” Can said. It was difficult of course. We have to do more. That wasn’t good enough today.”

Leipzig had briefly climbed top of the table with a romp at Freiburg thanks to goals by Christopher Nkunku, Alexander Sorloth and Emil Forsberg.

Leipzig impressed in their final tune-up before facing Liverpool in Budapest next Wednesday in the last 16 of the Champions League having lost the first leg 2-0.

Third-placed VfL Wolfsburg are now ten points adrift of Bayern having stumbled to a 2-1 defeat at mid-table Hoffenheim whose striker Andrej Kramaric scored the winning goal just before half-time.

Eintracht Frankfurt stay fourth after Filip Kostic equalised for the home team in a 1-1 draw against VfB Stuttgart.

A late goal by Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick sealed their 1-0 win at Moenchengladbach, who drop to 10th as their miserable run continues.

Gladbach have now lost all five games since it was announced head coach Marco Rose will take charge of Dortmund next season.

The away win eases the pressure on Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz. His fifth-placed side had failed to win any of their five previous games in all competitions.

Dodi Lukebakio converted a late penalty to seal Hertha Berlin’s 2-1 home win over Augsburg.

It was Hertha’s first victory in 10 games which pulled them up to 14th and away from the relegation fight.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2021