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HAMBURG: Bayern Munich crushed hosts St. Pauli 5-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday to set an all-time season scoring record while also extending their lead at the top to 12 points with five games left to play.
The Bavarians, who host Real Madrid next week in their Champions League quarter-final second leg after their 2-1 win, are within touching distance of the league title with 76 points and second-placed Borussia Dortmund stuck on 64 after their 1-0 home loss to Bayer Leverkusen.
A ninth-minute header from Jamal Musiala saw the visitors equal the record of 101 goals in one season, set by Bayern in the 1971-72 campaign.
It was a welcome start for Germany midfielder Musiala, under mounting pressure to get sufficient playing practice after his long injury absence following a broken foot last year, and be ready for the World Cup.
The visitors added two more in quick succession early after the restart, with Leon Goretzka in the 53rd and Michael Olise a minute later, to beat the previous best mark and make sure of the three points.
Nicolas Jackson scored a fourth in the 65th before Raphael Guerreiro slotted in to make it 5-0 two minutes from the end, with Kompany having rested several players, including top striker Harry Kane.
Bayern are still in the running for three titles and face Leverkusen in the German Cup semi-final on April 22.
On Sunday, Werder Bremen edged closer to the Bundesliga drop zone after going down 3-1 at Cologne in an error-ridden performance.
Bremen gave away an early penalty, converted by Said El Mala, and lost captain Marco Friedl to a red card for a last-man foul midway through the first half.
Cologne’s Ragnar Ache and Isak Johannesson scored either side of a Romano Schmid penalty for Bremen. The defeat leaves Bremen, who have played the joint-most seasons in the German top flight alongside Bayern Munich, three points clear of the relegation play-off spot with five games remaining in the campaign.
Cologne leapfrogged the visitors and are now five points clear of the drop zone.
Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2026
