Bundesliga: Lewandowski hat-trick sinks FC Köln as Dortmund thump Freiburg

(Football news) Bayern returned to winning ways after thumping FC Koln 4-0. Robert Lewandowski got a hat trick to make it 300 Bundesliga career goals as he steered them to a 4-0 win at Cologne on Saturday that restored a six-point lead at the top. The Bavarians, chasing a record-extending 10th consecutive league title, bounced back from last week's loss to Borussia Bundesliga top scorer Lewandowski rifled in from a Thomas Mueller assist in the ninth minute after Cologne's Ondrej Duda had lost possession, to set a league record as Bayern have now scored in 66 consecutive Bundesliga matches. It was also the first of three goals for the Pole, who has so far netted 23 times in the league this season. Moenchengladbach have 46 points from 19 games with Dortmund in second place on 40.

Corentin Tolisso, also back from a COVID-19 infection, beautifully combined with Mueller to thunder a shot into the top corner in the 25th. Lewandowski killed off the game just past the hour, chipping the ball past Cologne keeper Marvin Schwaebe to make it 3-0. The 33-year-old bagged his hat trick and his 300th in the Bundesliga having also played for Borussia Dortmund, when he slotted home from close range after good work by Leroy Sane 12 minutes later Lewandowski is second on the league's all-time scorers list with only Bayern great Gerd Mueller ahead of him with 365 goals.

"We are happy and grateful to have him in our team," Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer, back from his COVID-19 infection, said.

"We have a lot to thank him for because he is just a machine in the box and in keeping possession. His finishing is unique."

Dortmund thrashed SC Freiburg 5-1 as fullback Meunier powered home a header at the near post from a Julian Brandt corner after 14 minutes and doubled the lead in the 29th, nodding in another Brandt corner. He had only scored once before in the Bundesliga since joining in 2020.
Haaland then got in on the action, quickly peeling away from team mate Jude Bellingham to race into the box, latch onto a perfectly timed through ball from the England international and tap in Dortmund's third goal on the stroke of halftime. The Norwegian bagged his second in the 75th — his 55th goal in 56 Bundesliga matches — after Ermedin Demirovic had pulled a goal back for the visitors just past the hour. Haaland has now scored 78 goals in 77 matches in all competitions for the Ruhr valley club.

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"Five goals sounds good. The first half was a top performance," said Dortmund coach Marco Rose. "In the second half we eased off a bit and allowed them to pull a goal back. But it was a deserved win. "We took a good step today and we have to keep at it. We have the quality to play good games. We have now won two games in a row, are three points off Bayern. But what's important is to be consistent so that we have a chance to bring the title to Dortmund."

The other results were: