
BERLIN,: Bayern Munich maintained their perfect start to the season with a commanding 3-0 win over 10-man Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The German record champion needed patience before breaking down a determined Gladbach side reduced to ten men midway through the first half. Joshua Kimmich finally unlocked the contest, paving the way for another record-equalling success in Europe's top leagues.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany made six changes from the midweek Champions League triumph, handing starts to Jonas Urbig and several fringe players. The visitors nearly struck early when Nicolas Jackson sent Luis Diaz through, but the Colombian shot narrowly wide.
The match turned in the 19th minute as Jens Castrop saw red after a VAR review for a dangerous challenge on Diaz. Despite the setback, Gladbach defended bravely, with goalkeeper Moritz Nicolas producing fine saves to deny Harry Kane and Tom Bischof before halftime.
Kompany's half-time substitutions, Konrad Laimer and Raphael Guerreiro, added drive to Bayern's attack. Michael Olise came close twice before Kimmich broke the deadlock in the 64th minute, slotting home after his first shot was blocked. Six minutes later, Guerreiro doubled the lead following a clever Olise pass. Gladbach missed their only real chance when Kevin Stoger hit the post from the spot.
Substitute Lennart Karl sealed the victory with a superb curling effort into the top corner, securing Bayern's eighth straight league win and 13th consecutive triumph in all competitions.
The result keeps Bayern firmly atop the Bundesliga, while winless Gladbach remains bottom.
"In the first half there were a lot of emotions. Gladbach fought for every ball, and even after the red card you could feel they were giving everything. We stayed calm, kept our tempo high in the second half, and at some point, you simply have to take your chance, that is exactly what we did," said Kompany.
Elsewhere, Leipzig stayed second after thrashing hapless Augsburg 6-0, while Maximilian Beier's late strike earned Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 win over Cologne and third place. Jonathan Burkardt's double fired Frankfurt past St. Pauli 2-0. Hoffenheim celebrated their first home victory of the season with a 3-1 win against Heidenheim. Despite dominating, Hamburg lost 1-0 to Wolfsburg in the northern duel, giving the visitors only their second win of the campaign.
Already on Friday, Bremen edged Union Berlin 1-0 thanks to Marco Gruell's fine solo effort.