Watch: Lewandowski hat trick helps 10-man Bayern preserve 4-point lead

Record-chasing Robert Lewandowski scored a first-half hat trick on Saturday as 10-man Bayern Munich saved its four-point lead on the high of the Bundesliga with a 4-0 win over Stuttgart.
Bayern solely began taking part in properly after Canadian teen Alphonso Davies was despatched off for a nasty sort out on Stuttgart’s Wataru Endo within the twelfth minute. The defending champions’ response saved second-place Leipzig at bay earlier than the groups meet on April 4.
“We want to settle it as soon as possible,” Bayern coach Hansi Flick mentioned of his staff’s bid for a record-extending ninth consecutive title. “That’s why we’re happy to get the three points in these conditions, with a player less for most of the game.”
Lewandowski’s thirty third, thirty fourth and thirty fifth targets of the season go away him needing simply 5 extra to match Bayern and West Germany nice Gerd Müller’s Bundesliga file of 40 targets from the 1971-72 season. Eight rounds stay.
“I’m thinking from game to game, and not of how many goals I must score to break this record,” mentioned Lewandowski, who eclipsed Klaus Fischer’s haul from between 1968-88 to maneuver second within the all-time Bundesliga scorers record.
“It makes me very proud, of course,” mentioned Lewandowski, now on 271 targets from 346 video games for Bayern and Borussia Dortmund. Only Müller, who scored 365 in 427 video games for Bayern between 1965-79, has extra.
“I’m happy with how the team played in the first half. The red card woke us up,” Lewandowski mentioned.
Davies was initially proven a yellow card for touchdown along with his studs on Endo’s ankle, however a VAR test upgraded it to a purple.
The sending off solely appeared to awaken his teammates. Serge Gnabry crossed for Lewandowski to open his account within the 18th minute, 4 minutes earlier than Thomas Müller and Leroy Sané performed their approach by way of the Stuttgart protection for Gnabry to get Bayern’s second purpose.

Müller arrange Lewandowski’s second a minute later, and the Poland star accomplished his hat trick within the thirty ninth after being arrange by Sané.
DORTMUND’S DROPPED POINTS
Erling Haaland scored his second purpose late to salvage a 2-2 draw for Borussia Dortmund at Cologne, however the guests dropped 4 factors behind fourth-place Eintracht Frankfurt, which emerged from a bruising sport with a 5-2 win over Union Berlin.
Both Haaland and Frankfurt ahead André Silva took their Bundesliga purpose tallies this season to 21.
Union had 25 efforts at purpose, in comparison with the house facet’s 9.
“It hurts,” mentioned Robert Andrich, whose personal purpose from 20 meters (yards) was the primary of three targets in six minutes from Frankfurt within the first half. Max Kruse scored twice for Union.

Erling Haaland scored twice immediately however he didn’t look comfortable 😡pic.twitter.com/6hxKaRUvNe
— Goal (@purpose) March 20, 2021
GLADBACH WINS
Borussia Mönchengladbach beat last-place Schalke 3-0 away to finish its seven-game run of defeats throughout all competitions. The streak began when the membership introduced coach Marco Rose is taking up at Dortmund subsequent season.
Veteran striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar got here on as an alternative to simply his second look for Schalke since his winter return, however the staff was already three targets down. Schalke is 12 factors from security and getting ready for the second division.
American ahead Josh Sargent scored an own-goal in Werder Bremen’s 2-1 loss at residence to third-place Wolfsburg.