Bayern Munich leaped into the Bundesliga second place after condemning Bayer Leverkusen to a 2-0 home loss on Saturday. After a scoreless first half, Italian striker Luca Toni and German ace Miroslav Klose scored on 59 and 82 minutes respectively. The hosts stuck to an offensive strategy in the first half, looking for an early opener but it didn't pay off. The Bavarians duo Franck Ribery and Ze Roberto piled up pressure on their opponents' rearguard till the interval, and their sublime assists in the second half helped their side secure a much-needed win. After the restart, the defending champions took a stranglehold on the game, and imposed more threat from both flanks. Toni broke the deadlock after heading Ze Roberto's inch-perfect cross from the left wing into the net.
Hoffenheim still on top Jurgen Klinsmann's men maintained their dominance successfully, while Leverkusen had only one clear-cut opportunity when Patrick Helmes tried his luck on 71 minutes, but his shot drifted wide of the mark. Klose doubled Bayern's lead after latching on to Ribery's deft through and slotting home. Meanwhile, Hoffenheim stayed on top after registering a deserved 3-0 victory over Arminia Bielefeld. Vedad Ibisevic and Carlos Eduardo netted two early goals on 5 and 11 minutes respectively, while Francisco Copado added the third on 88 minutes after converting a last-gasp penalty-kick. Having won on Saturday, Hoffe retained the League summit with 34 points, three ahead of second-placed Bayern. Both teams are facing each other next week, and the title holders would get one hand on the top spot should they clinch a win.
