After a below-par run of three league fixtures without a victory Bayern returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga on Saturday with a hard-working success away to bottom club Eintracht Braunschweig courtesy of second-half goals from Claudio Pizarro and Mario Mandzukic. The merited victory was a boost to morale in the build-up to Wednesday’s Champions League showdown away to Real Madrid.
The 32,325 full house at the Eintracht Stadium saw the relegation strugglers put up a determined and high-energy show of resistance in the first half, effectively neutralising the visitors’ greater quality. But all the running and chasing took its toll and the champions upped the ante after the break, Pizarro finally breaking the deadlock with 15 minutes to play and sub Mandzukic wrapping it up four minutes from time.
The result takes FCB onto 81 points from 31 matches, 17 clear of Dortmund in second. The Bavarians are back in action four days from now in the eagerly-awaited European first leg encounter in the Spanish capital against Cristiano Ronaldo and Co.