Bayern Munich stay on top of Bundesliga standings

Berlin: German giants Bayern Munich registered a 2-1 win against Stuttgart with in-form striker Mario Gomez scoring a brace while defending champions Dortmund dropped points against Kaiserslautern after a 1-1 draw.

Dortmund went into the match low on morale after their bitter elimination from European competitions. The defending champions opened the scoring against Kaiserslautern in the 27th minute at a packed Signal Iduna Park. Dortmund pressed hard for a second but were unable to extend their lead. After the interval, Kaiserslautern shocked the hosts with the equalizer thanks to a brilliant volley from the penalty line by midfielder Olcay Sahan. Dortmund stay in second position with 31 points while Kaiserslautern climbed out of relegation zone with 15 points. "Kaiserslautern have carved out a deserved point as they were always dangerous. Unfortunately, we did not take our opportunities," Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said after the draw. German record champions Bayern Munich came back from behind to win 2-1 at Stuttgart to go top of the Bundesliga standings in a physical match with many fouls and yellow cards. Stuttgart midfielder Christian Gentner shocked the "Bavarians" in the sixth minute. Bayern remained unaffected and countered with the equaliser in the 13th minute through striker Mario Gomez who clinically netted a cross from penalty area. In the 28th minute, Stuttgart defender Christian Molinaro foolishly got himself sent off by getting two yellow cards in the space of six minutes. Bayern utilized the chance at the 57th minute to turn the match when striker Gomez sealed his brace after he slotted home to mark his 15th goal of the season and become top scorer in the league. Stuttgart piled on the pressure and frantically pressed for the equaliser, without luck. Bayern Munich stay top of the standings with 34 points while Stuttgart resides in seventh position with 22 points. IANS