Franck Ribery’s spectacular bicycle kick sealed Bayern Munich’s 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday as the Bundesliga leaders warmed-up for their Champions League quarter-final, first leg against Benfica.
The 32-year-old Ribery rolled back the years by drilling his over-head kick into the top corner of the Frankfurt net with 20 minutes gone at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
It was the French winger’s 70th league goal for Bayern and came after Bayern’s Germany midfielder Mario Goetze had his shot blocked.
Bayern claimed a league record with their eighth straight clean sheet against Eintracht Frankfurt — no other club has managed the feat eight times in a row against the same opposition.
Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski, the league’s top scorer, had a quiet afternoon, failing to add to his tally of 25 Bundesliga goals this season and came off with 19 minutes to go.
Frankfurt, who are second from bottom, gave Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who missed Germany’s win over Italy with illness on Tuesday, an easy afternoon with barely a shot on goal.
Pep Guardiola’s Bayern host Benfica on Tuesday and took the chance to go eight points clear in Germany’s top flight with second-placed Borussia Dortmund at home to Werder Bremen later.
Bremen will be without their top scorer Claudio Pizarro after the Peru international picked up an injury during a World Cup qualifier in Uruguay.
South Korea international Koo Ja-Cheol netted for relegation-threatened Augsburg, but could not prevent his club losing 4-2 at Mainz.
Argentinian forward Pablo De Blasis and Christian Clemens both scored twice for Mainz at the Coface Arena as the result bumped Mainz up to fifth.
Augsburg are only clear of the relegation places on goal difference and are level on 27 points with Frankfurt and Hoffenheim, who host Cologne on Sunday.
Bottom side Hanover 96 remain ten points from safety with six league games left after going down 3-0 at home to Hamburg.
Schalke dropped to sixth, and risk losing their Europa League place for next season, after their 3-0 drubbing at Ingolstadt.
Ingolstadt’s Paraguay striker Dario Lezcano won a penalty and scored their third as the Royal Blues were humbled in Bavaria.
Darmstadt pulled themselves two points away from the relegation battle with a 2-2 draw at home to Stuttgart.
Sandro Wagner and Peter Niemeyer’s goals for Darmstadt were cancelled out by first-half efforts from Stuttgart’s Christian Gentner and Lukas Rupp.
On Friday, Wolfsburg were hammered 3-0 at Bayer Leverkusen in a poor build-up to Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final, first leg at home to Real Madrid.
On Sunday, third-placed Hertha Berlin have a tough away match at Borussia Moenchengladbach.
