In-form Borussia Moenchengladbach struck three times in 14 minutes in the second half to floor champion Bayern Munich 3-1 Saturday and inflict its first Bundesliga defeat of the season. Oscar Wendt put the host ahead in the 54th minute and quick goals from Lars Stindl and Fabian Johnson knocked out Bayern, which looked stunned after winning 13 of its 14 league games in a record-breaking start to the campaign. Franck Ribery scored on his comeback after an eight-month injury break but the Frenchman's 81st-minute goal came too late to turn the game around. Gladbach stretched its unbeaten run under coach Andre Schubert to 10 league games and climbed to third on 26 points. Bayern is top on 40, eight ahead of Borussia Dortmund. Bayern, repeatedly caught napping at the back and lacking its usual pace on the wings with Arjen Robben and Douglas Costa out injured, was still the better side in the first half. Robert Lewandowski connected with a superb Philipp Lahm through ball in the 18th minute and Thomas Mueller had a shot on goal but keeper Yann Sommer was well placed to save both efforts. The Bavarians kept up the pressure and Kingsley Coman hit the post with a low drive in the 25th minute. But Gladbach, in sensational form under Schubert following a five-game losing start, refused to buckle and hit the champions on the break, Raffael combining beautifully with Wendt and the Swede curling a low shot past keeper Manuel Neuer. Julian Korb came agonizingly close to a second goal but Neuer, at full stretch, kicked the ball on to the bar. Stindl, however, was given far too much space in the box and he volleyed in on 66 minutes as the game tipped firmly in the hosts' favour. Johnson beat the off side trap, with defender Jerome Boateng caught out, two minutes later before Ribery scored a consolation for Bayern. Also, Hertha Berlin defeated 10-man Bayer Leverkusen 2-1, Augsburg won 1-0 at Cologne, Mainz won 3-1 at Hamburger SV, and Ingolstadt drew 1-1 with bottom club Hoffenheim. On Friday, Schalke's stars partied with their fans after finally breaking their seven-week winless streak in the Bundesliga while coach Andre Breitenreiter admitted he had goosebumps. The Royal Blues won its first German league game since downing Hertha Berlin in mid-October when it romped to a 3-1 win at home to Hanover 96, ending its run of five Bundesliga games without a win. Schalke's man-of-the-match Leroy Sane ended up celebrating with the club's die-hard fans on the terraces and captain Benedikt Hoewedes led the singing. — Agencies
