Bayern buoyed by home comforts
Saturday, February 4, 2006
Article summary
The Ruhr derby may have finished goalless, but FC Bayern München did not disappoint as Michael Ballack scored the only goal against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Article body
The champions FC Bayern München kept their perfect record at the Fußball Arena München intact with a 1-0 win against Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Saturday.
Ballack on target
Germany midfielder Michael Ballack scored the only goal, his eighth of the season, to make it nine wins in nine for Bayern at their new home. The victory kept the Bavarian club eight points clear of fellow UEFA Champions League hopefuls Werder Bremen as they battled back from two goals down to defeat 1. FSV Mainz 05 at the Weserstadion. Ivan Klasnić, Johan Micoud and Paraguayan international Nelson Valdez were on target for Thomas Schaaf's men.
Ruhr stalemate
The eagerly-anticipated 172nd Ruhr derby between FC Schalke 04 and BV Borussia Dortmund ended in an unspectacular goalless draw. Northern Germany's other Bundesliga heavyweights, Hamburger SV, moved six points clear of Schalke in third by coming from behind to defeat DSC Arminia Bielefeld 2-1. Isaac Boakye opened the scoring for the visitors, who were later eclipsed by goals from Piotr Trochowski and Sergej Barbarez.
Even matches
At the other end of the table, 16th-placed MSV Duisburg drew 2-2 with the bottom side 1. FC Kaiserslautern, while second-from-bottom 1. FC Köln earned a 0-0 home draw against VfB Stuttgart. Hertha BSC Berlin's 18-year-old newcomer Kevin Prince Boateng became the second youngest goalscorer in the Bundesliga this season as his side shared the spoils with Eintracht Frankfurt.
