VfB Stuttgart 1 - 3 Bayern Munich: Bayern Munich beat Stuttgart to re-open eight-point lead in Bundesliga

Posted Sunday, April 10, 2016 by PA

Bayern Munich opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga once again with a 3-1 win at Stuttgart on Saturday.

Georg Niedermeier's own goal put the Bavarians in front after half an hour and David Alaba doubled their lead before Daniel Didavi made things interesting with what turned out to be only a consolation for the hosts, as Douglas Costa finished them off late on.

Borussia Dortmund can return to within five points when they face Schalke on Sunday, but with games running out, Bayern have edged that little bit closer towards a fourth straight Bundesliga title.

Franck Ribery had the first chance of the game when he met Mario Gotze's cross, but his effort was blocked.

At the other end, Didavi latched onto Niedermeier's header at the far post, but Manuel Neuer was able to change direction in an instant to scoop his effort away.

Stuttgart were giving as good as they got, but they shot themselves in the foot when Ribery's low cross was turned into his own goal by Niedermeier, as Robert Lewandowski loomed behind him for a tap-in.

Ribery then played the decoy for Alaba to double Bayern's lead early in the second half as he used the room created for him by the French winger to slot his shot inside Przemyslaw Tyton's near post.

Didavi, who announced during the week that he will be leaving Stuttgart to join Wolfsburg in the summer, managed to bring Stuttgart back into the game with just under 20 minutes remaining, scoring a goal as he laid on the ground inside the Bayern penalty area, hooking a loose ball past Manuel Neuer into the top right-hand corner.

It gave Stuttgart hope, but Thiago Alcantara came close to scoring another at the other end with a shot which rattled the crossbar before Douglas Costa ended the home team's hopes with a 25-yard effort which Tyton could only get his fingertips to, but not keep out.