Bayern are finally up to third spot in the Bundesliga, the Champions League qualifying berth the club so desperately craves, after beating Borussia Monchengladbach at home on Saturday, although the champions made heavy weather of the meeting with the doomed bottom club until Arjen Robben’s 77th-minute opener.
The 69,000 full house at the Allianz Arena saw an uninspiring first half in which Louis van Gaal’s side struggled for inspiration against the disciplined visiting defence, and although Munich upped the urgency after the restart, it was a frustrating afternoon until Robben’s precious strike relieved the mounting tension and pressure.
The hard-earned victory, combined with Hannover’s 4-1 defeat away to leaders Dortmund, sees the champions move up to third in the Bundesliga on 51 points from 28 matches, now a point ahead of Hannover and seven off second-placed Leverkusen, 1-0 winners in Kaiserslautern. The Bavarians are next in action in the sixth-to-last match of the campaign away to high-flying Bavarian neighbours Nuremberg on Saturday 9 April.
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