BERLIN, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- FC Bayern Munich returned to winning ways with a 5-1 home victory over TSG Hoffenheim that halted a brief wobble and saw the record champion reassert control at the top of the Bundesliga.
After a draw with Hamburg and a surprise defeat to Augsburg, Bayern's points lead had been trimmed to three points before kick-off. Hoffenheim arrived with five straight wins in the new year and the chance to close the gap.
Bayern started at pace and threatened early through Serge Gnabry and Michael Olise. The match pivoted in the 17th minute when Kevin Akpoguma brought down Luis Diaz in the area and was sent off. Harry Kane converted the resultant penalty to open the scoring.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, Hoffenheim refused to retreat. Manuel Neuer's misplaced pass gifted Fisnik Asllani an opening, and Andrej Kramaric finished calmly to level in the 35th minute. However, Bayern regained control before the break when Vladimir Coufal fouled Diaz, allowing Kane to strike again from the spot. Deep into stoppage time, Kane then supplied Diaz for a swift third.
After the interval, Bayern controlled possession and limited risk. Oliver Baumann denied Kane with a sharp save, but Diaz extended the lead on 62 minutes after combination play involving Olise and Kane. Changes followed as Vincent Kompany rotated his side, with Jamal Musiala introduced and Kane later withdrawn.
Hoffenheim continued to play positively, yet chances fell Bayern's way. Baumann produced further saves to prevent the margin growing, before Diaz completed his hat-trick late on with a precise finish after a Musiala assist.
The result was Bayern's first win in three games and restored its six-point lead in the standings. Hoffenheim, beaten for the first time in 2026, missed the opportunity to draw closer after its early momentum was undone by Akpoguma's dismissal.
"There has been a lot of noise around the team, but we stayed calm and got the win. The level was high and everyone is pushing to be on the pitch. The first 15 minutes were played with real intensity, and we punished them when we had to. Credit to Hoffenheim, they play good football," Kane said.
Elsewhere, RB Leipzig also returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Cologne, with Christoph Baumgartner scoring both goals. Enditem
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