Bayern retain top spot with comeback 5-2 win over Mainz

Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski celebrates scoring their fifth goal with Leroy Sane and Thomas Muller Pool - Reuters

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters): Bayern Munich returned from the two-week Christmas break looking rusty before fighting back from two goals down to beat second-from-bottom Mainz 5-2 in a rip-roaring Bundesliga contest on Sunday.

The result left Bayern on 33 points from 14 games at the top of the league, two more than second-placed RB Leipzig who won 1-0 at VfB Stuttgart on Saturday.

Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich, who sparked the home side’s comeback with their first goal, conceded that last season’s Champions League winners had been below par in the first half when they missed a string of chances.

“We came out in the second half with a completely different attitude but we were still fortunate that Mainz didn’t score a third goal,” he told Germany’s Sky television.

Mainz striker Jonathan Burkardt, who scored the opening goal, said: “We played with newly-found aggression and that’s something to build on despite the fact that we ended up conceding five goals.”

The German title holders were trailing 2-0 at halftime before they woke up with their run of goals, including a brace by Robert Lewandowski which took his tally to 22 goals in all competitions.

The winner of the 2020 FIFA Best Player award converted a penalty after Leandro Barreiro had brought down Gnabry with a late tackle and then bundled in a Thomas Mueller cross as Mainz collapsed in the final 20 minutes.

Earlier on Sunday, Borussia Dortmund broke back into the top four after goals from Manuel Akanji and England forward Jadon Sancho gave them a 2-0 home win over sixth-placed Wolfsburg.