The Albany Gazette - Bayern beat Freiburg to reclaim top spot after Kompany illness

Bayern were missing several first-team players and Kompany, but cruised to a two-goal lead at half-time with Dayot Upamecano and Serge Gnabry scoring.

Freiburg pulled one back and were pushing for a point in stoppage time when goalkeeper Mio Backhaus was caught out up the field, allowing Michael Olise to slide the ball into an empty net.

Kompany remains in hospital and is being treated for a mystery virus, with Bayern saying Saturday the coach is likely to be out for "days, not weeks".

Bayern leapfrogged Borussia Dortmund to top the table ahead of the duo's clash in Munich next week.

Harry Kane had a close-range effort saved late in the second half but failed to find the net a day before the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, with the England captain one of the favourites.

Bayern arrived in the Black Forest after a tumultuous few days which left them lacking leaders. With coach Kompany still in hospital after collapsing on Friday, Englishman Aaron Danks was in the Bayern dugout.

The visitors were also without injured captain Manuel Neuer, Luis Diaz, Jamal Musiala, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Kim Min-jae, while midfielder and Germany captain Joshua Kimmich was on bereavement leave due to the sudden death of his father.

Bayern were in the unusual position of sitting back and absorbing pressure as Freiburg pushed, but took the lead after 16 minutes when Upamecano started and finished a length-of-the-field counter.

The France defender won possession near his own box, played a one-two with Olise before thundering goalwards and sending a cool shot past Backhaus.

Bayern doubled up just before the break when Gnabry latched onto a Nathaniel Brown pass and nutmegged Backhaus to score.

With 10 minutes remaining, Kane stung Backhaus's palms from close range and the hosts went on an immediate counter, forcing Tom Bischof into conceding an own goal.

The goal sparked Freiburg to life and Bayern 'keeper Jonas Urbig needed to make crucial saves from Igor Matanovic in the dying moments.

With Freiburg and Backhaus pushing high, Olise won possession and scored to wrap up the victory.

- Hoffenheim hit 1,000 mark -

Hoffenheim scored three goals in the final 11 minutes, including the 1,000th league goal in their history, as they snapped Bayer Leverkusen's six-game winning streak with a 3-0 home victory.

Hoffenheim, who beat Lyon by the same scoreline in the Europa League on Thursday, have now won three in a row.

Leverkusen, who had claimed 13 of a possible 15 points before Sunday's match, could have gone into third place with victory but instead sit fourth.

The best chance of the opening half fell to former Leverkusen forward Adam Hlozek when he rattled the post with 38 minutes gone.

With the match looking headed for a scoreless draw, Leverkusen captain Edmond Tapsoba swept Fisnik Asllani's ankle while defending a cross, with the referee pointing to the spot after a VAR review.

Andrej Kramaric's 79th-minute penalty was the 1000th goal in the club's history and put Hoffenheim on track for victory.

With Leverkusen pushing for an equaliser, Hoffenheim broke on the counter and Alexander Prass scored, but he picked up a second yellow for removing his shirt in celebration, before leaving the pitch slapping himself on the forehead in dismay.

Max Moerstedt added a third despite the one-man disadvantage in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

(T.Brown--TAG)