Bayern humbled by Mainz, Leverkusen rout Freiburg

Bayern Munich were humbled 2-1 by promoted minnows Mainz in the Bundesliga on Saturday while Bavarian rivals Bayer Leverkusen routed Freiburg 5-0 to lead the table.

Bayern’s new coach Louis van Gaal is still waiting for his first Bundesliga win since taking charge in July as his side were outplayed by Mainz.

Van Gaal left unfit midfielder Franck Ribery out of his squad, but the Frenchman is expected to be given game time for next Saturday’s clash with champions Wolfsburg with Bayern badly needing their playmaker back.

Bayern got off to a dreadful start, finding themselves 2-0 down after just 37 minutes.

Austrian midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz struck the first blow on 25 minutes when he collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area and curled his shot inside the near post and out of reach of Bayern goalkeeper Michael Rensing.

Burkino Faso striker Aristide Bance added the second on 37 minutes when he finished the move he started by winning the aerial battle with Bayern’s Belgium defender Daniel van Buyten and his header was pin-point accurate.

Bance had further chances to increase Mainz’s lead, while Bayern striker Mario Gomez went closest when forward Ivica Olic threaded a pass through the defence, but the Germany star fired wide just before half-time.

The expected response from Bayern came after just two minutes of the second-half.

Bayern’s teenage striker Thomas Mueller, who had replaced midfielder Hamit Altintop during the first half, fired home and his shot deflected off Mainz defender Nikolce Noveski.

But Bayern could not force the equaliser, despite an effort from Olic being ruled offside, and the defeat leaves them with two points from three games while Mainz picked up their first victory of the season to move into fourth place.

Bayer Leverkusen went top of the table after three games when they hammered Freiburg with Germany squad member Stefan Kiessling and Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta scoring early on.

With 20 minutes left, Leverkusen’s Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok smashed his free-kick at Freiburg goalkeeper Manuel Salz who parried the shot which then flew into the back of his net to make it 3-0.

Barnetta scored his second of the game when he was allowed to run at the heart of the Freiburg defence and clattered home his shot with 15 minutes left while Derdiyok also grabbed his second to complete the rout on 80 minutes.

The win puts Leverkusen top although defending champions Wolfsburg can take over if they defeat Hamburg in a sell-out showdown at the Volkswagen Arena on Sunday.

Hanover’s Czech Republic striker Jiri Stajner scored twice and missed a penalty in his side’s 2-0 win over Nuremberg while Cologne were held 0-0 by Frankfurt as Stuttgart drew 1-1 at Dortmund.

Also on Sunday Bochum host Hertha Berlin while Werder Bremen are home to Borussia Moenchengladbach.

On Friday, Felix Magath’s Schalke 04 lost their 100-percent record when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Hoffenheim to go second in the table.