Overview
- Serge Gnabry (45+5), Min‑Jae Kim (71) and substitute Lennart Karl (84) overturned Linton Maina’s opener (41) to keep Bayern unbeaten through 17 league games.
- The game was paused for about ten minutes early on due to dense smoke from pyrotechnics in the home end.
- Bayern’s 47 points with a 66:13 goals record surpass their 2013/14 benchmark on goal difference and push the lead over Dortmund to 11, equalling the first‑half margin record.
- Köln’s league winless run stretches to eight ahead of Saturday’s home match against Mainz, increasing scrutiny on coach Lukas Kwasniok.
- Schalke enter the 2. Bundesliga Rückrunde as leaders under Miron Muslić, driven by intense pressing and a defense with only ten goals conceded, with Elversberg, Darmstadt and Paderborn still in reach and a first test at Hertha on Saturday.