Bundesliga champion extends league unbeaten record to 39

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola admitted the European champion was just happy to see off Eintracht Braunschweig 2-0 and extend its record Bundesliga run ahead of a busy December.

Bayern's victory at Munich's Allianz Arena was thanks to Dutch winger Arjen Robben's first-half brace as the Bavarians ran out of steam in the second half.

The three points extended Bayern's record unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to 39 matches and came just four days after the club set the record of 10 consecutive Champions League victories by beating CSKA Moscow in Russia.

Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben (left) and Thomas Mueller celebrate Robben's goal during their Bundesliga match against Braunschweig in Munich on Saturday. Bayern won 2-0 to extend its league unbeaten record to 39 matches. Michael Dalder / Reuters

"It's one game more and we won," said Guardiola.

"We dominated possession and, in the first half, we were very strong mentally after (last Saturday's 3-0 win at) Dortmund and the trip to Moscow.

"In the second half we didn't manage to bring (striker) Mario Mandzukic into the game, but I am happy with the performance."

Still, Bayern was lackluster in the second half against bottom side Braunschweig, which has never won in Munich.

"We are human beings and not machines," said goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, while midfielder Toni Kroos added: "Sometimes it's OK if you just win the game."

Having played in sub-zero temperatures in Moscow on Wednesday, Robben was just glad to play on a normal pitch after wet snow had made conditions tough on CSKA's heavy pitch.

"That was a hard game in Moscow, including the travel," said the 29-year-old.

"When you come back here and play on a good pitch, it's simply fun."

Bayern hosts Bavarian neighbors Augsburg in the third round of the German Cup on Wednesday, then travels to Werder Bremen in the league on Saturday before hosting Manchester City in the Champions League on Dec 10.

After hosting Hamburg, Bayern then travels to Morocco for the Club World Cup in a bid to win its second piece of silverware under Guardiola, having won the UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea in August.

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund picked up its first victory in three league games with a hard-fought 3-1 win at 10-man Mainz 05 to stay third behind second-placed Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern.

Borussia, which must win in Marseille in two weeks to reach the last 16 of the Champions League, can reclaim second place in the Bundesliga if it beats Leverkusen in Dortmund on Saturday.

Dortmund took the lead in the 70th minute in Mainz when Gabon's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired home a superb free kick, only for Cameroon's Eric Choupo-Moting to equalize with a penalty four minutes later.

Mainz was reduced to 10 men when Colombia's Elkin Soto was sent off for using his hand to stop the ball going into the net and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski fired home the first of two penalties.

"You have to evaluate the win in the context of our situation," said Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp, who lost his entire back four 10 days ago through injury.

"We showed a very, very good fighting spirit.

"The fact that in certain situations our opponents had their chances to win the game says everything about Mainz's class."

(China Daily 12/02/2013 page23)