Bayern Munich knock Borussia Dortmund off top with Darmstadt win

Berlin: Bayern Munich knocked Borussia Dortmund off top spot in the German league on Saturday with a 3-0 win at Darmstadt in the Bundesliga`s David verses Goliath clash.

With Dortmund hosting Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday, Pep Guardiola`s Bayern took their chance to go top with their fifth win from five games and leave Darmstadt hunting a first win over the Bavarian giants after seven attempts.

This was their first league meeting since 1982 after Darmstadt`s promotion last season.

The Munich squad has a market value of 559 million euros ($632m), compared to Darmstadt`s 19 million, and their tally of 40 fan clubs is dwarfed by the 4,000 Bayern can boast.

All three scorers -- new signings Arturo Vidal, Kingsley Coman and Sebastian Rode -- claimed their first goals of the season with Munich`s star forward Robert Lewandowski injured and Thomas Mueller on the bench.

Vidal opened his Bayern account by turning his defender just outside the box and curling a shot in off the post on 20 minutes.

Rode then punished his former club by dribbling to the box and his cross was buried by France Under-21 international Coman on 62 minutes.

Rode then claimed his own when his shot hit the post and he slotted home the rebound to claim Bayern`s third on 63 minutes.

The result left Darmstadt in 12th place.

Bottom side Borussia Moenchengladbach`s disastrous start to the season continued as they suffered their fifth straight defeat in losing 1-0 at neighbours Cologne in the Rhineland derby.

French striker Anthony Modeste claimed his seventh goal in all competitions, and his fourth in the Bundesliga, with a crisp header on 64 minutes.

The victory lifted Cologne up to fourth while Gladbach, who lost their opening Champions League group stage match 3-0 at Seville on Tuesday, remain rooted to the foot of the table.

Wolfsburg celebrated their 70th birthday with a 2-0 win at home to Hertha Berlin as Dutch striker Bas Dost netted twice to lift his side up third.

After netting the opener on 76 minutes, Dost drilled home a penalty on 89 minutes after a foul on Germany international Julian Draxler.

Ingolstadt made history as the first Bundesliga team to win all three of their home games in their debut season in Germany`s top flight after Moritz Hartmann drilled home a 93rd-minute penalty which put the Bavarians fifth.

Bremen were reduced to ten men five minutes into injury time when midfielder Philipp Bargfrede was sent off for fouling Ingolstsadt`s USA international Alfredo Morales.

Hamburg were held to a goalless draw at home to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Mainz are up to sixth after Friday`s 3-0 win at home to Hoffenheim with midfielder Yunus Malli claiming a hat-trick to leave the attacking midfielder with five goals in five games.

Japan striker Yoshinori Muto hit the crossbar.