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Bundesliga Review: In-form Dost´s double sees off Hertha, Gladbach snatch a point
22 February 2015
In-form striker Bas Dost took his tally to nine goals in his last four games as Wolfsburg beat Bundesliga strugglers Hertha Berlin 2-1.
Bas Dost's rich vein of form continued as the Wolfsburg striker's double secured a 2-1 Bundesliga win over relegation-threatened Hertha Berlin on Sunday.
Dost scored both goals in a 2-0 UEFA Europa League win over Sporting Lisbon on Thursday, after helping himself to four games in a sensational 5-4 win at Bayer Leverkusen last weekend, and Hertha were the latest team to suffer at the hands of the former Heerenveen man.
The clinical Dost needed only 10 minutes to open the scoring, pouncing from close range after Andre Schurrle had set him up.
Second-bottom Hertha are in desperate need of points as they battle to avoid the drop and they were level when Justin Schieber scored his first goal in six games on the half-hour mark.
Wolfsburg were not to be denied victory, though, as Dost was on hand to scored his ninth goal in his last four games - and 12th in his last seven - after Luiz Gustavo's strike rattled the post.
Victory for Dieter Hecking's side ensured they are eight points behind leaders Bayern Munich and 10 clear of third-placed Borussia Monchengladbach, who could only draw 1-1 at struggling Hamburg.
Hamburg were hammered 8-0 at Bayern last weekend and their chances of pulling off a surprise win on Sunday were not helped when Ivica Olic was withdrawn due to injury after only 25 minutes.
Patrick Herrmann almost put Gladbach in front with a volley that rattled the post and Lucien Favre's men looked to be heading for defeat when Zoltan Stieber put the home side in front 17 minutes from time.
Hamburg were unable to hold on for three precious points, though, as substitute Branimir Hrgota headed home a corner two minutes into stoppage time to salvage a point.
Dost hails Lady Luck as spree continues
23 February 2015
On-fire striker Bas Dost conceded there is "a bit of luck involved" in his scoring spree, after he led Wolfsburg to a fourth straight win.
Wolfsburg striker Bas Dost marvelled at the role luck can play in a scoring spree, after he extended his tally to nine goals in four matches in a 2-1 win over Hertha Berlin on Sunday.
Dost struck twice at the Volkswagen Arena to see off Hertha with Julian Schieber hitting the back of the net between the Dutchman's two goals.
It took Dost just nine minutes to open the scoring, side-footing the ball into the bottom corner after Andre Schurrle nodded a cross into his path.
Hertha levelled on the half-hour mark when Schieber sent a diving header past Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio from Valentin Stocker's cross.
But Dost notched the winner with 16 minutes remaining, converting on the rebound after Luiz Gustavo's 25-yard strike came back off the post.
The 25-year-old conceded the role luck was playing in his scoring streak, explaining that everything just seemed to be going his way.
"It happens sometimes that when you're on a run, the ball just always seems to arrive where you are. It's a quality too but there's also a bit of luck involved," Dost said, according to the Bundesliga's website.
Wolfsburg stretched their unbeaten run to 12 competitive fixtures, with Dieter Hecking's men staying within eight points of Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich, but Dost claimed his team cannot afford too many performances like the one they produced against Hertha.
"It wasn't pretty football today. We took the lead and started off well, but then we threw our advantage away too easily," he said.
"We need to play better than today really. I still believed we could win and eventually made it 2-1."
After agreeing a contract extension with the club, Marco Reus remains convinced Borussia Dortmund can challenge for the Bundesliga again.
Borussia Dortmund forward Marco Reus is confident the club can shake off this season's troubles and challenge for the Bundesliga again.
Reus pledged his future to the club earlier this month - amid apparent interest from Bayern Munich - despite Dortmund's difficult season, which has seen them regularly slip into the bottom three.
However, with Jurgen Klopp's side on the up after three consecutive wins, Reus is confident the eight-time German champions can return to challenging Bayern for the title.
"That remains a major goal for me. I want to experience once more what happened in the city then," he told Kicker.
"I will give everything for that, and I have a strong feeling that it can happen one day."
On the subject of extending his contract during such a troubled campaign, Reus insisted he had been impressed by how the club had handled their slump.
"I made this decision because Borussia is best for me. Dortmund is my home town, my family lives here and I have my friends here," he added.
"And by the way, there's still life after football, Here, nobody is wandering around and making statements which point in the wrong direction.
"The calmness which has emanated inside and outside at Dortmund during the crisis shows the strength of the club."
Holger Badstuber is eager to make an impact during the remainder of the season following his recent return from injury.
After returning to the Bayern Munich set-up recently following long-term injuries, Holger Badstuber is eager to make the most of the remainder of this season.
The defender made his first competitive appearance since September in Bayern's 8-0 win over Hamburg earlier this month, following a spell on the sidelines with thigh injuries.
Prior to that, Badstuber endured a lengthy lay-off due to cruciate knee ligament trouble, which saw him miss the second half of the 2012-13 season and the whole of the following campaign.
Having worked his way back into Bayern's side, the Germany international is eager to remain in Pep Guardiola's plans and force his way back into the national team.
"When you cannot play for a longer period of time you have to put football aside. You have to focus on yourself and have to go your way and focus on your rehabilitation," he told Perform.
"So, you have to put football aside. It is for me important to make progress and to release my full potential. I was once in the national team that is why I want to go back there.
"I look forward to the next months, the important duels at high levels. I'm looking forward to it because I want to experience it and I will try to help, I want to have fun and I am really looking forward to it. I will do everything I can to give my input."
Badstuber was an unused substitute as Bayern were thumped 4-1 by Wolfsburg in their first game back after the mid-season break.
However, Guardiola's side have since recovered to maintain an eight-point lead over Dieter Hecking's men, with Badstuber playing down the impact of the defeat to their title rivals.
"We have to get in our rhythm. I would not say that the loss against Wolfsburg was a warning shot because each player knows how he played and how the team performed," he added.
"But we want to get on a certain level. We are concentrating on us. We want to get to a point where we are satisfied with us and for this goal we are working.
"What happened in Wolfsburg just happened. No big deal. We have to learn from the loss. We can perform better and we want to show it.
"We know where we want to go, we know our goals. We are reflecting very well. We can improve and we know how to accomplish that. That is important and that is what we are going to do."
Borussia Monchengladbach have completed the permanent signing of Thorgan Hazard from Chelsea on a five-year deal.
Thorgan Hazard has made his move from Chelsea to Borussia Monchengladbach permanent, with the Belgium international putting pen to paper on a five-year deal.
The 21-year-old - brother of Chelsea star Eden - initially moved to Borussia Park on a season-long loan and has been a regular part of Monchengladbach side that sit third in the Bundesliga.
Midfielder Hazard has four goals from 29 appearances in all competitions this season, including a late winner in the 1-0 derby victory over Cologne earlier this month.
"Thorgan has indicated in the past few months what a great talent he is," sporting director Max Eberl explained in a statement on Gladbach's official website.
"We are delighted that we have managed to sign him and that he has decided to play for Borussia in the next few years."
Chelsea have the right to exercise a future buy-back option on the player.
Borussia Monchengladbach have completed the permanent signing of Thorgan Hazard from Chelsea on a five-year deal.
Thorgan Hazard has made his move from Chelsea to Borussia Monchengladbach permanent, with the Belgium international putting pen to paper on a five-year deal.
The 21-year-old - brother of Chelsea star Eden - initially moved to Borussia Park on a season-long loan and has been a regular part of Monchengladbach side that sit third in the Bundesliga.
Midfielder Hazard has four goals from 29 appearances in all competitions this season, including a late winner in the 1-0 derby victory over Cologne earlier this month.
"Thorgan has indicated in the past few months what a great talent he is," sporting director Max Eberl explained in a statement on Gladbach's official website.
"We are delighted that we have managed to sign him and that he has decided to play for Borussia in the next few years."
Chelsea have the right to exercise a future buy-back option on the player.
The former AC Milan star believes fellow Dutchman Louis van Gaal should have bought the Germany international to bolster the Red Devils’ inexperienced defence
Former Netherlands star Ruud Gullit believes Louis van Gaal should have bought Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels last summer to bolster Manchester United’s inexperienced defence.
Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic both left Old Trafford upon the expiry of their contracts at the end of the 2013-14 season and the only players signed were better known for their prowess at full-back, such as Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind.
Gullit, who was speaking to Goal at Heineken’s #ChampiontheMatch event on Tuesday, admitted he was surprised a more proven defender was not brought in.
“The only thing for me that is a surprise is Van Gaal didn't buy any good central defenders - that had to be his priority,” he said.
“He was crazy about Hummels and wanted to buy him. So I would have bought Man Utd some good defenders because that was the weakest link.
“For me, that they did not was a surprise. Nevertheless, he gets results. The more results he gets, the more confidence they get and the better they will play.”
The ex-AC Milan star also spoke frankly about former club Chelsea’s current policy of selling young players, such as Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, who played few matches for their first team but enjoyed productive loan spells elsewhere.
“It's their way to make something out of their youth system because they sell them,” he said.
“For me personally, even though I'm a Chelsea fan, I saw some Chelsea players there who never played - they only played second team games. I don't want that for a youngster.
“I want him to play in a league every week where we can play and show himself - that is the problem with that. I advise players when they're young in Holland to stay there as long as they can.”
Jurgen Klopp's side are a massive 30 points off the pace this season but the attacker is in no doubt they can repeat their 2011 and 2012 title wins in the years ahead
Marco Reus believes Borussia Dortmund are the best possible club for him and says he is no doubt that he can one day win the Bundesliga with his hometown club.
Reus was widely expected to become the next star player to leave Signal Iduna Park, with the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid all credited with an interest in signing the attacker, whose buy-out clause was set to drop to €25 million this summer.
However, the Germany international signed a new contract on February 10, committing his future to Dortmund until 2019 and providing the club with a timely boost after a poor first half of the season.
Reus could have earned more money by moving elsewhere but says he is driven by the desire of winning the Bundesliga with his local team.
"I decided on BVB because Borussia is best for me," the 25-year-old told Kicker .
"Dortmund is my home town, my family lives here and I have my friends here. And anyway there is a life after football, you know?
"But winning the Bundesliga remains a big goal of mine. I want to experience once what will happen in the city then!
"I will give my best to make it happen and I have a strong feeling that we will reach it one day."
Jurgen Klopp's side won back-to-back league titles in 2011 and 2012 before finishing second to Bayern Munich, who also beat them in the 2013 Champions League final, in each of the last two campaigns following Reus' €17 million arrival from Borussia Monchengladbach.
Dortmund have found this season much more difficult, but they have recently surged clear of the relegation zone to 12th in the Bundesliga after a run of three straight wins and face Juventus in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday.
The striker has been criticised for his performances since joining Bayern Munich, but retains the support of one of the club's former stars
Robert Lewandowski's critics are deluded if they think the striker is a "dodgy purchase", according to Bayern Munich legend Stefan Effenberg.
The Poland international, 26, was left on the bench for the first leg of the club's last 16 Champions League tie with Shakhtar Donetsk last week having scored just once in his last five Bundesliga appearances.
However, Lewandowski was back in the starting XI on Saturday and scored twice as the reigning champions thrashed Paderborn 6-0, with Arjen Robben also bagging a double to add to goals from Franck Ribery and Mitchell Weiser.
Effenberg, who had two spells with the Bavarians during his playing career, is adamant the striker is the same player who blossomed at BVB and says he offers much more than just goals.
“People who say that Lewandowski was a dodgy purchase have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to football,” he told Sky. “He is extremely important to the team.
“The charisma and quality that he had at Dortmund, he has at Bayern. The difference is that at the Allianz Arena he has three or four other world-class attackers alongside him.”
Bayern are back in Bundesliga action on Friday when they host Koln.
Hans-Joachim Watzke has been encouraged by Borussia Dortmund's recent recovery and says the confidence is back within the Bundesliga club.
Borussia Dortmund have broken free from their shackles in recent weeks and found their stride, according to Hans-Joachim Watzke.
Having finished bottom of the Bundesliga at the halfway point of the domestic season, confidence was low at the Signal Iduna Park, but a revitalised Dortmund have started to turns things around.
Three successive victories has seen Dortmund climb away from the danger zone and into 12th place, allowing Watzke to dream of a top-half finish – something that seemed impossible in December.
CEO Watzke has been impressed with the turnaround under Jurgen Klopp and believes the repair work is already showing signs of success.
"The confidence is back [at Dortmund]," he told the club's official website. "We have scored 10 goals in the last three games.
"We have sorted the Bundesliga, [now] we need to fix the other [the Champions League]."
Surprisingly Dortmund's European form was not impacted by their Bundesliga woes and they return to action on Tuesday against Juventus in Turin with Watzke not ruling out taking a lead back to Germany in the last-16 tie.
He added: "This is a 50-50 game. Both teams have their chances.
"We're playing one of the best teams [in Europe], that can win against any team in the world."
Lutz Pfannenstiel is confident Hoffenheim can keep talented pair Kevin Volland and Roberto Firmino at the Rhein-Neckar Arena.
Hoffenheim's head of international relations and scouting hopes the club can hang onto star names such as Kevin Volland and Roberto Firmino despite apparent interest from some of Europe's top clubs.
The pair have regularly been linked with moves abroad during recent seasons, with Brazilian midfielder Firmino having been a reported target for Premier League club Liverpool and Italian giants Juventus.
Volland's form since arriving from 1860 Munich in 2011 has helped him earn a breakthrough into the German national side, while Firmino has also been rewarded with a place in Brazil's squad during recent seasons.
Lutz Pfannenstiel hopes the pair, along with highly-rated defender Niklas Sule, will remain with the Bundesliga club for some time yet.
"There are always talks, but all three of them have contracts and it is very early days," Pfannenstiel told Perform.
"There is lots of speculation, but it shows we are on the right way.
"In the last two or three years there have been lots of changes, with lots of young players with plenty of potential, in Kevin Volland and Firmino we have two of the top offensive talents in Germany.
"There is also Niklas Sule, who came through our junior teams, and before he got his injury [the youngster tore knee ligaments in December] he was one of the league's top defenders.
"There are a lot of youngsters in our club who need to develop and who will definitely have the chance to aim as high as possible.
"We want to try and develop our own players and if they have the opportunity to move to a top European club then we will be very pleased.
"We did that with Luis Gustavo [now at Wolfsburg], who came out of Hoffenheim and went through the roof."
Schalke will have Klaas-Jan Huntelaar available to face Ruhr rivals Borussia Dortmund on Saturday after he returned to training on Tuesday.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is in line for a first-team return in Schalke's Ruhr derby with Borussia Dortmund this weekend after returning to training on Tuesday.
The Netherlands international striker has recovered from the shin injury he suffered in the 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid last week and has served his four-match domestic ban.
Huntelaar was withdrawn after 33 minutes at the Veltins Arena against Real after a strong challenge, but there was no serious damage to the 31-year-old.
He has not featured in the Bundesliga since January 31, when he was sent off in the closing stages of Schalke's 1-0 win over Hannover.
A six-match ban was subsequently handed down to Huntelaar, although that was reduced to four on appeal.
Huntelaar – who has seven league goals to his name in 2014-15 - has now completed that suspension and goes straight into contention for Saturday's clash at Signal Iduna Park.
Lukasz Piszczek will be out for six weeks after sustaining an ankle injury in Borussia Dortmund's UEFA Champions League loss at Juventus.
Borussia Dortmund defender Lukasz Piszczek has been ruled out for six weeks after sustaining an ankle injury in Tuesday's 2-1 UEFA Champions League defeat at Juventus.
The Poland right-back last just over half an hour of the round of 16 first leg in Turin before limping off after following a challenge from Paul Pogba that left him in agony.
Dortmund revealed on Wednesday that Piszczek, who has been unfortunate with injuries during his time at the Bundesliga club, is set for another spell on the sidelines.
Jurgen Klopp has had to contend with a number of injury problems this season, so the absence of Piszczek is another blow for the Dortmund coach.
The Wolfsburg winger says he remains mystified as to why he was frozen out by the Portuguese coach at Stamford Bridge
Kevin de Bruyne has revealed that he regrets joining Chelsea, claiming that coach Jose Mourinho never hold him why he was surplus to requirements.
The Belgium international was considered one of the most exciting young talents in Europe when he joined the Blues from Genk in January 2012 for a fee of €8 million.
However, after being loaned back to Genk for the remainder of the season, De Bruyne was then allowed to spend the following campaign at Werder Bremen.
The versatile attacker returned to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2013 hoping to establish himself as a first-team regular under new boss Mourinho.
However, De Bruyne featured just three times in the Premier League before being sold to Wolfsburg in January 2014 for €18 million.
The 23-year-old has since flourished at the Volkswagen Arena, admitting that he is glad to be away from both Chelsea and Mourinho.
"I feel at home at Wolfsburg and in this moment I'm even willing to sign a new contract," De Bruyne told Sport Bild.
"It's a club on a rapid rise, also from an economic point of view, not yet like Bayern Munich obviously, but the club is growing.
"The choice to join Chelsea was not the best. Being at Chelsea is like being in a different world.
"Mourinho didn't explain to me why I was not playing. Maybe things would have been different if Chelsea had paid €45 million for me, rather than €8m.
"A higher transfer fee maybe would have afforded me greater consideration."
De Bruyne, who played a key role in Wolfsburg's rout of Bayern Munich earlier this month, has racked up eight goals and 12 assists in 22 Bundesliga appearances so far this season.
An unexploded bomb has been found near Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park home, forcing Jurgen Klopp to relocate a news conference.
Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has been forced to relocate a news conference after an unexploded bomb was found near Signal Iduna Park.
The explosive - reported to be a relic from the Second World War - is so close to the stadium that the entirety of the ground falls within an exclusion zone that has a 250-metre radius.
Scheduled renovation work in the VIP area of the stadium's west stand is said to have unearthed the bomb, which will now be disposed of.
It is unclear how many people had to be evacuated, but Ruhr Nachrichten quote city spokesman Hans-Joachim Skupsch as saying: "The area is sparsely populated.
"Nevertheless, we've got to make sure that there's no one inside the restricted area. Especially in the Bolmketal garden district."
Dortmund are due to host Schalke on Saturday, and Klopp's pre-match news conference will now take place at the club's training ground.
Klopp hoping to avoid any nasty surprises after bomb discovery
26 February 2015
An unexploded bomb forced the relocation of Borussia Dortmund's news conference and Jurgen Klopp hopes to avoid any further surprises.
Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp is hoping to avoid any nasty surprises when his side take on local rivals Schalke on Saturday, after an unexploded bomb was found near Signal Iduna Park on Thursday.
Klopp was forced to relocate his news conference to the club's training ground following the discovery of the explosive near the west stand of the ground.
Dortmund host Schalke this weekend hoping to continue their run of three consecutive wins in the Bundesliga, which has seen them climb to 12th.
"I hope there are no unexploded bombs in the stadium on Saturday!" said Klopp.
"They are an opponent that will offer us minimal space, so we've got to be really careful.
"We've got to be clever with the space we do get on the pitch. Schalke sit quite deep and then have good quality on the counter.
"We know the problems. We've got to finally show stability on the pitch.
"We need to convert possession into goalscoring chances. That will be decisive."
The bomb was later detonated in a controlled explosion.
German citizenship is an attractive prospect for former France international and Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery.
Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has signalled his intent to remain in Munich beyond the end of his Bayern career, and would consider applying for German citizenship.
The former France international has been at the Allianz Arena since 2007, making 191 league appearances for the Bundesliga champions.
And, having settled in the country, Ribery even suggests his German-born son Saif could one day represent the reigning World Cup winners.
Asked by Bild whether he would consider applying for citizenship, Ribery said: "Why not? I can imagine staying in Munich after the end of my career.
"I have bought a very nice house, I feel good here and I like the mentality.
"My children are doing well at school, they have German friends.
"My son Saif was born here, he may even one day play for Germany.
"My eldest daughter Hiziya always makes fun of my German, and I laugh with her. I did not learn the language in school, but in my daily life, from other people."
Despite scoring 14 goals in their last two Bundesliga games, Pep Guardiola is not expecting Bayern Munich to hammer Cologne.
Pep Guardiola is not expecting an easy ride for Bayern Munich when they host Cologne on Friday, despite rattling in 14 goals in their past two league outings.
The reigning Bundesliga champions hammered Hamburg 8-0 two weeks ago, before thumping Paderborn 6-0 last Saturday.
With Cologne struggling at the wrong end of the table, just three points above the relegation play-off places, some are expecting another Bayern rout.
"Every game is a new game," Guardiola said. "We have to see what our level is at this moment.
"When you win 6-0, it's hard to learn. From the Wolfsburg game [a 4-1 defeat] I have learned a lot.
"I have great respect for our opponents. Cologne is the second best away team.
"They have a very good defensive organisation. It's always good to analyse the opponents and get to know them.
"I think our team is good, but naturally, we can improve."
Guardiola also confirmed that defender Medhi Benatia would miss the game with a calf problem.
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke: Di Matteo buzzing ahead of derby debut
26 February 2015
Schalke boss Roberto Di Matteo says he is already in a "frenzy" ahead of his first Revierderby against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
Roberto Di Matteo has revealed his excitement ahead of the 146th Revierderby between Schalke and Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday.
The Schalke boss will take charge of his first derby clash this weekend, having replaced Jens Keller in October, and will hope to oversee Schalke's second victory over Dortmund this season.
Under Di Matteo's predecessor, Schalke picked up a 2-1 home win in September and the former Chelsea manager feels the outcome of this game could depend on calm heads and composure.
"Even though I have no experience of the derby, I felt the buzz in my stomach from Monday and the closer the match comes, the greater it will be," he explained.
"Now, two days before the match against Dortmund, I'm already in a frenzy.
"Of course it is a game that will be dominated by the emotions, it will be a game full of passion. However, the tactics will play a crucial role."
After a woeful first half of the season, Jurgen Klopp's Dortmund have turned something of a corner in their Bundesliga campaign, although they go into Saturday's encounter off the back of a UEFA Champions League defeat to Juventus.
Klopp also saw Thursday's pre-match news conference interrupted and subsequently relocated due to an unexploded bomb outside Signal Iduna Park.
When the former Mainz boss eventually got round to speaking to the media, he praised Schalke.
"They have become a real results machine - even if the last two results were not right," Klopp said. "We need patience, without falling asleep."
Dortmund will likely be without defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos due to muscular discomfort, with Klopp adding: "There is nothing torn or pulled and we hope every hour that his muscles relax. It's not impossible [that he will play] but not terribly likely."
Kevin Kampl and Neven Subotic are doubts following bouts of flu while Lukasz Piszczek was ruled out for six weeks with an ankle injury on Wednesday.
Schalke, meanwhile, welcome back striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar after he served his four-match suspension, although Joel Matip faces a period of around two weeks out with a pulled hamstring.
Bayern Munich 4 Cologne 1: Champions move 11 points clear
27 February 2015
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich moved 11 points clear at the top of the table with a routine 4-1 win over Cologne on Friday.
Bayern Munich extended their lead at the top of the Bundesliga to 11 points with a comfortable 4-1 victory over Cologne at the Allianz Arena.
Pep Guardiola's side had thumped Hamburg 8-0 and thrashed Paderborn 6-0 in their last two league outings, and it looked as though Cologne were on course for a similarly heavy defeat on Friday when Bayern went two up inside 10 minutes.
Bastian Schweinsteiger headed in from a corner in the third minute before Franck Ribery struck a fine individual effort, and Cologne fans could have been forgiven for fearing the worst.
However, the side with the second best away record in the league - behind only Bayern - rallied and halved the deficit through Anthony Ujah's header in first-half stoppage time.
Ujah had a golden chance to equalise shortly before the hour, but Manuel Neuer produced a fine save to preserve Bayern's lead, and the hosts pulled two goals clear again with Arjen Robben's header midway through the second period.
As Cologne pressed to get back into the game, they left themselves open at the back and Robert Lewandowski added a fourth with 15 minutes remaining to cap yet another dominant performance from the German champions.
Bayern applied early pressure and were in front inside three minutes as Schweinsteiger - back in the side as one of two changes - rose unchallenged to power in Robben's left-wing corner.
And Bayern did not have to wait long to make it two, as Ribery cut in from the left hand side and arrowed a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner from the edge of the box.
Another rout appeared to be on the cards but, on the stroke of half-time, Cologne pulled one back as Ujah leapt to head home Matthias Lehmann's right-wing cross.
The home side began the second half as they had the first, and Thomas Muller was wasteful in heading Rafinha's cross off target in the 55th minute.
Against the run of play, Cologne almost found an equaliser three minutes later when Slawomir Reszko broke free down the left and squared for Ujah, whose cushioned effort was superbly kept out by Neuer.
The Bayern goalkeeper had to be alert again from the resulting corner, diving to his right to parry substitute Marcel Risse's well-struck shot.
Bayern seemed stunned into action by those near misses, and restored their two-goal advantage in the 67th minute as Robben headed Ribery's chipped ball back across goal and just inside the far post.
The hosts then netted a fourth on the break as Robben crossed for Lewandowski, who was able to chest the ball in from practically on the line.
Robben and Mario Gotze both went close to making the final margin of victory more convincing, but in the end it mattered little as Bayern were able to celebrate the 115th anniversary of their formation in style.
