Bayern march past Nuremberg to join Dortmund on top

Bayern Munich eased past Nuremberg 2-0 on Saturday with Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben on target to maintain a perfect start to the season and join a cluster of teams with nine points at the top of the table.

On the day the Bundesliga celebrated its 50th anniversary, goals from usual suspects Robben and Ribery confirmed treble winners Bayern's favourites status while the referees were busy elsewhere with seven red cards in three of the other games.

Frenchman Ribery broke the deadlock in the 69th minute after the hosts missed a bagful of chances, scoring his first ever header in the Bundesliga.

Robben added another goal after a sensational solo effort down the right wing nine minutes later.

Borussia Dortmund, who beat Werder Bremen 1-0 on Friday, top the table with nine points from three games.

Fellow Champions League competitors Bayer Leverkusen squandered a two-goal lead against Borussia Moenchengladbach but fought back to win 4-2 with a double from Sidney Sam to move up to nine points with three wins as well.

Nine-man Schalke 04, who have yet to win this season, slumped to their second defeat in three games with a 2-1 loss at Hanover 96 and with captain Benedikt Hoewedes sent off with a straight red card in the 14th minute.

Schalke, who drew 1-1 at home in the Champions League playoff first leg against Greece's PAOK in midweek, fell a goal behind after Szabolcs Huszti, who would later be sent off for a rough challenge, converted the spot kick after Hoewedes' foul in the box.

Mame Diouf doubled the lead for the hosts, drilling in a header from two metres before forward Adam Szalai cut the deficit. Schalke's Christian Fuchs was also sent off five minutes from time with a second booking to complete the visitors' misery.

Wolfsburg lost 2-0 at Mainz 05, another team with nine points, and also had new signing Luiz Gustavo sent off with a second booking in the 64th minute.

Hoffenheim had Sejad Salihovic sent off in the ninth minute of their 3-3 draw with Freiburg, who themselves had Francis Coquelin dismissed in the first half and Admir Mehmedi late in the second.

Image: Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery (left) celebrates

Photograph: Michael Dalder/Reuters