Bayern Munich have extended their winning run to seven games in all competitions this season by beating SV Darmstadt 98 3-0 to reach the top of the Bundesliga table.
Darmstadt headed into the game with an unbeaten record in the Bundesliga, but they were unable to peg back the champions despite often threatening on the break.
Arturo Vidal made the key contribution after sending an earlier chance wide as he collected the ball on the edge of the box before capitalising on the space to send home an unstoppable strike off the post.
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Despite the setback, Darmstadt looked bright on the counter-attack and they almost produced an immediate response when Dominik Stroh-Engel forced Manuel Neuer into a fine save.
Marcel Heller sent out another warning to Pep Guardiola's side by hitting the side-netting from a tight angle, before Bayern took control of the match once again.
The lead could have been doubled before the interval, but the visitors were left frustrated on two occasions as Douglas Costa curled just wide of the post before Kingsley Coman, making his full Bayern debut, headed wide from Mario Gotze's cross.
Bayern continued to dominate possession after the break, but Darmstadt remained resilient and almost equalised once again when Sandro Wagner somehow managed to head over after meeting Heller's inviting cross.
The missed opportunities would be punished as Bayern scored twice in two minutes to kill the game off.
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Rode was the creator of his side's second goal as he sprinted clear on the right and squared the ball to give Koman a simple finish, before the midfielder added a third by firing home after his first effort struck the post.
The double blow proved to be too much for the hosts to recover from, and despite chances being rare, it was a comfortable finish for the champions as they moved three points clear of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table.
Callum Mulvihill
