Bayern win 2-0, Leverkusen beat Eintracht 3-1

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – Mario Mandzukic scored both goals in Bayern Munich’s 2-0 win over bottom-place Greuther Fuerth as the Bundesliga season resumed on Saturday after its one-month winter break.

Bayer Leverkusen stayed nine points behind league leader Bayern by beating Eintracht Frankfurt 3-1 in a match that was interrupted when Eintracht supporters launched fireworks onto the pitch.

Bayern Munich’s Mario Mandzukic (not pictured) scores a goal against Greuther Fuerth. REUTERS

Defending champion Borussia Dortmund, paced by its young stars Marco Reus and Mario Goetze, romped to a 5-0 win at Werder Bremen and stayed third, 12 points behind Bayern.

Wolfsburg gave new coach Dieter Hecking a winning start in a 2-0 victory over Stuttgart, Hoffenheim and Borussia Moenchengladbach played to 0-0, and Mainz and Freiburg also ended in a goalless stalemate.

Mandzukic brought his season total to 11 goals by scoring in each half in Munich, his first brace for Bayern. Bayern did just enough to gain a routine victory over an opponent trying to limit the damage.

The Croatia striker scored the first in the 26th minute, connecting with a volley that was fumbled by goalkeeper Wolfgang Hesl. The cross came from Thomas Mueller.

Mandzukic doubled the lead in the 61st, heading in a corner from Toni Kroos.

“It was important to start with a win,” Mandzukic said.

Bayern stunned the league this week when it announced that former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola would replace Jupp Heynckes at the start of the next season.

“I don’t think that was a topic at all, the players didn’t behave any differently,” said Heynckes, whose contract runs out at the end of the season.

In Leverkusen, Germany coach Joachim Loew and German Football Federation (DFB) president Wolfgang Niersbach saw the match interrupted for about six minutes when Eintracht fans threw a couple of fireworks onto the pitch.