Ribery Leads Bayern Revival Against Wolfsburg

Bayer Leverkusen are the new leaders with 18 points following their 2-0 win at home to Cologne on Friday.

Franck Ribery scored his first Bundesliga goal of the season to help Bayern Munich recover from 2-0 down and claim a breathless 4-2 win at home to VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday.

Bayern gifted Wolfsburg two goals before Ribery, who has been slowly recovering form and fitness since rupturing ankle ligaments in June, struck from long range just before the break.

Mark van Bommel headed an equaliser, Tim Borowski made it 3-2 and Bastian Schweinsteiger tapped in the fourth to send Bayern up from 12th place to fourth with 15 points from nine games.

Bayer Leverkusen lead the standings with 18 points following their 2-0 win at home to Cologne on Friday. Hamburg SV, now second on 17 points, can reclaim the lead on Sunday if they beat third-placed Hoffenheim.

Werder Bremen, who like Bayern have been struggling to meet the demands of the Champions League and the Bundesliga this season, lost further ground when they were held 1-1 away to Hanover 96, leaving them in eighth place with 13 points.

DEFENSIVE MISTAKES

Bayern were so poor in defence that it looked certain to be a satisfying return to the Allianz Arena for Felix Magath, the former Bayern coach now enjoying life at Wolfsburg.

While Juergen Klinsmann's side had most of the first-half possession they let Wolfsburg hit them on the break time and again and after several near misses they paid the price.

Martin Demichelis, racing to get back after half an hour, fouled Edin Dzeko on the edge of the area and the referee blew for the penalty, with Grafite converting.

Two minutes later Wolfsburg doubled their lead as Japan midfielder Makoto Hasebe whipped in a cross and an unmarked Dzeko headed past the struggling Michael Rensing.

The turning point came with Ribery's clever goal.

The French midfielder, making his third Bundesliga start since returning from injury, cut inside from just outside the area on the left and fired in at the unsighted keeper's near post.

Klinsmann, obviously deciding there was no point concentrating on defence, threw on midfielder Borowski and took off defender Massimo Oddo for the second half.

He was rewarded as Van Bommel headed in a loose ball for the equaliser, after Miroslav Klose's shot had been blocked.

Suddenly Bayern were playing with their old confidence and well taken goals from Borowski and Schweinsteiger saw them to a third successive win in Bundesliga and Champions League.

"I have to pay the team a compliment," Klinsmann told reporters. "It took a lot of hard work to turn the game round."