Bayern beats Cologne and sets a record after smoke stops play in Bundesliga
Munich (AP): There was plenty of smoke, but Bayern Munich needed time to show some fire.
In a game held up for 10 minutes because flare smoke covered the field, 17-year-old Lennart Karl's fourth Bundesliga goal of a breakout season helped Bayern to a 3-1 win at Cologne in the Bundesliga on Wednesday.
With 17 games of 34 played, that meant Bayern matched the previous Bundesliga points record of 47 at the halfway stage set by Pep Guardiola's Bayern of 2013-14 and surpassed it on goal difference, +53 to +35. Bayern's win restored its 11-point lead over second-place Borussia Dortmund.
Still, it wasn't the sort of spectacular dominance seen Sunday in Bayern's 8-1 win over Wolfsburg.
Cologne fans' vast pyrotechnic display before kickoff produced thick smoke which drifted over the field before the referee stopped the game in the fourth minute, leaving the players to kick the ball around while it cleared.
Cologne was fired up, too. Only quick reactions from Manuel Neuer stopped 19-year-old Said El Mala giving Cologne the lead on a quick break in the second minute.
Linton Maina put Cologne ahead in the 41st, snatching the ball off Serge Gnabry deep inside his own half and surging down the field to score a spectacular solo goal as Bayern's defense was slow to react.
Gnabry hit back a few minutes later with a different kind of special goal, a trick shot from a narrow angle which bounced off the ground and over the goalkeeper.
After Bayern struggled to break down the Cologne defense, an intricate short corner routine did the trick, allowing Kim Min-jae to head his team ahead in the 71st. Karl's clinical first-time finish made it 3-1 in the 84th off a pass from Luis Díaz.
Leipzig back in action
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Leipzig showed its set-piece skills as it made a belated start to 2026 with a 2-0 win over Freiburg thanks to headers from Willi Orban and Romulo.
Leipzig's first game of the new year Saturday at St. Pauli was called off because of safety concerns over snow and ice at the stadium. It's in third place, 15 points off leader Bayern.
Andrej Kramaric had a hat trick by halftime as Hoffenheim beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 5-1 to boost its hopes of Champions League qualification in fifth.
Reeling from the 8-1 loss to Bayern, its worst in the Bundesliga, Wolfsburg responded with a 2-1 win over relegation-threatened St. Pauli. Dzenan Pejcinovic headed in the winning goal in the 88th minute.
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Gurugram CA held for slitting pregnant wife's throat with scissors
Jhajjar (PTI): A chartered accountant has been arrested for allegedly killing his pregnant wife by slitting her throat with a pair of scissors and trying to pass it off as a robbery attempt, police said on Wednesday.
According to police, Anshul Dhawan (31) got married to Mehak (27) in September last year. Both worked in Gurugram.
Police received a call on Sunday night reporting that some unidentified people tried to rob Anshul, took his car and kidnapped his wife, SHO Badli, Inspector Suresh said.
When police reached the spot, they found the woman's body near a dry canal with injury marks on her neck, he said.
Suspecting inconsistencies in Anshul's version of events, police took him into custody for interrogation. He confessed that he had killed Mehak with a pair of scissors, wearing gloves, over suspicions about her character, SHO said.
"During his questioning, it came to light that he had pre-planned the murder. His wife worked in a private bank in Gurugram. He had doubts that she talked to her friends, and he did not like it," SHO added. Following the confession, Anshul was arrested on Monday.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police said.
Mehak's sister, Shruti, told the reporters that the family had doubts that Anshul was involved in the murder. She said, "We want justice; the killer should be hanged. He did not even think that his wife was two months pregnant."
She said on February 15, Anshul came to their house and stayed only for ten minutes and left with Mehal for Gurugram.
Shruti alleged that Anshul had pre-planned the murder.
