B. Munich open 10-point lead

Bayern Munich moved closer to winning their 21st German championship yesterday by thrashing Borussia Dortmund 5-0 and opening up a 10-point lead over second-placed Werder Bremen. Bayern were 4-0 up after 22 minutes, Italy striker Luca Toni scoring...

Bayern Munich moved closer to winning their 21st German championship yesterday by thrashing Borussia Dortmund 5-0 and opening up a 10-point lead over second-placed Werder Bremen.

Bayern were 4-0 up after 22 minutes, Italy striker Luca Toni scoring twice after Lukas Podolski and Ze Roberto had given them a two-goal lead inside 10 minutes. Andreas Ottl got the fifth midway through the second half. The two teams will meet again next Saturday in the German Cup final in Berlin.

"This was an important step for winning the championship," said Bayern's usually cautious sporting director Uli Hoeness.

"We've got a 10-point lead with only three away matches. I don't think there's much that could happen to stop us now."

Bayern are chasing three titles. They are also in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup.

Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said: "We went out at a high pace even though the match at Getafe was so exhausting. Once we got ahead everything clicked."

Toni got his 17th and 18th league goals of the season in the space of five minutes, opening up a three-goal lead in the top scorers' chart ahead of Stuttgart's Mario Gomez.

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