Bayern beat CFR Cluj to extend group lead

FC Bayern München were helped by two own goals from CFR 1907 Cluj as they defeated the Romanian champions 3-2 to maintain their perfect record in Group E.

Bayern's run of five successive home wins in the competition looked in jeopardy when Cadú put the visitors ahead on 28 minutes. However, the CFR captain and team-mate Cristian Panin both put through their own net in quick succession to hand Bayern the initiative.

Mario Gómez's 77th-minute strike gave the hosts sufficient breathing space to render Juan Culio's late strike merely a consolation and leave last season's runners-up needing a win in Romania on Matchday 4 to guarantee a place in the knockout stages.

CFR owner Arpad Paszkany owns a house in Munich so it was hardly surprising his team initially looked at home. Felice Piccolo could even have given the visitors an early lead, but after evading Bayern attentions at the back post, the defender's lunge to meet Roberto De Zerbi's cross sent the ball looping over the bar.

It was a warning Bayern failed to heed, and they paid the price as CFR went in front with a copycat move. De Zerbi's dead-ball delivery swirled invitingly once more to the far post, and Cadú surged free to head emphatically beyond Jörg Butt. No sooner had the captain struck than he found the net again, though this time his decisive touch turned a Toni Kroos shot beyond Eduard Stăncioiu in the visitors' goal.

A second own goal followed soon after – Holger Badstuber's curling corner ricocheting in off the unfortunate Panin. Lady Luck was clearly siding with Louis van Gaal's side, smiling once more on them when Lacina Traoré's shot with the final action of the half beat Butt only to rebound to safety off the foot of a post.

That miss seemed to suck the self-belief from CFR, who found themselves pinned back after the break. A Kroos drive had Stăncioiu scrambling to his right before a well-directed Badstuber free-kick brought a full-length flying save from the Romanian goalkeeper.

It was not all one-way traffic, though, and substitute Ioan Hora's fizzing shot drew an instinctive save from Butt who diverted the ball over. However, Gómez's fortuitous third, in which Piccolo's attempted clearance rebounded into the net off the Bayern forward, meant Culio's late effort from a brilliant squared pass across the box from Panin was in vain.