Mario Gotze, Franck Ribery help Bayern Munich past Stuttgart

Goals from Mario Gotze and Franck Ribery guided Bayern Munich to a 2-0 victory over Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon.

Bayern struggled to create chances in the early stages of the game, but should have been ahead when Thomas Muller beat his marker to a header which was tipped wide by Sven Ulreich.

Stuttgart had done well to limit Bayern opportunities until their hard work was ruined in the 28th minute, when Mario Gotze capitalised on some hesitant defending to hammer home a loose ball.

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Despite continuing to look comfortable against the defending champions, Stuttgart's inability to cause problems for the hosts in the closing stages of the first half was a sign of things to come.

Predictably, Bayern were in control when the players returned for the second half, but missed an opportunity to double the lead when Robert Lewandowski fired over from a promising position.

Stuttgart wasted their best chance to claim a draw late on when Timo Werner, who left two Bayern defenders behind with an impressive piece of skill, curled the ball wide of the post.

Bayern would make their opponents pay late on as Ribery latched onto a pass from Lewandowski to wrap up the win with a fine finish on his return from injury.