LONDON, NOV 21: Destined next year for major league soccer, veteran German international Lothar Matthaeus scored a rare goal for Bayern Munich last night in a 6-1 crushing of Freiberg in the Bundesliga.The 38-year-old sweeper, headed for the New Jersey Metrostars once he has finished in final season in Germany, was on target after 12 minutes with Bayern's second goal in Munich's Olympic Stadium after Jens Jeremies had fired the first.But Matthaeus suffered an injury during the game and is likely to miss Bayern's Champions Cup game against Norway's Rosenborg on Wednesday. So may Brazilian forward Giovane Elber who also picked up an injury.Alexander Zickler added two more strikes for the Bundesliga titlist while Brazilian Sergio and Carsten Jancker also were on target as Bayern moved five points clear of its biggest rival Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund's game at Unterhaching on Friday was postponed because of snow.While Bayern is in control in Germany, English Champion Manchester United stayed atop thePremier League with a cool 2-1 win at Derby but Spanish titlist Valencia lost for the third league game in a row, this time 3-1 at Valencia, which has joined the Catalan team in the last 16 of the Champions Cup.Second half goals by Manchester's Nicky Butt and Andy Cole his 14th of the season followed the expulsion of Derby's German defender Stefan Schnoor at Pride Park. United stays a point clear of Leeds United, which edged neighbour Bradford 2-1 thanks to goals by Alan Smith and an Ian Harte penalty while Arsenal remained third after a 5-1 crushing of Middlesbrough.Marc Overmars netted three for the gunners while his fellow Dutch international Dennis Bergkamp added two more at Highbury. Elsewhere, Liverpool ended Sunderland's almost yearlong unbeaten home record with a 2-0 win at the stadium of light with England striker Michael Owen scoring the first.Argentina's Claudio Lopez and Romanian Adrian Ilie put Valencia on top against Barcelona as Louis Van Gaal's team squandered a chance to replacesurprise leader Rayo Vallecano atop the Primera Liga.In yesterday's other Spanish League game, Athletic De Bilbao humbled Atletico De Madrid 4-2.In Italy's Serie A, Fiorentina gained a 1-0 victory over Perugia thanks to a late winner from defender Alessandro Pierini. It was only the Florence club's third league victory of the season and first in nearly two months as Pierini showed Fiorentina's Argentina strikers, Gabriel Batistuta and Abel Balbo, the way to goal.Another late winner by Roberto Muzzi, in the 88th minute, gave Udinese a 2-1 win over Bologna in Saturday's other Serie A game.
