Berlin, Feb 27: Franck Ribery scored twice for Bayern Munich to beat Schalke 2-0 in the Bundesliga on Sunday and stem talk of a crisis engulfing the club.
Ribery terrorized the Schalke defense throughout and put the home ahead in the 36th minute when he chipped the goalkeeper before stroking the ball into the empty net.
The French winger struck again after the interval, combining with Thomas Mueller on the left before firing a deflected shot beyond the helpless Timo Hildebrand in the 55th.
Bayern started the day in third after a 0-0 draw at bottom side Freiburg last weekend, and Schalke would have overtaken the Bavarians with a win.
The win moved Bayern within a point of Borussia Dortmund before the leader's scheduled game at home to Hannover later Sunday.
