Dhe FC Bayern has done its Bundesliga duty with Paris Saint-Germain before the Champions League celebrations thanks to the friendly support of VfL Bochum. The Munich team initially benefited from the 3-0 (1-0) and the claimed lead in the table from a fatal bad pass by guest defender Saidy Janko, who put Thomas Müller in the limelight when he scored the opening goal (41st minute).
With more offensive speed after the break, substitute Kingsley Coman (64th) and Serge Gnabry (74th / penalty kick) made for a Saturday afternoon befitting the Munich team. However, the series champions were far from a 7-0 win as in the first leg.
Three days before the round of 16 first leg in Paris, coach Julian Nagelsmann was clearly dissatisfied with his ensemble’s performance in the first half, in which he complained too vehemently after a foul and was shown a yellow card (43′). During the half-time break, the 35-year-old took a seat on the bench and gave Alphonso Davies, who had been brought in for Müller after the break, a few tactical instructions on the field. It was the first of five changes, and with the new stars there was more momentum in the game.
It was thanks to VfL that Nagelsmann was able to celebrate the lead. After the Bochum team had put their regional rivals Borussia Dortmund on the road to victory in the knockout stage of the DFB Cup thanks to an unsuccessful liberation by goalkeeper Manuel Riemann, they once again gave a lot of help.
It’s mulling again at Bayern
Janko’s second leg to Riemann failed completely. Although Müller initially failed because of Riemann, he quickly followed suit and Müller put the ball into the goal to make it 1-0. Shortly before the half-time whistle, Leon Goretzka did not miss much to make it 2-0 (44th) in the duel between the best offensive and the worst defense in the league.
Munich were clearly the superior team, but their attacks lacked speed and consistency for a long time. In keeping with the atmospheric setting of the supporters of both clubs, who celebrated their 50-year-long fan friendship with chants and a red-blue choreography, things got down to business on the pitch without any major excitement or highlights. At least the Munich goal streak lasted – in 50 home games in a row, at least one goal was always scored.
The suspended Joshua Kimmich saw a lot more pace in the Munich offensive actions from his seat in the second round, but Bayern have to improve further for the PSG strength test. The game also gained in entertainment value because Bochum now dared a few more attacking attempts, at least for a short time, against Nagelsmann’s three-man chain, which was also expected in the first leg in Paris.
Above all, Bayern stormed with more consistency and power. The in-form and initially rested Coman relieved the tension after a nice combination through the center of the overall one-sided game. Gnabry, an eye-catcher with a fashionable braid, safely converted a penalty kick caused by unlucky Janko.
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