ASpurred on by the new pressure from Borussia Dortmund in the title race, serial champions FC Bayern once again demonstrated their great offensive power in the Bundesliga. On Saturday evening, Munich defeated 1. FC Union Berlin, who were hapless and ineffective in the end, 4-0 (3-0). The front runner thus increased the lead over BVB, which was only required on Sunday evening (7.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on DAZN) in Cologne, to seven points.
Artistic shooter Kingsley Coman (16th minute), first goal scorer Tanguy Nianzou (25th) and Robert Lewandowski (45th + 1), who is familiar with the penalty spot, clarified the question of who would win in the first half. In front of 37,000 spectators in the arena, world footballer Lewandowski, who was slightly injured during the week, scored his 31st goal of the season immediately after the restart (47th). The 1935th Bundesliga match of Bayern, who surpassed Werder Bremen (1934) as the sole record holder, went according to plan after the last two draws.
Union was beaten a bit below value: against the Bayern defense, which was reorganized after the failures of Niklas Süle (muscle fiber tear) and Benjamin Pavard (corona infection), there were several unused big chances in the first half in particular by the fast attacker Sheraldo Becker (6. ) and Taiwo Awoniyi (22nd). National goalkeeper Manuel Neuer also parried a shot from defender Robin Knoche with a great reflex (21′). It would have been 1:1.
“King” puts Bayern in the lead
“We can show that a certain tension is good for us,” said Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann before kick-off. His eleven then showed up on the pitch before the two-week international break. Coman provided the initial spark: the Frenchman, known as “King”, moved defender Paul Jaeckel with a swift movement and fired brilliantly. His long-range shot surprised Andreas Luthe, who returned to the Union goal and, like Jaeckel, looked bad several times.
In the scene that led to the penalty, Jaeckel failed to return a header to Luthe, who had to run out of the goal and rammed Lewandowski. When 19-year-old Frenchman Nianzou in a FC Bayern jersey scored his first competitive goal, it was also Jaeckel who was unable to stop the Bayern defender from heading the ball after a corner by Joshua Kimmich.
When Bayern played their individual class, Union was defensively overwhelmed. National player Musiala drove the Munich game again and again with dribbling from midfield. He gave Lewandowski the 4-0 after the break. The goal festival whitewashed some of Munich’s defensive weaknesses. Nianzou did a good job overall, Süle representative Dayot Upamecano liked his core competence as a duel. But on the ball, the 23-year-old Frenchman once again had a lack of concentration.