Soccer - Bayern won't be annoyed: Kane as leader
Bayern, who were once again led by Harry Kane, were able to enjoy the Christmas lights show after their top-of-the-table performance in their final home game of the year. Even badly decimated, the German serial champions did not let league leaders Bayer Leverkusen get away. On Sunday evening at the Allianz Arena, Munich dominated the high-flyers from VfB Stuttgart 3-0 (1-0) in the Bundesliga, even without national team players Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka, who were ill - from the first to the last minute of the game.
"It was probably our best performance of the season," said Kane on the streaming service DAZN: "We had really good intensity. We showed how dominant we can be in a big game." The Englishman was once again the match-winner. After a mini-slump of three competitive games without scoring, the 30-year-old netted his 19th and 20th goals of the season in the 2nd and 55th minutes. "It's nice when I can help the team with my goals," said Kane. In addition to the outstanding center forward, the equally strong South Korean Minjae Kim (63) scored for the first time in a Bayern shirt.
Bayern patron Uli Hoeneß also cheered and rejoiced in the stands of the Allianz Arena. VfB, coached by his nephew Sebastian Hoeneß, never matched their recent top level in front of 75,000 spectators. "That was a poor evening. We're annoyed that it happened against Bayern Munich. We are disappointed with our performance," said Sebastian Hoeneß. The Swabians are not yet title contenders. The Munich goals came far too easily. And nothing went forward either. There were no clear goalscoring opportunities in 90 minutes and Manuel Neuer had a pleasant evening in the Bayern goal.
Leverkusen's lead over FC Bayern had grown to seven points before the start of the game. Bayer had won 3:0 against Frankfurt before kick-off in Munich. In other words, against the very Eintracht team against which Bayern had suffered a heavy 1:5 defeat the week before. But against VfB, Kane and Co. were back to their best.
"That was anything but a matter of course," said a satisfied coach Thomas Tuchel. His emergency double-six solution for Kimmich and Goretzka was Raphael Guerreiro and youngster Aleksandar Pavlović. It worked. Home-grown Pavlović performed his responsible task in front of the defense very well. He also took the free-kick to make it 2:0 and the corner kick to make it 3:0.
In a 4-2-2-2 formation, Tuchel also cleverly tightened up the center of midfield with Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sané moving more towards the inside. Musiala in particular worked hard defensively and impressed with clever attacking passes and tricks on the ball.
Of course, the dream start to the game was helpful for Munich in their final home game of the year. After Atakan Karazor lost the ball, Müller set up the starting Sané. The international danced past Alexander Nübel, who had been loaned to VfB by FC Bayern and was running out of his goal, before feeding Kane. The Englishman was able to slot the ball in with ease. The early lead gave the rebuilt Bayern team confidence. "It got off to the worst possible start," commented Sebastian Hoeneß. "I have to say, that was one of the worst games," said VfB goalkeeper Nübel on Sat.1. "We weren't brave and didn't get into the duels, it was sloppy in the rest of the defense."
The early goal conceded was a real blow for the visitors. Top striker Serhou Guirassy (16 goals for the season) was left out of the Bayern defense. It was thanks to Nübel, who looked poor at 0:1, that the visitors at least stayed in the game until Kane's second goal. Nübel made strong saves against Sané and Kane. And two goals from Kim (25) and Müller (45+2) were conceded for offside by the video assistant.
Even after the break, there was only one top team in the top match - Bayern. They worked collectively against the ball - and repeatedly put Stuttgart under pressure with the ball. The VfB defense was also incapable of dealing with Munich's set pieces.
VfB squad with statistics Bayern squad Bundesliga fixtures Bundesliga table Bundesliga table
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Source: www.stern.de
