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Game scene: It was the third minute of injury time. Leverkusen central defender Jonathan Tah put the ball too far in front of him, Robert Lewandowski stole it from his foot and dribbled it into the left penalty area. When he graduated, the forward was lucky that Edmond Tapsoba deflected the ball into his own goal. Shortly after the match ended, the Bayern players formed a circle and cheered for the Christmas championship, how to put it?
The result: In the last Bundesliga game of the year, FC Bayern turned a 0-1 disadvantage into a 2-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen. The people of Munich celebrate Christmas at the top of the table, two points ahead of their pursuers Leverkusen. Read the match report here.
Thank you for the flowers: Bayer Leverkusen distributed gifts even before the game. Manuel Neuer and Robert Lewandowski each received a bouquet of flowers from Managing Director Rudi Völler as congratulations on their FIFA world titles. That wasn’t enough for Jonathan Tah and Lukas Hradecky. In the 43rd minute, they both got in the way of a Thomas Müller cross and leveled Lewandowski. The forward only had to head the ball into the empty goal. Shortly before the end, Tah and Tapsoba helped again. Lewandowksi didn’t need his world soccer superpowers for his goals. “I hope we continue to score goals like this next year,” Lewandowski said later on Sky. He couldn’t have put it that way.
First half: Leverkusen secured the ball more often in the early stages, but initially had no chance. Then the leadership fell to a standard. No one Amiri crossed into the penalty area following a corner kick and Patrik Schick scored a free volley to make it 1-0 (14th). Leverkusen remained more active, an offside goal by Schick did not count (29th). Shortly before the break, Lewandowski struck for the first time.
In favorite position: When the lineups appeared before the game, he was stumped how Bayern coach Hansi Flick would distribute his five nominal defenders across the field. The solution was simple: David Alaba, the last central defender, was allowed to play in his favorite position in defensive midfield. Perhaps this is also a means of convincing the service provider to extend the contract. Alaba was barely noticed and, according to “whoscored.com,” he had only 58 contacts with the ball and a passing rate of 74 percent. There is still a long way to go before he can replace playmaker Thiago, who has moved to Liverpool.
Second half: Bayern now pushed for Leverkusen’s goal more often, but did not allow for a dangerous conclusion. After the initial pressure from Munich, the game was played more frequently in midfield. Amiri tested Neuer with a long shot (61st), Gnabry missed with a shot from an acute angle on Hradecky (66th). Bayern’s biggest chance was substitute Jamal Musiala, who hit the post (79th). Shortly before the final whistle, Lewandowski secured the victory.
Sané rein, Sané raus: Bayern coach Flick was happy. For the first time since his injury in early November, Joshua Kimmich returned to the FC Bayern squad. But the disabled list already got a new member: Kingsley Coman had to be replaced in the first half. What exactly is not clear at first. Flick Leroy Sané replaced Coman. The winger never found his way into the game and was replaced after just 36 minutes, the maximum penalty. But wait a minute: “Why the maximum penalty?” Flick asked after the game: “If we make a change, we have to do it sensibly.” Flick explained that the change was tactically justified. In any case, Musiala was more dangerous when he hit the post.
The undefeated (N): Until the 93rd minute it looked like Leverkusen would continue his (pretty) perfect season. Peter Bosz’s team was the only undefeated Bundesliga team in the current season. A draw would have meant leading the table. But now the series is over by two defensive failures. “A childish mistake,” goalkeeper Hradecky told Sky about his abandonment at the equalizer: “We lost undeservedly.”
Exciting Bundesliga? It could all have been so exciting. A win and Bayer Leverkusen would have led Bayern away by four points. On the other hand, the same thing happened last season. After 13 games, Borussia Mönchengladbach were leading the league at the time, Bayern were four points behind. In the end, the Munich team won the eighth consecutive championship. How will the current season end? We all know that.
