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After conceding an early goal, Bayern Munich were never able to take full control of the game. The early goal allowed Union Berlin to sit down and play the counter. His heist game was outstanding, creating many dangerous escapades. If it weren’t for the small mistakes and the outstanding play of both goalkeepers, this game could have seen a lot more than two goals. Unfortunately, Union split their first points with Bayern after a valiant 1-1 draw. Here are our match prizes.
Shirt change: Andreas Luthe
The Union goalkeeper was outstanding tonight. In total he made four saves, none bigger than when he stopped a Leroy Sané header from inside the area. Luthe had to dive and, to its full extent, get the ball out of the air before it crossed the line. Although arguably his team should have given him all three points by scoring more goals, Luthe prevented Bayern from taking the three points to Munich.
The Bomber: Robert Lewandowski
Lewandowski scored again! This really shouldn’t be news to anyone, but it’s still amazing to witness. With 13 goals in the Bundesliga this season, Lewy is back at an incredible pace. But what I also noticed about him today was his intention to create when nothing was working in the Bayern attack. Rather than sit back and wait for the ball to hit him, he was racing towards the ball, allowing things to happen for Bayern’s attack.
God of Soccer: Kingsley Coman
Along with the rest of Bayern’s attack, Coman didn’t make much of an impression in the first half. However, I thought Coman really ignited the attacking opportunities that Bayern had in the second. It was great as always on the right side of the field. His creative career and beautiful passing helped Lewandowski tie. While Lewy gets the credit for scoring the goal, that was all Kingsley Coman. All in all, Coman ended the day with four key passes as he tried to wake up Bayern’s attack.
The Emperor: David Alaba
Union’s game plan of sitting down then fighting back put our bottom line to the test. Given that Davies and Pavard were mostly pushing towards attack, this meant the two center-backs were left. While I don’t think Alaba or Boateng had a particularly stellar outing, there was one Alaba work that caught my eye. In the first half, after Bayern conceded a goal, Union had another free throw on goal. Neuer stepped out of his line and Alaba slipped to put one foot in the way. The Union striker fell back to fire, but Alaba continued to creep in while on the ground, closing the shooter’s angle. With such a small window to shoot, the ball ended up opening. In a close match like this, we didn’t know how big that flaw was, but looking back, it could have meant no points for Bayern.
Master of the Match: Manuel Neuer
Like Luthe, Neuer was asked to make important saves throughout the game. Union was knocking on the door from minute one, when Neuer was already called into action to make a big save in the first of many dangerous Union attacks. Unfortunately, Neuer didn’t get much help from his defense just three minutes later, when Union scored with a free header from a corner kick. Neuer recovered as he always does and did not let it get to him. He continued to make three more important saves throughout the game that allowed Bayern to regain a point.
