After Bayern Munich practically ended the title race last weekend, matchday 25 saw them play old foe Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Vincent Kompany’s side typically dominated the first half, regularly challenging Moritz Nicolas in the Gladbach net, but the visitors did have their fair share of half-chances. It took until the 33rd minute for Bayern to open the scoring.
Leon Goretzka’s chipped pass landed in the path of Luis Diaz, who scored to make it 1-0 with this 14th goal of the season.
Then, as the first half progressed, Bayern gained a stronger hold and would double their lead just before the break when a nice team move was finished off by Konrad Laimer to make it 2-0.
Just after half time, business resumed and Bayern would win a penalty when Nicolas Jackson was played through but was fouled by Rocco Reitz for a denial of a goalscoring opportunity. With Harry Kane absent, this allowed Jamal Musiala to step up and score his first goal since returning from injury. Jackson would be the next to end his goal drought, as he would make it 4-0 just before the 80th minute.
At the end of the game, 17-year-old Wael Mohya would make it 4-1 to give Gladbach a consolation goal, but it would make him the youngest scorer in the history of die Fohlen. A similar thing happened to Florian Wirtz right at the beginning of his Bundesliga career, against Bayern, too, just saying.
Overall, for Bayern, they have extended their lead at the top of the table to 14 points with Borussia Dortmund to play 1.FC Köln tomorrow. While looking at the bigger picture, the relatively uneventful performance and the chance to rest key players ahead of their first leg against Atalanta in midweek will be the most important thing for Vincent Kompany.
While for Gladbach, the visitors will be hoping their relegation rivals do not pick up points over the weekend, as it could mean they find themselves in a very uncomfortable position regarding the drop zone.
Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 Bayern Munich Player Ratings
Bayern Munich:
Manuel Neuer (5), Konrad Laimer (), Dayot Upamecano (5), Kim Min-jae (6), Tom Bischof (6), Joshua Kimmich (7), Leon Goretzka (6), Lennart Karl (7), Jamal Musiala (7), Luis Díaz (7), Nicolas Jackson (5)
Others: Jonas Urbig (5), Raphaël Guerreiro (5), Maycon Cardozo (5), Josip Stanisic (5), David Santos (-)
Borussia Mönchengladbach:
Mortiz Nicolas (6), Joe Scally (4), Nico Elvedi (4), Kevin Diks (4), Philipp Sander (4), Jens Castrop (5), Kevin Stöger (5), Rocco Reitz (3), Franck Honorat (5), Hugo Bolin (5), Haris Tabaković (5)
Others: Shuto Machino (5), Fabio Chiarodia (5), Lukas Ullrich (5), Wael Mohya (-)
GGFN Player of the Match: Luis Diaz (7)
His goal and assist in the first half got the job done for Bayern, in what was a relatively calm and straightforward game.
Leon Goretzka also put in a strong performance as shown by his heatmap, in what was a big week for the midfielder, especially considering the recent comments made by Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann around the 30 year old. Although he did not justify the comments, he did put in a convincing 90 minutes.
GGFN | Jack Meenan
