Bayern Munich 4-0 Bayer Leverkusen: Champions return to form
Bayern Munich’s brusquely comfortable first-half demolition job confirmed their Bundesliga championship defense credentials in a 4-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen.
Leroy Sane, Jamal Musiala, and Sadio Mane all scored before the break to put the champions in in control of a merited victory at Allianz Arena on Friday before Thomas Muller added a fourth late on.
After a terrible domestic run in which they went four league games without a win, questions were raised about Julian Nagelsmann’s side and their alleged chances of retaining the Premier League title.
But, for the time being, they have been effectively silenced, while Gerardo Seoane’s side has seen their nightmare start to the campaign exacerbated in an excruciating way on the road.
Sane required just three minutes to open up the visitors, feeding off the right flank and rolling a deflected effort past the hapless Lukas Hradecky.
Musiala quickly followed, exchanging a one-two with Muller off a long ball before squeezing a shot in, and Sane scored a third from the edge of the box six minutes later.
Mane’s second goal was overruled 10 minutes after the break when VAR ruled Odilon Kossounou had been fouled, but that was certainly insufficient consolation for Leverkusen.
When Muller pressed Hradecky late in the game, a tragicomic error from the goalie provided an open net for the veteran to turn home and round out a convincing victory.
What does it imply? Bayern Munich silences critics
Following a succession of disappointing results in the Bundesliga, culminating in a loss to Augsburg, many were beginning to wonder if this would be the season in which Bayern’s lengthy reign as Bundesliga champion came to an end.
If that’s the case, they won’t go down without a fight, with Nagelsmann’s team rising to the challenge of getting back on track with ease. Despite having played one more game, they are still two points behind surprise leaders Union Berlin.
Musiala works his magic.
During the international break, the German forward impressed for his country, putting him closer to confirming his seat on the plane to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Here, he regained his stellar domestic form, with five goals and three assists this season in the Bundesliga.
Leverkusen’s woes worsen
After falling behind early on, the visitors never looked like they were going to threaten often – and when they did, it was dull at best.
They took ten shots in total, eight before the break and two after, but failed to convert any of their five shots on goal, dropping Leverkusen to third bottom with five points.
What comes next?
On October 4, both teams will return to Champions League action, with Bayern hosting Viktoria Plzen and Leverkusen traveling to Porto.
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