VfB Stuttgart v Bayern Munich 3-5
Hat-trick for Mario as Bayern battle to victory
Bayern ended an occasionally problematic first half of the Bundesliga campaign on a high with a valuable win in a remarkable encounter with strugglers Stuttgart, a result and a performance which hands Louis van Gaal’s side a psychological edge ahead of the teams’ cup meeting in three days’ time, but also bodes well for the double winners’ domestic ambitions in the new year.
The 40,500 capacity crowd at the partially-renovated Mercedes-Benz-Arena saw Mario Gomez, Thomas Müller and Franck Ribery crack three past the woeful home defence in a devastating quarter-hour before half-time. Stuttgart sub Martin Harnik pulled one back soon after the restart, but Gomez instantly restored the visitors’ three-goal lead and then completed his hat-trick to put FCB four clear before the hour was up.
Harnik scored again and Christian Gentner sneaked one in at the far post as the game took an unexpected twist midway through the second period, but FCB eventually restored a semblance of order to make certain of the points.
The win means Van Gaal’s men lie fifth in the Bundesliga standings at the midpoint of the campaign on 29 points from 17 matches, four off Leverkusen and Mainz in third and second, but still 14 adrift of leaders Dortmund. Bayern’s final fixture before the winter break is on the same ground against the same opponents in the last sixteen of the cup next Wednesday.
Van Gaal made two changes to the side which beat St Pauli in the league last weekend. Toni Kroos currently has a leg in plaster, and Bastian Schweinsteiger stayed at home in Munich with a heavy cold, so Andi Ottl came into central midfield, and fit-again Gomez resumed up front against his former club, with the playmaking duties passing to Müller.
Once referee Thorsten Kinhöfer whistled the match underway on a mercifully dry evening in Swabia, Jörg Butt was soon in action with a reflex block to deny Ermin Bicakcic’s close-range header, followed by a more routine save from a Christian Träsch drive, but the FCB keeper’s opposite number Sven Ulreich was also soon called upon to keep out Müller’s ten-yard shot from the first really flowing move of the game.
The match developed into a midfield battle for a spell, before the champions struck mercilessly on the half-hour with their first clear-cut opening, Müller smartly robbing Bicakcic 30 yards from goal and feeding a pass into the channel, from where Gomez beat Ulreich all ends up with a ripping left-foot finish.
The strugglers were still coming to terms with conceding the opener when FCB scored again, Gomez showing admirable persistence to steal an apparently lost ball off Matthieu Delpierre’s toe, before squaring for the sliding Müller to bisect two defenders and side-foot into the net.
Munich tails were up now, and the Bavarians piled on the misery for dejected Stuttgart with a third goal before half-time, a terrific 20-yard belter from Ribery, although the home defence played into the Frenchman’s hands by standing and watching as the winger manoeuvred into position and took aim.
Danijel Pranjic replaced the limping Hamit Altintop for the second half, but the first chance fell to VfB with Cacau’s close-range header over the bar, and new boss Bruno Labbadia’s men briefly scented hope when half-time sub Harnik applied a simple finish after Russian hitman Pavel Pogrebnyak hared clear down the right.
But the champions clinically snuffed out any chance of an unlikely comeback as Gomez made the most of yet more shocking defending on 52 and 54 minutes. First, the striker was on hand to tap home after Ulreich made a hash of a routine take from a Ribery cross-shot, and although the keeper was not at fault with a fine save from Müller from the very next move, Gomez had little difficulty netting the rebound with the VfB defence in disarray.
The chances came thick and fast for a spell, Pogrebnyak heading against the bar, Butt saving from Cacau, and Ribery seeing his goalbound effort cleared off the line, but the next goal fell to the home side as Harnik produced a cool finish from Cacau’s simple ball behind the FCB defence.
There was hardly time to draw breath as both sides went for the jugular, VfB making it 5-3 with 20 minutes still to play when Gentner’s cross-cum-shot evaded a knot of players in the box and deceived Butt before nestling in the far corner of the net.
Van Gaal sent on fit-again pair Miro Klose and David Alaba for Gomez and Müller as the FCB coach sought to restore order to the chaos, before Ulreich got down smartly to Klose’s angled shot and Pogrebnyak planted a shot on the turn wide of the near post as a memorable match came to its conclusion.
Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley
MATCH STATS
VfB Stuttgart - Bayern Munich 3-5 (H-T: 0-3)
VfB Stuttgart Ulreich - Bicakcic (Boulahrouz 60), Tasci, Delpierre, Molinaro - Gebhart (Harnik 46), Träsch, Kuzmanovic (Gentner 68), Boka - Cacau, Pogrebnyak
Bayern Munich Butt - Lahm, Tymoshchuk, Breno, Contento - Van Bommel, Ottl - Altintop (Pranjic 46), Müller (Alaba 77), Ribéry - Gomez (Klose 68)
Substitutes: Kraft, Braafheid, Van Buyten, Demichelis
Referee: Thorsten Kinhöfer (Herne)
Spectators 40,500
Goals: 0-1 Gomez (31), 0-2 Müller (36), 0-3 Ribéry (43), 1-3 Harnik (49), 1-4 Gomez (52), 1-5 Gomez (54), 2-5 Harnik (64), 3-5 Gentner (70)
Yellow Cards: Träsch, Tasci, Pogrebnyak / Tymoshchuk
Credit: FC Bayern Munich (www.fcbayern.t-com.de)
No comments:
Post a Comment