FSV Mainz 05 v Bayern Munich 1-3
Imposing Bayern forge to clear-cut victory
Bayern extracted a measure of revenge for their solitary home defeat of the season, climbed to second in the Bundesliga overnight, and warmed up in some style for the midweek trip to Inter Milan, with an always professional and occasionally glittering display in an entertaining clash away to Mainz.
The 20,300 capacity crowd at the Bruchweg stadium saw the champions take an early lead through Bastian Schweinsteiger and threaten to rip their opponents apart in the first 25 minutes, but the side in fifth fought back after that and there were chances at both ends in a free-flowing encounter.
Jörg Butt took over from the injured Thomas Kraft in the Bayern goal at half-time, and the visitors eased further ahead through Thomas Müller just five minutes after the restart, Mario Gomez bundling home the third 13 minutes from the end. Sami Allagui headed a consolation for the home team, but the margin of victory in no way flattered Bayern, for whom Franck Ribery had his best game in many a long month.
The crucial win takes Louis van Gaal’s men to second in the standings overnight on 42 points from 23 matches, still 13 points off leaders Dortmund but now level with Leverkusen, who host relegation candidates Stuttgart tomorrow. The Bavarians’ packed programme continues on Wednesday with the Champions League trip to Inter, before a Bundesliga cracker next Saturday evening when Dortmund visit Munich.
As expected after last week’s impressive victory over Hoffenheim, Van Gaal fielded an unchanged side for the trip to the side, with Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben out wide, Thomas Müller in the hole behind Gomez up front, and Schweinsteiger in the holding role.
Although the faces were the same, there had been talk of a tactical switch at the back, with Luiz Gustavo set to play alongside Schweinsteiger in defensive midfield and Danijel Pranjic swapping with the Brazilian at left-back. In the event, the players in question lined up exactly where they featured last week.
Once referee Knut Kircher whistled the match underway on a misty evening in Mainz, André Schürrle had a first dig at goal for the home side, but the champions looked up for it and were soon camped out in their opponents’ half. Gomez came up inches short of a Robben lay-off and Ribery’s free-kick hit the side-netting, but the opener was only delayed until the ninth minute.
It was simplicity itself too: Ribery picked out Robben at the back stick with a glorious crossfield pass, the Dutchman heading back into the danger zone for the unmarked Schweinsteiger to nod past keeper Heinz Müller from a couple of yards. Thomas Müller almost doubled the lead just a minute later but was leaning back as he met Robben’s centre and fired too high, and Gomez was harshly pulled back for a tug as he eased into a shooting position.
Müller’s deflected shot shaved the post as the visitors continued to press, and a measure of Munich’s utter dominance was a corner count of 7-0 in their favour before the midpoint of the half. However, there was a let-off for FCB on 27 minutes when Schürrle’s lob beat Kraft but also drifted wide of the upright, and the keeper then did well to beat away the same player’s free-kick.
Van Gaal now implemented the expected switch as Gustavo and Pranjic swapped positions, and FCB eased back into command. Ribery’s drive from Robben’s astute pass was blocked and Heinz Müller pushed Schweinsteiger’s drive round the post, but Kraft was called into action at the other end with a superb block from the lively Schürrle, before Holger Badstuber hurled his body in the way of Marcel Risse’s goalbound drive.
Butt appeared for the second half in place of Kraft, injured in an earlier collision with Petar Sliskovic, but his opposite number Heinz Müller was the first into action with a reflex save from Schweinsteiger. The Mainz keeper could do nothing to prevent his namesake Thomas making it 2-0 on 50 minutes, the Germany international netting a simple finish from Robben’s terrific over-the-shoulder flick.
Gomez missed at the near post and then blasted over after Heinz Müller could only parry Ribery’s fierce drive, and the FCB striker was truly out of luck on the hour with an angled shot off the far post and away to safety. Toni Kroos returned from injury in place of Badstuber, Gustavo retreating now into central defence, but Butt had to look sharp to push aside Schürrle’s snap shot, and Kroos was only denied a goal on his comeback by another fine Müller save.
FCB were content to let their opponents come at them for a spell and play on the break, a superbly-executed counter-attack on 77 minutes producing the third goal as Gomez accepted a return pass from Müller and tapped home his 18th league goal of the campaign.
Breno played the last ten minutes in place of Thomas Müller, but the latest switcharound in the Munich defence caused a touch of confusion and Allagui nicked in ahead of Danijel Pranjic to spoil Munich’s clean sheet, the only minor blemish on an otherwise good day for Van Gaal’s side.
Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley
MATCH STATS
FSV Mainz - Bayern Munich 1-3 (H-T: 0-1)
FSV Mainz: Müller - Fuchs, Kirchhoff, Noveski, Zabavnik - Caligiuri (Soto 63), Polanski (Fathi 85) - Risse, Allagui, Schürrle - Sliskovic (Holtby 55)
Bayern Munich: Kraft (Butt 46) - Lahm, Tymoshchuk, Badstuber (Kroos 64), Luiz Gustavo - Schweinsteiger, Pranjic - Robben, Müller (Breno 80), Ribéry - Gomez
Substitutes: Van Buyten, Ottl, Altintop, Klose
Referee: Mr Kircher (Rottenburg)
Spectators: 20,300 (capacity)
Goals: 0-1 Schweinsteiger (9), 0-2 Müller (50), 0-3 Gomez (77), 1-3 Allagui (84)
Yellow Cards: Fuchs, Holtby / Badstuber
Credit: FC Bayern Munich (www.fcbayern.t-com.de)
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