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Bayern 0 Borussia Mönchengladbach 1

Bayern dominate but fall to sucker punch

07.08.2011

Bayern were far the better side for the full 90 minutes against Borussia Mönchengladbach in Sunday’s opening Bundesliga fixture, but Jupp Heynckes’ side were a shade careless with their chances and ultimately fell to an avoidable defeat after conceding a poor goal on the hour.

The 69,000 capacity crowd at the Allianz Arena saw the home side dominate first-half possession but struggle to prise apart the disciplined Gladbach rearguard, and the game remained goalless until half-time. Mario Gomez cracked a header against the post as Munich upped the pressure after the break, but against the run of play, Igor de Camargo opened the scoring on the hour with a header from outside the box. Bayern angrily laid siege to the Gladbach goal but it was not to be on the day

The men in red must now pick themselves up rapidly in time for their second league appointment, the trip to face Felix Magath’s revamped Wolfsburg next Saturday afternoon.

FCB boss Jupp Heynckes made one change to the team which beat Braunschweig in the cup just under a week ago, restoring fit-again Arjen Robben in place of David Alaba. Franck Ribery started on the bench, “because he had the more serious injury,” the coach explained, “but he gives us another option and can certainly manage 30 minutes or even a half if we need him.”

Out on the field, Manuel Neuer kept goal behind a back four of Rafinha, Jerome Boateng Holger Badstuber and captain Philipp Lahm, with Luiz Gustavo alongside Bastian Schweinsteiger in defensive midfield, Thomas Müller and Robben out wide, and Toni Kroos in behind centre-forward Gomez.

For Gladbach, whose record before kick-off showed just one win in 43 league visits to Munich, coach Lucien Favre brought in Roel Brouwers for the injured Martin Stranzl, with Juan Arango pulling the midfield strings.

Once referee Babak Rafati whistled play underway, the game started at a pleasingly brisk pace, without much by the way of goalmouth action in the first 15 minutes. Borussia keeper Marc-André ter Stegen made a routine take from Gomez’ header, Brouwers dived in to prevent the FCB striker getting a shot away after Lahm’s ball over the top, and Müller’s sublime close control from Gustavo’s ambitious crossfield pass went unrewarded.

Fully 25 minutes had been played before Kroos tested ter Stegen with a skidding drive as FCB upped the pressure with a string of corners, although starlet Marco Reus caused a nervous moment in the Munich box with a mazy dribble.

Robben fired a loose ball over the bar, Müller just failed to connect with an awkward bouncing pass, and Kroos speared a drive wide of the far stick, but Neuer was suddenly called into action before half-time, tipping an Arango volley over the bar and clutching a Reus skidder.

Schweinsteiger headed a corner over the bar and ter Stegen collected Gomez’ stooping header in the last incidents of the first half, and it was Gomez who had the first chance after the restart with a flicked header, only for Gladbach keeper ter Stegen to get down smartly and fingertip the ball round the post.

Kroos spooned a decent shooting chance high and wide, before Gomez crashed a header off the post from Robben’s 54th-minute corner in a spectacular incident which left Boateng requiring treatment, although the summer signing was initially able to continue.

There was a real scare for the men in red when de Camargo had the ball in the net on the hour, but the strike was chalked off for the Belgian’s foul on Schweinsteiger. The respite was only brief as the Gladbach striker ghosted in between Neuer and Boateng to nod home the opening goal after 62 minutes, just after Heynckes had introduced Ribery in place of Kroos.

Robben brought an excellent save out of ter Stegen and Müller just failed to direct a tricky effort on target as Munich urgently sought a response, but Gladbach were still dangerous on the break and Arango whistled a volley past Neuer’s right-hand upright. Ribery and Robben both threatened down the flanks, before Heyckes sent on Nils Petersen in place of Boateng for the last quarter of an hour.

In a frantic finish, Müller netted after Ter Stegen could only beat out Schweinsteiger’s low drive, but the Germany forward was hauled back for offside. It was all Bayern at the end with an unceasing barrage on the away goal, but the outstanding Ter Stegen clutched Robben’s cross-cum-shot, and there was nothing left in the locker on a disappointing day for the title aspirants.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley

MATCH STATS

Bayern Munich - Borussia Mönchengladbach 0-1 (H-T: 0-0)

Bayern Munich: Neuer - Rafinha, Boateng (Petersen 76), Badstuber, Lahm - Luiz Gustavo, Schweinsteiger - Robben, Kroos (Ribéry 60), Müller - Gomez

Substitutes: Butt, Van Buyten, Tymoshchuk, Alaba, Usami

Borussia Mönchengladbach: Ter Stegen – Jantschke (Marx 90), Brouwers, Dante, Daems - Nordtveit, Neustädter – Reus (Rupp 90+2), Arango - de Camargo, Hanke (Herrmann 83)

Substitutes: Heimeroth, Wendt, Leckie, Bobadilla

Referee: Babak Rafati (Hanover)

Spectators: 69,000 (capacity)

Goals: 0-1 de Camargo (62)

Yellow Cards: - / de Camargo

Credit: FC Bayern Munich (www.fcbayern.t-com.de)