Bayern Munich reclaim their top spot in the league when they pushed aside a brave Mainz 3:1 in the Friday night fixture. An early goal from Jhon Cordoba of Mainz, scared the visitors before Robert Lewandowski scored the equalizer just three mins after the Mainz lead. Arjen Robben then put Bayern in front with a header from a Thomas Muller cross and in the injury time, Robert Lewandowski finished his brace with an excellent free kick.
Here are the player ratings for Bayern Munich, in their win against the 05-ers.
Manuel Neuer (7/10): Once again, Manuel Neuer failed to keep a clean sheet, but he wasn’t to be blamed for the Cordoba goal. The German international captain dealt with everything else quite well.
Joshua Kimmich (7.5/10): Started as a right back for second time in a row. The young German international never got caught out of defense, and was also handful to Bayern’s offensive play.
Javi Martinez (7/10): He was completely outsmarted by Jhon Cordoba’s clever turn and his lack of pace forced him to play in a deeper role and cover Manuel Neuer. Overall, he did well to cover up his lack of pace with his positioning.
Mats Hummels (7/10): Just like Martinez, Hummels also struggled to deal with Mainz’s pace on the break. He couldn’t recover from Cordoba’s turn early on but managed well to reshape the defense after the early goal.
David Alaba (7.5/10): Alaba was a constant presence down the left flank, defended the threat of Karim Onisiwo quite brilliantly but lacked the final ball into the penalty area.
Philip Lahm (8.5/10): Started in midfield once again. Lahm did exceptionally well in possession and also in defense. His well timed tackle helped Bayern start their counterattack for the initial equalizer from Robert Lewandowski.
Thiago Alcantara (8.5/10): Was a hub in the midfield. A joy to watch with his intricate passing, and movements in and around the half space. Was very pivotal in Bayern’s transitional play on the night.
Arjen Robben (9/10): Robben was an imposing figure on attack for Bayern Munich. Always keen to take on the defender, Robben caused a lot of trouble with his dribbling runs. His through pass to Lewandowski resulted the Bayern equalizer at the 8th minute.
Franck Ribery (7.5/10): It was one of those rare nights for Franck Ribery. Usually excellent with his overall offensive gameplay, the former French winger struggled to create chances and got replaced in the final 25 minutes.
Thomas Muller (8/10): Muller was very influential in Bayern’s offensive play. Still yet to score a Bundesliga goal, this season, Muller was very dangerous with his movements, which made him a very hard man to mark for the Mainz defense. His inviting cross resulted in the second goal for the record champions.
Robert Lewandowski (9.5/10): Lewandowski was the best player of the night! Equalizing on the eighth minute, with a tidy finish, the Polish international then finished it off with excellence, converting a spot kick in the 91st minute. Mainz defenders had their hands full of Lewandowski, as he became the first player to score four successive braces against the same opposition in the Bundesliga.
