The long unbeaten run of Koln at home was ended by Bayern as they capitalised on Leipzig’s 2:2 draw with Augsburg, to go seven points clear of second place. It was a night for the defenders, as Javi Martinez and Juan Bernat scored two of the Bayern goals, while Franck Ribery completed the 3:0 rout right at the end, to add more gloss to the scoreline. Here are the best and the worst rated Bayern players as they destroyed Peter Stoger’s Koln.
Note: Players coming on after the 75th minute will not be rated!
Manuel Neuer(8/10):
Pulled off a sensational save to deny Yuya Osako from scoring in the first half, from then on he had nothing really to do. A well deserved clean sheet for the German International captain. He takes him tally to 11 in the season.
Philip Lahm(8/10):
An efficient performance from the former German International, who was sturdy in defence and smart in his offensive passing game. His extreme professionalism lent Bayern an advantage over their opposition.
Javi Martinez(9/10):
The former Athletic Bilbao man keeps on his good form, putting home with a splendid finish to score his first goal of the season. The Spanish International was also solid in the back and was largely untroubled.
David Alaba(8/10):
Featured as a Center Back in absence of Mats Hummels, which, however, didn’t negate his tendency to get upfront as he put in some decent amount of industrialism to make his presence felt at both ends.
Bernat(9.5/10):
Was flawless throughout the game. Apart from the goal, the Spanish fullback was very solid in possession and hardly put a foot wrong. He also added an assist at the end for the Ribery goal. Surely the best player of the game.
Arturo Vidal(8/10):
Made his presence felt with some strong tackling and impressive distribution. Constantly kept the opposition goalkeeper Thomas Kessler busy with long range efforts. His delightful pullback resulted in Bayern’s go ahead goal.
Thiago Alcantara(9/10):
A standard performance from the Spanish midfielder, who provided creativity in Bayern’s build-up game, offering a host of passes into the final third. His incredible run through midfield was eye catching and eventually led to the third goal.
Kingsley Coman(7.5/10):
A decent game for Coman, as he proved to be a constant threat for the Koln defence, putting in a lot of crosses in the middle. However, he lacked the mettle to breach through the defence all by himself and was largely marked by the opposition.
Thomas Muller(7.5/10):
His terrific ball found Bernat for the second goal, apart from that it was a fairly quiet game for the German International. The 28-year-old did, however, feature in some attacking moments as he provided space by using his clever movements off the ball.
Douglas Costa(8.5/10):
Didn’t make Bayern feel the absence of Arjen Robben as he looked a major threat every time he got onto the ball. However, an unfortunate injury after the restart forced him to leave the field.
Robert Lewandowski(7/10):
Struggled to find spaces as the opposition marked him as tightly as they could. He was incredibly quiet and started to get frustrated as the game went on. A bad day for the Polish International.
Subs
Franck Ribery(8.5/10):
Replaced Costa when he got injured in the start of second half and did a phenomenal job in attack. The Frenchman was very lively up front and proved to be a handful for the opposition. Got rewarded with a last minute goal.
Joshua Kimmich(7.5/10):
Came on for the last 15 minutes to provide more blow to the already wretched defence of Koln. He was nice and lively after he came on.
Rafinha(NA):
It was just an attempt for Carlo Ancelotti to run down the clock as he subbed on Rafinha to improve the stability in defense later on.
