Bayern Munich again showed why they are considered as one of the best in world football as the Bundesliga champions fought their way back, from 3:1 down to register an extraordinary comeback and win 5:4 against second placed RB Leipzig, their closest competitors this season. Marcel Sabitzer’s early goal had everyone surprised before Lewandowski successfully converted a penalty to equalise. Just before the half an hour mark, Timo Werner scored his 20th goal of the season, to again restore Leipzig’s one goal lead.
After halftime, Yussuf Poulsen gave the home side a two-goal advantage, netting in the 47th minute. However, Thiago Alcantara’s strike in the hour mark gave Bayern some hope but it was quickly distinguished by a certain Timo Werner again, as he scored his second of the night just five minutes later. From then on, it put the match beyond doubt for RB Leipzig. But the freakish last ten minutes of the game was coming. First, Robert Lewandowski pulled one back for the record champions in the 84th minute, which was followed by David Alaba’s sweet free kick in the injury time. Late on, in the 96th minute, Robben’s super skills got him into the box, as he squeezed past the ball into the back of the net. The win, in many ways, showed why Bayern are the Bundesliga champions for five years running.
Here are the Bayern players rated in their incredible victory over the Leipzigers.
Tom Starke(7.5/10): Conceded his first away goal, in his seven appearances for the club when he was beaten by Marcel Sabitzer. However, despite conceding four goals, the veteran goalkeeper made a string of fine saves, and once got completely nutmegged by Timo Werner which was thankfully overshadowed by Bayern’s terrific comeback at the end.
Philip Lahm(7/10): A rare game for Lahm, as he was forced into making several defensive mistakes by Leipzig, including a poor touch in the box, leading Werner to score his second of the game in the 65th minute. Even though the German world champions was very dangerous offensively, putting in a string of penetrating crosses into the box, Lahm, was clearly unhappy with his sides’ defensive performance stating “You could see we were already on our summer holiday” just after the final whistle, per ESPN.
Jerome Boateng(6.5/10): Looked extremely sloppy for most period of the game. Boateng, who started as a CB due to the absence of Javi Martinez through injury and a ‘tired’ Mats Hummels, completely struggled against the raw pace of Timo Werner. His future in Bayern could be in doubt, following the bad performances and his lack of first team opportunities.
David Alaba(8/10): Sloppy at the back but terrific going forward, David Alaba’s amazing free kick at the depth, meant he had scored six of his 16 Bundesliga goals directly from a free kick!
Juan Bernat(6.5/10): Probably the worst Bayern player on the field, Juan Bernat was responsible for a lot of counter attacks from the opposition. He also missed a glorious chance to get on the scoresheet but could only produce a weak shot straight at the goalkeeper.
Xabi Alonso(6.5/10): Another player who struggled to cope with the raw pace of Leipzig. The 34-year-old responsible for the trip on Emil Forsberg, which led to a penalty. He definitely looked out of sorts and was rightfully taken out from the fray at the hour mark.
Joshua Kimmich(7/10): Bayern’s best former in the last few games, Kimmich didn’t have the desired impact on the game and was pulled out for Thomas Muller later on.
Thiago Alcantara(8/10): Didn’t have much impact in the first half but roared back as the game went into its final phase. Thiago’s header gave Bayern a lot of hope and from then on, he was even more impressive with his overall game.
Arjen Robben(10/10): His never to say die attitude was rewarded with a final minute goal to give his side the victory. It wasn’t his first last ditch goal either, which shows his incredible attitude and fighting spirit. He was driving figure in the Bayern attack and he joins his idol Johan Cruyff at 10 league titles in his career.
Franck Ribery(6.5/10): Robben’s better half, Ribery wasn’t as impressive against Leipzig. In fact, he got completely frustrated by his poor touches, errant passing and consistently going into trouble as he shoved Naby Keita out of frustration. Later on, he had to taken off by two Bayern medics after he took one on his rib.
Robert Lewandowski(9.5/10): Scored a brace which was very important in Bayern’s comeback. The two goals made him the first player in Bundesliga history to have scored at least 30 goals in two back to back seasons. He now pulls one goal ahead of his competitor Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
