Bayern Munich started off their new campaign with a 3:1 win over rivals Bayer Leverkusen. The record champions completely dominated the first half and got rewarded for their efforts as well, scoring two goals. Interestingly, two Bayern debutants scored two of the first half goals for Bayern. Niklas Sule, scoring from a header, which was followed by Corentin Tolisso’s easy tap in.
Leverkusen came back strongly in the second half, and in fact, were the much better side, but gave away a penalty, which was converted by Robert Lewandowski. The penalty decision was reversed by the new VAR system, who reviewed the incident, ultimately reverting the ref’s initial decision of not awarding a penalty to Bayern. Leverkusen then, kept the pressure intact on Bayern, and Admir Mehmedi’s strike gave them a lot of hope, but at the end, it was too much for Heiko Herrlich’s men to overturn.
Here are the best and the worst Bayern Munich players rated in their win over Leverkusen.
Sven Ulreich(8.5/10): Deputizing for the injured Manuel Neuer, Ulreich made a couple of splendid saves, otherwise the scoreline would have been totally different. Although he looked a bit nervy in possession.
He even got caught once when Kevin Volland was marching towards him and the ex-Stuttgart goalkeeper was forced to make a terrible clearance, which actually didn’t cost much for Bayern at the end.
Joshua Kimmich(7.5/10): Was decent on the right flank but failed to continue on his strong performances in the past couple of matches. Fought well down the right but lacked the services of a partner. Defensively he was okay as well.
Niklas Sule(9/10): An excellent Bayern Munich debut for the former Hoffenheim defender. The 21-year-old Sule made his mark early on, scoring the opener in the first half. Defensively, he was pretty sound and dealt with the opposition pressure well.
Mats Hummels(8/10): Like his companion in defence, Mats Hummels also caused some trouble for Leverkusen from set pieces. The 28-year-old played very well in the first half but started to lose his shine as the game progressed. He was replaced by Rafinha in the latter stages of the game.
David Alaba(7.5/10): Wasn’t as influential as his defensive partners, but the Austrian International stayed calm and composed in defence, preventing the likes of Leon Bailey to get past him.
Arturo Vidal(8/10): Played brilliantly in the first half. Vidal’s physicality was a telling factor in midfield as Dominik Kohr and Charles Aranguiz were constantly failing to get a proper grip on this match. His influence, however, slowed down as the game progressed.
Sebastian Rudy(8/10): Surprisingly, Sebastian Rudy was outperformed by his midfield partners last night. However, that’s not to say that he was terrible.
The former TSG midfielder provided the assist for Sule’s opener. He also calibrated the midfield possession time and again.
Corentin Tolisso(9.5/10): The record new signing from Lyon was in his groove against Leverkusen. Tolisso went forward at regular intervals, linking up with teammates very well.
Tolisso made life difficult for the Leverkusen defence with his neat key passes in the final third. Ultimately, he was rewarded for his excellent performance with an easy header inside the first half.
Thomas Muller(7.5/10): Failed to provide much flair down the right flank. His team play with Joshua Kimmich wasn’t exactly gorgeous but the ramdeuter did create some chances for his team before he was replaced by Arjen Robben within the hour mark.
Franck Ribery(8/10): Despite his age, Leverkusen weren’t taking any chances against the Frenchman. Ribery looked dangerous every time he got onto the ball. He was kind of influential and took part in most of his side’s attacking moments.
Robert Lewandowski(7.5/10): Aside from his penalty, Lewandowski found it difficult to breach the Bayer Leverkusen line as he was tightly marked by their central defender, who kept him at bay for most period of the game.
The Pole missed a glorious opportunity to add to his tally, when he scuffed his shot wide, after being left 1v1 with goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
Subs
Arjen Robben(7.5/10): Came on for Thomas Muller at the hour mark. The Dutchman didn’t really create much, though he looked kind of dangerous cutting inside and preparing his trademark curler.
Kingsley Coman(8/10): Replaced his compatriot Franck Ribery later in the game, and caused havoc in the opposition defence. He was getting in behind the defensive line quite easily. Unfortunately for him, none of his crosses were on target, but it did pose a serious amount of threat for Leverkusen nonetheless.
Rafinha(NA): Was subbed on in the final stages of the game, just to run down the clock. The Brazilian moved to the left back position after Mats Hummels’ went off and David Alaba took his place in the centre of the defence.
