Duel in the “premier class”
FC Bayern turns the deficit and dismantles Donetsk
Updated 12/10/2024 – 11:02 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
After just five minutes, the German record champions were behind. This was followed by a powerful equalizer and further goals worth seeing. In the end there was victory.
An injury-plagued FC Bayern clinched their next victory in the Champions League. Vincent Kompany’s team celebrated a 5-1 (2-1) win against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday evening. After six match days, the German record champions are in eighth place in the table and would currently qualify directly for the knockout round.
Goals from Konrad Laimer (11th minute), Thomas Müller (45th), Michael Olise (70th/foul penalty, 90th + 3) and Jamal Musiala (87th) put Bayern in a good starting position going into the new year The preliminary round still has to play at Feyenoord Rotterdam and against Slovan Bratislava.
With twelve points from six games, Bayern have now worked their way into the top teams in the 36-team league. Only the Brazilian Kevin (5th) scored for the Ukrainian champions, who are currently only four points behind after the preliminary round.
Despite nine failures, Bayern dictated the action from the start. However, the Munich team initially allowed themselves to be countered coldly. Laimer and Min-Jae Kim made a misunderstanding in the back four, so that Kevin was suddenly free on the left side and representative Daniel Peretz had no chance of defending with a well-placed shot.
The 24-year-old Israeli is expected to represent the captain until at least the end of the year as Manuel Neuer suffered a broken rib and was unable to take part in the game in his hometown. Shakhtar will play its Champions League home games at Schalke this season due to the war at home. “This will be a bit of a home game for us,” Bayern coach Kompany said before the game.
In fact, thanks to the loud support of the many Bayern fans, the Bundesliga leaders quickly recovered and equalized a short time later. Laimer made up for his mistake and hammered the ball under the crossbar of the Shakhtar goal.
“We want to win against Shakhtar. Then we’ll be completely in the mix so that we can win the last two games in January and move into the top eight,” sports director Max Eberl demanded before the game. Bayern’s CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen even loudly announced the title with a view to the final of the “premier class” next year in their own Allianz Arena.
“It has to be our aim to be there in the season finale of the Champions League in our own stadium. This time we’re not calling it the final at home, this time we’re calling it the title at home,” Dreesen said at the general meeting on Sunday. In 2012, Bayern lost the final at home against Chelsea in a traumatic manner.
172 days before the Champions League final at the Allianz Arena, Bayern needed a lot of patience at Schalke to get on track. Without a number of injured stars such as goal machine Harry Kane, dribbler Kingsley Coman or national player Serge Gnabry, the offensive initially lacked some penetration. The Ukrainian champions defended diligently and skillfully against the weakened Bavarians – and almost took the lead again out of nowhere.
Kevin was through after Donetsk’s good moment of transition and fed young star Georgi Sudakov, but he narrowly missed (44′). After this shocking moment, Bayern struck in return. Magic foot Musiala served Müller with great clarity and the veteran slotted in for his first Champions League goal of the season. At the same time, the 35-year-old met again for the first time in three months.
Even after the break, Bayern remained superior on the field, but often played too awkwardly on offense. Musiala scored the supposed 3-1 after just over an hour. The goal was previously disallowed because of an alleged foul – a clear wrong decision by the Turkish referee Halil Meler. Shortly afterwards the game was decided. Olise scored a penalty after Alaa Ghram hit substitute Sacha Boey in the box. Musiala then made everything clear.