FC Bayern dismantled Leipzig after falling behind at halftime. A substitute player makes the difference.
Returnee Jamal Musiala took a selfie on the pitch with a thumbs up, and goal scorer Harry Kane briefly raised his arms to celebrate this demonstration of power. With brutal ruthlessness, FC Bayern more than saved the dream of an invincible season in the top game at RB Leipzig. The Munich team turned a 0-1 deficit into a top-class Bundesliga clash and ultimately triumphed impressively 5-1 (0-1).
Musiala celebrated his comeback six months after breaking his fibula at the Club World Cup and even prepared a goal after coming on as a substitute shortly before the end. “It’s very nice that Jamal is back after such a long time,” said teammate Serge Gnabry, who left the pitch for Musiala in the 87th minute and commented on the turnaround after the break: “At halftime we knew: Okay, we can still turn the game around, nothing is over yet.”
In front of 47,800 spectators in the sold-out Leipzig stadium, Rômulo (20th minute) took advantage of one of Leipzig’s numerous chances to take the lead – and it looked like a victorious revenge for the 6-0 defeat, the worst defeat in Leipzig’s Bundesliga history in the first leg. But then everything turned out differently, initiated by Gnabry’s goal (50th). Kane (67′) then took the lead before Jonathan Tah (83′), Aleksandar Pavlović (85′) and Michael Olise (88′) completed the dismantling of the pursuer.
Substitute Olise provided three assists in addition to his goal for the final score. He earned the top rating in the t-online individual review – but not as the only one. You can read about who got the second A and how the other Bayern stars fared here or in the photo show above.
“They really caused us problems in the first half,” said coach Vincent Kompany on Sky about Leipzig: “But second half: my God.” His players then ran six kilometers more than their opponents. Still, it wasn’t perfect, said the Bayern coach: “It was pure, pure old-school mentality: running, fighting, tackling.”
Before the spectacle began, however, there was time for a little emotion, and not just because of Musiala’s return. According to the league, captain Manuel Neuer played his 584th competitive game for Bayern, drawing level with the “Emperor” Franz Beckenbauer – and then also showed some great saves. “You can’t praise him enough,” Kompany commented on Neuer’s overall goalkeeping package. At least for Olise this was the same.
