He hits and hits and hits: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting shot FC Bayern Munich to first place in the Bundesliga for the time being. At Hertha BSC, however, the record champions made it unnecessarily exciting.
The 3: 2 (3: 2) of Munich on Saturday afternoon (November 5th, 2022) in the Bundesliga was okay overall. However, Julian Nagelsmann’s team was already leading 3-0 after a good half hour and then fell into management mode too early.
Wild roller coaster ride
In any case, the first round was a wild roller coaster ride through the Olympic Stadium. But initially only in one direction: Jamal Musiala scored in the 12th minute with the visitors’ first goal to give Bayern the lead, Sadio Mané had brilliantly staged him after a solo run.
Then Bavaria’s employee of the month October struck in November – twice within 60 seconds. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting used a blocked shot by Leon Goretzka faster than the Hertha defense to make it 2-0.
The momentum helps Choupo-Moting
The 3:0 proved that this sport thrives on “momentum” like hardly any other: the center forward threw his right kicking leg full past the ball after another poorly deflected ball, but then pushed it more or less with his left shin less coincidentally past Berlin’s keeper Oliver Christensen over the line.
Hertha coach Sandro Schwarz was furious on the sidelines, but his team was able to calm him down a little before half-time.
Meet Lukebakio and Selke
After a positional error by Bayern right-back Noussair Mazraoui, Dodi Lukébakio gave comeback keeper Manuel Neuer no chance with a volley (42nd minute). Then VAR Sören Storks corrected a misperception by referee Bastian Dankert, who had overlooked a foul by Benjamin Pavard on Davie Selke – Selke himself safely converted the penalty to make it 2: 3 (45th).
In the second half, the game initially flattened out significantly, but the chaos in the Berlin defense returned. After almost an hour, Hertha failed several attempts to clear the ball in their own penalty area before central defender Agustin Rogel maneuvered the ball into his own goal just before Choupo-Moting was ready to score. After a long VAR study, however, Alphonso Davies was finally found offside, so that the supposed 4:2 was denied again.
Just barely missed the equalizer
Not much came from the Berliners offensively, but they had a historic chance. The last time Bayern gave up a 3-0 lead was 49 years ago, when 1. FC Kaiserslautern turned the game into a 7-4 win.
After that, it didn’t look promising at any time in the second round, but the 3:3 would have been possible: Lukébakio straddled the ball just wide of Neuer in the 74th minute.
Davies injured thigh – World Cup in danger
But there was bad news for Bayern, which also affects Canada: Davies had to be replaced injured in the 64th minute, Nagelsmann later reported after consulting the doctors that it was a problem “at least one muscle fiber tear” act. This at least jeopardizes the left-back’s participation in the World Cup.
Bayern against Werder, Hertha in Stuttgart
FC Bayern will now welcome the promoted team from Bremen on the 14th matchday of the Bundesliga (Tuesday, November 8th, 2022 at 8:30 p.m.). At the same time, Hertha is required to play away in Stuttgart.