20th matchday
Berlin (dpa) – After his quiet assignment in Berlin, national goalkeeper Manuel Neuer took time for some young fans and gave away his Bayern Munich jersey.
The Hertha BSC players, meanwhile, went frustrated after the 1: 4 (0: 2) against the guest from the south to their few supporters in the almost empty Olympic Stadium to get a little encouraging applause. Previously, FC Bayern had easily broken through the Berlin defensive wall and are now leading the table with a six-point cushion going into the second winter break of the Bundesliga.
Corentin Tolisso (25th minute), Thomas Müller (45th), Leroy Sané (74th) and Serge Gnabry (79th) scored the goals for the superior leaders’ success on Sunday against Hertha, who were unsuccessfully focused on damage limitation after their derby bankruptcy . Thanks to several saves by goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow, the Berliners did not concede a Bavarian five-pack like in the first leg. Jurgen Ekkelenkamp (80th) scored the late Berlin goal. “I think we played a good game in general today. It was fun for 90 minutes. We controlled the game,” said international Joshua Kimmich.
Hertha under pressure
“Controlled” was an understatement. With the returnees Lucas Hernandez and Kingsley Coman as well as Sané, who was in the starting eleven for the first time after his corona infection, the Munich team dominated the entire game in front of 3000 people in the Olympic Stadium. Hertha, in its currently precarious condition, was unable to fulfill the faint hopes of Borussia Dortmund as Bayern’s last pursuer for a Munich misstep. The Berliners go as table 13. with only three points ahead of the relegation rank in the two-week break. After that, points must be scored urgently against VfL Bochum and SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
“We want to be brave,” said Hertha coach Tayfun Korkut. With the Berliners, it looked like eight to nine players in two chains closed the spaces a maximum of 30 meters in front of their own goal. In the back row, two teenagers, Linus Gechter (17) and Marton Dardai (19), were forced to play against the power storm around record man Robert Lewandowski after the failures of Niklas Stark and Jordan Torunarigha. “Wipe your mouth, keep going,” said the youngster Gechter. “We all fought.”
But fighting and concentrating on defensive work was not enough against the Bavarian superiority. Sané, Serge Gnabry and Co. had to feel like they did in the patience game with the German national team against the ultra-defensive Liechtenstein.
Kimmich boosts the game
The Berlin defence, still shaky at 2:3 in the derby against 1. FC Union, was at least temporarily solid thanks to this Korkut measure. Goalkeeper Schwolow also saved against Müller (8th), Sané (12th) and Coman (16th). However, this tactic did not work out in the long run.
Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann remained undefeated against Hertha in the 13th duel. He could think purely offensively and left it with Niklas Süle as the only permanent defender. Joshua Kimmich did not have to help out again as a right-back and was able to boost in midfield. The Hertha attacks were manageable. Ishak Belfodil (21st) kept goalkeeper Manuel Neuer moving with a header.
The Munich team also had plenty of chances between the goals scored from close range by Tolisso and Müller. The game between Katz (Munich) and Maus (Berlin) continued in the second half. Sané (47th), Gnabry (49th/61st) and Müller (65th) had the best chances. Vladimir Darida (51st) missed the possible appearance of tension at the biggest Hertha opportunity. Sané used the only Schwolow mistake to score the third goal, Gnabry followed up before Ekkelenkamp took advantage of a Munich inattention. The Berlin fans took it ironically for a long time and sang: “Here we go”.