FC Bayern beat VfL Bochum 3-0 on Saturday to consolidate their lead in the Bundesliga table. Thomas Müller put Bayern in front before half-time, with Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry finding the net in the second half.
The German record champions started with Yann Sommer in goal and Benjamin Pavard, Dayot Upamecano and Matthijs de Ligt in defence. Leon Goretzka anchored a midfield featuring Gnabry, Leroy Sané, Jamal Musiala and João Cancelo, with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Müller up front. Alphonso Davies came on for Müller at half-time, with Coman, Daley Blind, Mathys Tel and Arijon Ibrahimović taking over from Cancelo, Musiala, Choupo-Moting and Sané in the second half.
Müller breaks the deadlock
After a minute’s silence for the victims of the earthquake in Syria and Turkey, the 75,000 full house at the Allianz Arena saw Bayern dominate from the off. Musiala tested visiting goalkeeper Manuel Riemann before Choupo-Moting’s header found the side netting. Cancelo saw a header cleared and Gnabry fired one over.
Bayern upped the pressure but chances for Müller, Sané and Gnabry went begging. Goretzka hit one over the bar but Müller rewarded Munich for their dominance before the break when he intercepted a stray back pass and put past the stranded Riemann. The Bochum keeper denied de Ligt and Goretzka headed the rebound wide as FCB went into half-time a goal to the good.
Coman and Gnabry seal it
Bochum came out fighting and Sommer made a strong save to deny Philipp Hofmann before Choupo-Moting miscued a header at the other end. Riemann denied Sané but Musiala soon teed up Coman, whose shot through Riemann’s legs doubled the lead.
Gnabry closed out the meeting when he was upended in the box and stepped up himself to score Bayern’s third from the spot. Coman fired over before Riemann denied Blind and Ibrahimović, who almost crowned his senior debut for Bayern. Tel also saw an effort saved as the champions sealed a deserved victory.
The result means Bayern have 43 points from 20 matches. They will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to face Paris Saint-Germain for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
