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A whole lot of nothing in the first half was finally turned around by two goals in ten minutes in the second half. Bayern Munich made it look like they were going to cruise to an easy victory, but then Schmidt happened, causing an uneasy five minutes of stoppage time. Luckily Bayern were able to get out with a 2-1 win — and most importantly three points! Here are our awards:
Jersey Swap: Niklas Schmidt
I don’t think that anyone had a bad game for Bremen, but other than keeping Bayern scoreless for 62 minutes, there was very little that stood out. Although he wasn’t on the field very long — coming on as the fifth and final sub in the 82nd minute — Schmidt turned the game on its head with his world-class from almost 30 yards out. Even though Sommer got a few steps over, he was still unable to do anything to stop the shot in the top-right corner. It didn’t do anything harmful in the long run, but it did make Bayern — and their fans — stress for the final seven minutes.
Der Kaiser: Noussair Mazraoui
Mazraoui was very impressive on both sides of the ball. He had three recoveries, two clearances, and blocked a shot from inside the box. He also won 100% of his aerial duals on the day. But other than Schmidt’s goal, Bremen wasn’t too dangerous on the attack, so Mazraoui was able to get up the field on the right flank.
He did a lot to help his team create chances, including 14 passes into the final third! His great through ball in the 72nd minute assisted Sane on the game-winning goal. It was a beautifully-weighted pass that allowed Sane to do just what he needed to beat the keeper.
Der Bomber: Leroy Sane
Sane came into the match in the 64th minute, but immediately made his impression on the game. His goal — which ended up as the all-important match winner — came just eight minutes after he came on. While one the firled, he also completed 92% of his passes and had another shot attempt blocked from just right outside the box. With a performance like this, Sane makes Tuchel and his substitution patterns look good.
Fußballgott: Joshua Kimmich
Kimmich did what he always does — bossed the midfield. Although, he was missing his partner in crime, Kimmich was still able to function properly with Gravenberch with him in the midfield. He had the most touches (131) out of anyone on the field, and with that completed the most passes (90 at an 87% completion rate). And although he doesn’t get the assist, the build-up to Bayern’s second goal was made possible by his brilliant pass to Mazraoui.
The only gripe I had with him — and ultimately why I did not make him Meister of the Match, though multiple outlets have him as their highest ranked player — was his corners. He took 11 corners 11 different ways, none of which were threatening. Other than that, another great day at the office for Bayern’s temporary captain.
Meister of the Match: Serge Gnabry
Similar to last week’s match, Gnabry was able to break the deadlock after more than an hour of scoreless soccer. He had a decent chance in the seventh minute of the game to get the party started, but it only forced one of two saves from Pavlenko on the day. He was also credited with a key pass before finally getting a goal into the back of the net.
Out of a little bit of chaos, Musiala was able to feed the ball directly to Gnabry, who was all of a sudden one-on-one with the keeper. He had to score from there, and luckily he did. The goal was his 11th of the year, but more importantly sparked the attack into getting the second goal, which was needed.
Interested in an in-depth discussion of the win over Bremen? Then check out our postgame podcast! Listen to it below or on Spotify.
As always, we appreciate all the support!
