Dream goals at Gala against Pilsen
FC Bayern shoots its way to the BVB showdown with a record
10/04/2022 8:37 p.m
Before the Bundesliga top game against Borussia Dortmund, FC Bayern is really getting going again: Bayern Munich have an easy time against an overwhelmed Viktoria Pilsen in the Champions League and are warming up for the weekend with dream goals. They also set a record.
Attention, Dortmund – the gala Bavaria are coming! Bayern Munich has finally shot itself out of the crisis against the next construction helper and warmed up for the classic. The Munich team, suddenly mercilessly efficient again, with double packer Leroy Sane, gave sparring partner Viktoria Pilsen not the slightest chance in the 5-0 (3-0) win in the Champions League. The clear signal to Borussia: We are ready for the smash on Saturday!
Sane (7th/50th), Serge Gnabry (13th) and the resurgent Sadio Mane (21st) with his first goal in the premier class for the German record champions made everything clear early on. Substitute Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (59th) also scored for Bayern, who are confidently heading for the round of 16 with nine points. But it wasn’t quite enough for the highest Champions League victory (7-0 each against Basel 2012 and Donetsk 2015).
However, the record of now 31 group games without defeat was never threatened against the strangely disembodied Czech champions. Instead, Bayern greedily pushed into the many gaps that arose and showed great hunger in the final – it was a class difference.
Nagelsmann admitted before the game at DAZN that the classic played an important role in his starting eleven thoughts. “If I rotate too much, the disadvantage is that too many players play in a different position than against Dortmund. It’s about keeping the rhythm.”
And so he made “only” four changes after the chest release against Leverkusen. Newcomer Ryan Gravenberch was only allowed to start for the second time as a replacement for Joshua Kimmich, who, like Thomas Müller, had Corona. “He didn’t play enough for his abilities,” Nagelsmann said of the Dutchman, who took his chance.
As against Bayer (4-0), it was the duo of Jamal Musiala and Sane that provided the can opener. On the youngster’s pass, the latter prevailed against half the Pilsen defense and slammed the ball into the goal corner. Sane did something that only Robert Lewandowski (2019 and 2021) had previously done in the Bayern jersey: goals in each of the first three group games.
Magic foot Musiala also initiated the 2-0, which was prepared by Leon Goretzka, who had been rotated into the starting line-up. Then Mane proved that his goal against Leverkusen was really a liberation: After a throw-in, he lobbed the ball over himself and an opponent, tunnelled the next one and completed his dream solo to make it 3-0. The video evidence initially prevented Musiala from making it 4-0 because assistant Mane was just offside (36′).
Sane’s second goal was preceded by a dream pass from Mane, Goretzka made it 5-0. Nagelsmann used the second half to give other noble jokers time to play – and to spare some stars for BVB.