Bernat goal gives Bayern Munich the win over Darmstadt

B. Ancelotti lined up his team well and gave many of the veterans the day off. The only questionable decision is that he opted to leave Philipp Lahm on the bench all 90 minutes rather than giving the Bayern faithful a chance to see their captain play in one of his few remaining matches.. Manager. Bayern Munich. CARLO ANCELOTTI

A+. Despite having little to do in the first half, Starke was regularly tested in the second and gave a performance worthy of praise. Starke commanded his box in Neuer-esque fashion and made several important saves. Most notably, he kept out a Darmstadt penalty with less than 10 minutes of the match remaining.. GK. Bayern Munich. TOM STARKE

A. Full of energy on the left side of the pitch, Bernat was a constant menace for Darmstadt to deal with. His goal was taken expertly after he combined well with Ribery to set it up. It ended up making all the difference for Bayern as the true offensive players had a hard time finding the back of the net. Not only was his offensive contribution vital though, Bernat also made five interceptions and six clearances to ensure that Darmstadt’s attack had little opportunity to score.. LB. Bayern Munich. JUAN BERNAT

B. It says something of his immense quality and versatility that David Alaba looks equally comfortable at center-back as he does at left-back or even in the midfield. Played the ball out of the back well and helped corral the Darmstadt attack.. CB. Bayern Munich. DAVID ALABA

CB. Bayern Munich. JEROME BOATENG. B-. The German international attempted 15 long balls from the back and only 2 of them failed to find their target. Other than that, a solid day in defense for Boateng.

The Brazilian international has been drawing attention from English clubs and understandably so. He filled in excellently for captain Philipp Lahm and almost even scored a rare goal.. RB. Bayern Munich. RAFINHA . B

CDM. Bayern Munich. JOSHUA KIMMICH. A-. Young Kimmich orchestrated this match superbly before being replaced by Xabi Alonso. Barely misplaced a pass and hustled tirelessly around the pitch to shut down any would-be Darmstadt advances.

CDM. Bayern Munich. RENATO SANCHES. B+. Based on the standards he has set in his first season at Bayern, this was an excellent match for young Sanches. He had a match-high 71 completed passes and executed 7 dribbles. Bayern fans can rest assured that they do have one of Europe’s great young talents on their hands if this game indicates anything about Sanches’ future.

FRANCK RIBERY. B. On one hand, Ribery showed off his creativity and playmaking abilities wonderfully well. On the other, he could not finish inside the box for the life of him. His assist to set up Bernat’s goal was great, but he could have easily put Bayern two or three up had he finished his many chances.. LM. Bayern Munich

B+. Once again playing the role of provider, Muller was unfortunate not to end this game with a few assists. His passing was crisp and vision perfect as he picked apart the Darmstadt defense from the number 10 role, but none of his teammates could finish from his passes. Furthermore, he came close to scoring one of his own, but Michael Esser did well to keep out his ferocious diving header.. CAM. Bayern Munich. THOMAS MULLER

RM. Bayern Munich. DOUGLAS COSTA. C. Taking over for Arjen Robben on the day, want-away Douglas Costa came out of the gates with energy but soon settled down. His final ball tends to leave something to be desired and it did so today. The worst player in red on the day, but by no means a terrible match for the Brazilian.

C+. One of Bayern Munich’s two new fathers, Robert Lewandowski just could not make it happen against Darmstadt despite his great effort. He still leads the Bundesliga in goals with 28, but he will definitely want to grab at least two more to make it three consecutive seasons with 30 or more goals.. ST. Bayern Munich. ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI

CDM. Bayern Munich. XABI ALONSO (66'). N/A. Retirement is looming for the Spaniard and he looks ready for it. Ancelotti gave him a brief cameo, but not one deserving of any grade.