Bayern Munich: Lewandowski puts Bayer Leverkusen’s defense to sword
By Isaac Rivers
On Matchday 8 of the Bundesliga, FC Bayern Munich was hosted by Bayer 04 Leverkusen in their 5-1 win away. The excitement started off fast with a quick third-minute goal scored by Robert Lewandowski coming from a brilliant over-the-top flick played by Dayot Upamecano.
After 30 minutes of heavy Bayern possession, the goals came in rapid succession. This started with Lewandowski bagging his double in the 30th minute after a strong solo attempt from Alphonso Davies. Just four minutes later, Thomas Muller scored his third of the season off of a deflected Niklas Sule shot, sending it into the top right corner.
To round off the first half, Serge Gnabry scored a quick brace with the goals coming in the 35th and 37th minute. The first of which came shortly after Leverkusen’s kick-off stemming from Muller’s goal. A poorly placed passed from Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby allowed for Leon Goretzka to sniff out the ball, touching it forward to Muller who was able to cross it into a wide-open Gnabry for the score.
The second goal came from Gnabry setting himself up with a quick give-and-go to Goretzka, placing him right in front of the goal. This makes Gnabry’s 4th and 5th of the season.
To start off the second half, Leverkusen started to show a little more promise with their urgency in passing. In the 55th minute, Patrik Schick pulled one back for Leverkusen, but it ended up being nothing more than a consolation goal. With a few excellent saves from keeper Manuel Neuer and the opposition’s lackluster finishing, Bayern was able to close down, bringing the likes of Lewandowksi, Muller, Goretzka, and Davies off quite early into the game.
With a 5-1 victory, Bayern Munich got a strong start on their return from the international break (recovering from their most recent 2-1 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt). With 27 total shots, compared to Bayer Leverkusen’s 6 total shots, Bayern was able to cruise past their opposition.
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The two goals coming from Lewandowski were a good return from being held scoreless for two straight games. This brace shoots him back on top as the Bundesliga’s Top Goal Scorer, tied at 9 goals with Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.
Lewandowski will be looking to continues his run of scoring in Bayern’s next game in the Champions League against Benfica on Oct. 20th. The German Champions will have one foot in the round of 16 if they manage to beat the Portuguese club on Wednesday.