The Bundesliga came to an end this weekend with Bayern Munich playing away at Hoffenheim. With the Bundesliga title in the bag, it was about ending the season strongly for Bayern. Vincent Kompany’s men didn’t disappoint the Bavarian faithful and delivered a dominant performance to clinch a 4-0 victory.
Kompany decided to give Harry Kane a breather, starting him on the bench against Hoffenheim. Thomas Muller started his final game in the Bundesliga in the number ten role, while Serge Gnabry was leading the attack in Kane’s absence.
Hoffenheim had a lot to play for as they were looking to avoid getting into the relegation play-off scenario. However, the game lacked the urgency from the word go. Bayern dominated the possession, while Hoffenheim looked content defending deep instead of pressing higher up the pitch.
Die Roten circulated the ball well but couldn’t break Hoffenheim’s defense. It took a moment of magic from Michael Olise to open the scoring for the visitors in the 33rd minute. The French winger took a brilliant free kick from outside the box to beat the goalkeeper. The precise placement of the shot from Olise into the bottom corner made sure that Oliver Baumann had no chance to make the save.
Bayern went into the half-time in cruise control, getting the lead and giving Hoffenheim no sniff in the final third.
The second half started in the best possible way for the visitors. Olise was involved in the buildup of the second goal. The French winger found the run of Joshua Kimmich in the box with a crisp pass from the right flank. Kimmich hammered the ball past the goalkeeper. The German midfielder had little bit of fortune with the deflection, but his shot was on target.
Harry Kane gets on the scoresheet to end the season with a bang
Apart from one big chance for Andrej Kramaric, Bayern and Manuel Neuer hardly had anything to worry about in the second half. It was a matter of how many goals Bayern could score at the other end to make the victory more emphatic.
Harry Kane came off the bench and made an instant impact. He smashed the frame of the goal with a ferocious attempt. The follow-up move eventually led to Bayern’s third goal. Serge Gnabry showed great precision in his shot, beat Baumann from the edge of the box.
The English striker ended up getting his goal in the 86th minute to round off a brilliant Bundesliga campaign. Leroy Sane had the chance to make it five late in the game, but Baumann stood tall and made a good save.
The 4-0 win on Saturday made sure Bayern ended up 82 points, their best tally in the league since 2019/20. A remarkable debut season as Bayern coach for Vincent Kompany. The players' attention will now switch to next month’s Club World Cup.