Bayern Munich made it two wins in a row in the Bundesliga by clinching a 3-1 win away at Freiburg on Sunday. Courtesy of the win on matchday 7. Bayern moved to the top of the Bundesliga, having a better goal difference than arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund.
Interim coach Aaron Danks made some notable choices in his starting XI, leaving out Alphonso Davies and Ismaël Saibari, for instance. The Englishman instead opted for Nathaniel Brown at left-back and Lennart Karl in the number ten role, believing they would perform better in those positions.
Joshua Kimmich remains absent following a tragic family loss. Luis Díaz will also be out for several weeks after suffering an injury in last week’s match against Arsenal.
Upamecano’s opener puts Bayern in control
Play was held up after kick-off while smoke from the ‘Breisgau-Brasilianer’ supporters cleared from the pitch. Once play resumed, Bayern enjoyed more possession during the opening fifteen minutes.
Bayern’s greater possession did not translate into clear-cut chances for die Roten. Freiburg, meanwhile, threatened Jonas Urbig’s goal on a few occasions.
Dayot Upamecano broke the deadlock in the 16th minute. An unlikely scorer, he surged forward from his own half, collected an excellent pass from Michael Olise and coolly beat goalkeeper Mio Backhaus.
Bayern tightened their grip on the match after taking the lead, leaving Freiburg trailing at home for the first time that season. The hosts had little opportunity to respond.
The Frenchman, who had missed the Champions League clash with Arsenal, was central to Bayern’s attacking play, dribbling all over the pitch and sending several efforts just wide. It was ‘Olise time’ once again for Bayern’s best player at present.
Freiburg goalkeeper Backhaus produced a fine performance, keeping out several shots from Bayern’s strikers and defenders.
Serge Gnabry scores a milestone goal
Serge Gnabry doubled Bayern’s lead three minutes before half-time, meeting an excellent pass from the impressive Brown and slotting the ball between Backhaus’s legs. The German winger’s finish was his 100th Bundesliga goal in his 267th appearance in the competition.
Tom Bischof’s own goal sparks a late Freiburg fightback
In the second half, Bayern focused on protecting their lead and finding Olise and Kane on the counter-attack. The attacking duo had a few opportunities, while Jonas Urbig made several fine saves to preserve Bayern’s two-goal advantage.
What looked set to be a comfortable victory became less straightforward in the 82nd minute, when Tom Bischof scored an own goal. As he competed with Irie for Makengo’s cross from the left, the Bayern forward inadvertently beat his own goalkeeper.
Freiburg came close to an equaliser, but Bayern held on to their one-goal lead thanks to some good fortune and excellent goalkeeping from Urbig.
Michael Olise, the man of the match, provided the final flourish, sealing the win with a shot into the empty net from 30 yards.
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