There are pieces of equipment that need many hits to fall. Bayern is, without a doubt, one of them. Their history marked by memorable matches and glorious victories is also filled with duels like the one they resolved (2-1) in Munich against Leipzig, whom they left behind after offering a flat and disappointing display just at the end of the week in which The farewell of coach Thomas Tuchel was announced. Bayern were helped by their pride to overcome their limitations and the talent of a huge striker, Harry Kane, a legendary finisher.
Kane monopolized the three goal options that a dense team generated. The first was deflected by the Leipzig goalkeeper to the post, the remaining two were passed by the English striker into the net, the last of them when the clock was already counting down minutes after ninety. He hurt Leipzig, which is fighting to enter the Champions League, a competition in which this season it is still hanging on by a thread after losing in the first leg of the round of 16 against Real Madrid. On the 6th they will start in Chamartín with a goal disadvantage, but the whites would do well to take note of the audacity of their rival, who did not give up on his visit to Bayern and looked into the eyes of a wounded giant, the champion of the last eleven Bundesligas.
Bayern’s title is threatened by Bayer Leverkusen, winners against Mainz in a match brought forward to Friday. The team led by Xabi Alonso has 33 games without losing between the League, Cup and Europa League and is eight points ahead of Bayern with 33 left to play. That is why it was so important for the Bavarians to beat Leipzig. In some way they have given themselves a new life while they begin their reconstruction. This week they welcome Max Eberl, a former player from their nursery who spent thirteen years as sports director at Borussia Mönchengladbach and in September ended a short-lived stint at RB Leipzig. Eberl has a job because he will not only have to recruit a coach, but also rebuild a team that has pieces that show signs of exhaustion. Against Leipzig they suffered in a more controlled match than usual.
Real Madrid’s rival commanded and set the pace. Until the break he held back so as not to expose himself to Bayern’s transitions. After the break he decided to play in the opposite field and that was when he put Tuchel’s boys in real trouble. He worked well for Leipzig. Dani Olmo and Xavi Simons, two footballers with Barça DNA, interpreted the game well from the outside in. The underrated Loïs Openda was a headache for Bayern’s central defence, where Tuchel made changes and brought in De Ligt and Eric Dier before completing a line of three in the final minutes with Kim Min-jae. The highly criticized Upamecano was sanctioned.
Leipzig should have hit harder, conceding at the beginning of the second half, when they were playing better and were more likely to see the goal defended by Neuer. Suddenly a clearing opened up in the Bavarian thicket, Musiala controlled the ball on the balcony of the area and found Kane’s unmarking, which he defined with precision. It didn’t take even a quarter of an hour for Leipzig to tie, with a goal from the twenty-year-old and burly Slovakian Sesko after a pass from Olmo.
The match was once again in the hands of the visitors. But there Leipzig lacked breath and had Harry Kane to spare.