Muller scores spectacular goal in Bayern win

The win puts Pep Guardiola's side 11 points clear of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table, with Thomas Tuchel's men facing a tough trip to third-placed Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.

Published : Feb 20, 2016 23:29 IST , Munich

Bayern Munich trio Thomas Muller, Serdar Tasci and Arturo Vidal celebrate a goal against Darmstadt.
Bayern Munich trio Thomas Muller, Serdar Tasci and Arturo Vidal celebrate a goal against Darmstadt.
lightbox-info

Bayern Munich trio Thomas Muller, Serdar Tasci and Arturo Vidal celebrate a goal against Darmstadt.

A sublime overhead kick from Thomas Muller helped Bayern Munich come from behind to beat Darmstadt 3-1 at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.

Former Bayern youngster Sandro Wagner stunned the Bundesliga champions by nodding Darmstadt into a half-time lead, but Muller took just four minutes of the second half to draw Bayern level with a smart finish.

The Germany forward then produced a moment of magic to put Bayern ahead in the 71st minute, before Robert Lewandowski wrapped up a deserved three points by converting the returning Franck Ribery's cross from close range with six minutes remaining.

The win puts Pep Guardiola's side 11 points clear of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table, with Thomas Tuchel's men facing a tough trip to third-placed Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.

Guardiola opted to rest Philipp Lahm ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Juventus, while Ribery was introduced from the bench early in the second half after his 10-week lay-off.

Bayern could have gone ahead after just three minutes when Arjen Robben volleyed over with his right foot from Arturo Vidal's corner.

Vidal went close when his 20-yard strike deflected off Gyorgy Garics and hit the crossbar, and Lewandowski and Robben were then denied in quick succession by goalkeeper Christian Mathenia as Bayern continued to dominate.

But the host was made to pay for its profligacy in the 26th minute when the Munich-born Wagner struck against his boyhood club.

Sandro Sirigu sent in an excellent cross from the right and the powerful striker beat his marker to glance in his eighth Bundesliga goal of the season beyond Manuel Neuer at the near post.

Garics then deflected a Douglas Costa shot onto the bar, before some unconvincing goalkeeping from Mathenia nearly allowed Robben to level the scoring in the final seconds of the first half, but the Darmstadt stopper was fortunate to see the ball go over the bar.

Muller did beat Mathenia shortly after the interval, though, when he chested down Rafinha's clever ball into the box before volleying home from close range.

Lewandowski seemed to have made it 2-1 halfway through the second half when he tapped home a cross from the left, but the goal was disallowed for offside.

But that mattered little, as Muller put Bayern ahead in some style. Vidal sent another dangerous ball into the box and Muller controlled the ball with his chest before beating Mathenia with an acrobatic bicycle kick.

And Lewandowski did eventually get himself on the scoresheet as he tapped home Ribery's cross to ensure Bayern travel to Juve in good spirits.


Key Opta stats
- Bayern's 11 wins in 11 home games this season, with a goal difference of +33, is the best record in Bundesliga history.
- Bayern had 36 shots - a new record for a Bundesliga match.
- Lewandowski is now the only player to have scored against all 18 teams currently playing in the Bundesliga.
- After 586 minutes without conceding a goal at home, Wagner was the first player to score against Bayern since Arsenal's Olivier Giroud in November.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment