January 13, (THEWILL) – Bayern Munich edged past Hoffenheim 3-0 on Friday night, in the Bundesliga, closing the gap to leaders, Bayer Leverkusen, to just one point. The match was an opportunity for Bayern to pay tribute to legendary player and manager, Franz Beckenbauer, who passed away recently.
Despite dominating possession, Bayern struggled to break down a resolute Hoffenheim defence in the first half. It took 18 minutes for Bayern to register a shot on target, which resulted in Jamal Musiala brilliantly opening the scoring. Musiala’s strike from a tight angle beat Oliver Baumann in the Hoffenheim goal and went in off the post.
The second half was breathless, with chances coming thick and fast at both ends. Hoffenheim came close through Anton Stach, Andrej Kramaric and Max Beier, but were denied by superb keeping from Manuel Neuer, in his 500th Bayern appearance.
The hosts always looked the more likely to add to their lead and so it proved. The brilliant Musiala exchanged passes with Leroy Sane before slotting home his second of the night to make it 2-0 after 70 minutes. Hoffenheim’s hopes faded further when Grischa Prömel was sent off four minutes later.
Harry Kane added a third for Bayern in stoppage time, equalling Robert Lewandowski’s record of 22 goals in the first half of a Bundesliga season. It condemned Hoffenheim to their 4th loss in eight league games.
The win leaves Bayern well positioned to mount another title challenge, as they look to send off club legend, Beckenbauer, with league success.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
