In complete control against promoted Sankt Pauli, Bayern Munich won 1-0 on Saturday afternoon thanks to a superb goal from Jamal Musiala, and opened up a first gap on their pursuers who have been stalling for several days.
With 26 points out of 30, Bayern continues its almost faultless run with eight wins and two draws. It is now five points ahead of its first pursuer, RB Leipzig (21).
Two weeks ago, the two teams were still tied on points but since then, the Munich players have won against Union Berlin (3-0) and Sankt Pauli (1-0), while Leipzig lost to Dortmund (2-1) and conceded a draw on Saturday evening against Borussia Mönchengladbach (0-0).
Less than 72 hours after their victory against Benfica in the Champions League at home, Bayern once again relied on their offensive player Jamal Musiala. Author of the header of the winning goal against the Lisbonites, the young nugget of German football (21 years old) took his chance from afar on Saturday.
The German international collected the ball 30 meters from the opponent's goal, advanced a meter and unleashed a shot that lodged just below the crossbar of the Sankt Pauli goalkeeper.
“I didn't know I could have a shot like that either. We practiced a bit in training and I'm glad it went in. You don't practice shooting from that far, but It’s something I can improve on, shooting from far away from the goal,” Musiala told broadcaster Sky.
– Leverkusen cale, Dortmund coule –
He has scored six goals in Bayern's last five matches, including a hat-trick in the Cup at Mainz, proving decisive after a hip injury in early October which deprived him of four matches (two with the selection and two with Bayern ).
Bochum defender Jakov Medic and teammate Maximilian Wittek celebrate the Bundesliga draw between Bochum and Bayer Leverkusen in Bochum, November 9, 2024
INA FASSBENDER – AFP
The Munich players missed a few opportunities to take cover, notably at the end of the match by Leroy Sané (80th), Musiala (87th) or Harry Kane (90th). However, they did not really tremble against an extremely defensive and ball-deprived Sankt Pauli team.
In the north of Germany, Vincent Kompany's men scored a fifth victory in all competitions without conceding a goal (5-0 in Bochum, 4-0 in Mainz, 3-0 against Union Berlin, 1-0 against Benfica Lisbon and at Sankt Pauli), which has not happened to Bayern since spring 2020. In the Bundesliga, this is the fourth success without conceding a goal, a first in almost six years (December 2018).
Behind Bayern, Bayer Leverkusen failed to maintain its meager advantage on the bottom of Bochum, and conceded the draw (1-1) in the 89th minute.
With this new poor performance, the reigning German champion is now nine points behind Bayern (17 against 26). Xabi Alonso's men have only taken 8 points in the last six matches.
BVB captain Emre Can received a red card in the 26th minute during the match between Dortmund and Mainz, November 9, 2024
Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV – AFP
One point behind Leverkusen, and therefore ten points behind Bayern (16 against 26) after ten days, Dortmund once again fell far from their Westfalenstadion, beaten in Mainz 3 to 1.
Perfect at home (five wins), Borussia lost four times out of five trips in the Bundesliga and took only one point away. BVB captain Emre Can did not make it easy for his teammates by receiving a red card in the 26th minute.
“I no longer want to come back from any city with a defeat in my bags. It annoys me,” complained attacking midfielder Julian Brandt after the match.
AFP / Munich (Allemagne) (AFP) / © 2024 AFP
