Thomas Muller scored a bizarre own goal as Bayern Munich dropped valuable points against Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayern Munich failed to consolidate on their healthy lead at the top of the Bundesliga table, slumping to a 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
It was a riveting game of football at the Allianz Arena as both sides showcased their attacking quality. Bayern, as usual, asserted their dominance during the opening exchanges, even finding the opener in the 18th minute through defender Niklas Sule. Unfortunately, his goal wasn’t enough, as a series of individual mistakes from Bayern opened up the opportunity for Leverkusen to get back into the game.
Die Werkself levelled things up in the 36th minute, but in a rather unlikely manner as Thomas Muller scored an own goal. The visitors should have taken the lead before half-time, but Amine Adli missed two glorious opportunities to beat Sven Ulreich in goal.
The second half was equally entertaining, except Bayern Munich weren’t able to create as many scoring opportunities. They had to rely heavily on quick breakaways, leading to a rather uneventful evening for the attackers. Leverkusen, in contrast, were given a few opportunities to take the lead, but they too failed to find the back of the net as the tie ended in a stalemate.
Sven Ulreich: 6.5/10
Sven Ulreich made a couple of extremely crucial saves to keep Bayern Munich in the contest and deny Leverkusen the chance to take the lead. At the same time, he was quite lucky to get away on a few occasions, with Amine Adli notably hitting the bar in the first half.
Benjamin Pavard: 7/10
Benjamin Pavard made a couple of crucial blocks that allowed Bayern to nullify a couple of excellent goalscoring opportunities for Bayer Leverkusen. He looked defensively solid, which is a term not generally associated with the French right-back, who was close to scoring with an excellent volley from just outside the Leverkusen box.
Dayot Upamecano: 5/10
Dayot Upamecano had a stable start to the game. He looked solid at the back and didn’t offer too much space for the Leverkusen attackers. However, his downfall began after the 40th minute, starting with a poor backpass to Ulreich that almost handed Adli a goal just before half-time. He looked lacklustre in the second half and clearly needs more time to settle in.
Niklas Sule: 6.5/10
Niklas Sule ? Bayer Leverkusen
Minutes played
90
Goals
1
Clearances
4
Interceptions
1
Tackles
1
Dribbled past
0
Ground duels (won)
3 (1)
Aerial duels (won)
2 (1)
Touches
119
Acc. passes
99/107 (93%)
Long balls (acc.)
11 (8)
Shots on target
1
Shots off target
1#BayernLeverkusen pic.twitter.com/DX9v1wS1ud— Fast Heat Maps (@NinjaFooty) March 5, 2022
Niklas Sule pounced on the opportunity quite well to break the deadlock in the 18th minute. He looked more solid than Upamecano and was far more consistent. He was secure in possession as well, barring an ill-timed pass to Joshua Kimmich that resulted in a dangerous turnover for Leverkusen in the second half.
Omar Richards: 6.5/10
Omar Richards was an interesting inclusion in the Bayern backline. He was a more like for like replacement for the injured Alphonso Davies, and the move seemed to have worked rather well. Although the former Reading FC starlet wasn’t able to provide attacking quality up front, his pace was an asset in dealing with the threat of Moussa Diaby.
Joshua Kimmich: 6.5/10
Joshua Kimmich had a decent game in the middle of the park. Operating as the number six, the midfielder looked like his old self, offering security in possession and distributing the ball well, even in attacking positions. At the same time, he did concede a few turnovers, one of which could have proven rather costly.
Jamal Musiala: 5.5/10
Jamal Musiala had an underwhelming day at the office. He wasn’t able to thrive under Leverkusen’s intense pressure and conceded an early turnover that led to a chance for Die Werkself. The youngster also struggled to offer any creativity in the final third, leading to his substitution around the hour mark.
Kingsley Coman: 6/10
Kingsley Coman was arguably the most proactive attacker for Bayern Munich on the day. He showed glimpses of his magic, particularly when taking on the Leverkusen full-back out wide. Unfortunately, the end product was lacking in his game.
Thomas Muller: 4/10
This own goal from Thomas Muller ?♂️ pic.twitter.com/bTYLR6Jc9f
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 5, 2022
Thomas Muller was another player who struggled in the final third for FC Bayern. He wasn’t able to influence the game at all and to add more salt to the wounds, the German international scored the own goal that allowed Leverkusen to steal a point from this crucial affair.
Serge Gnabry: 5.5/10
Julian Nagelsmann’s decision to start with Serge Gnabry ahead of Leroy Sane didn’t pay off. The explosive winger wasn’t consistent enough in attack, often failing to produce anything of note. He was subbed off during the final phase of the game as Nagelsmann opted for an additional body inside the box.
Robert Lewandowski: 5/10
Robert Lewandowski had an unfortunate game where he was completely starved of service. The Pole didn’t find a single goalscoring opportunity and was defended rather well by the Leverkusen centre-backs. Lewandowski has now failed to score in each of his last two Bundesliga matches, which is considered a slump for the Polish hitman.
Lewandowski's stats from today's match against Bayer Leverkusen:
6.7 Sofascore Rating ?
90 Minutes ✅
1 Succesful Dribble ?
2 Key Passes ?
1 Cross
2 Ground Duels Won
2 Aerial Duels WonNo goals again… ? pic.twitter.com/93knmeO1yb
— ََََ (@LewaXtra) March 5, 2022
Substitutes
Leroy Sane: 5/10
Leroy Sane failed to rekindle the spark he showed in the last two matches after coming on for Richards after the hour mark.
Marcel Sabitzer: 4/10
Marcel Sabitzer wasn’t influential either after replacing Musiala. He offered very little, and his presence was rather detrimental to the Bavarians.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting: 5/10
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting couldn’t influence the play and sneak in a goal or two as he usually does, partly due to excellent defending from the Leverkusen centre-backs.
Bouna Sarr: N/A
A late replacement for the tiring Coman. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
