Bayern Munich Player Ratings vs Mainz: 8/10 Mane, Musiala shine; Ulreich limps to a 5

Jamal Musiala and Sadio Mane impressed as Bayern Munich went top of the Bundesliga with a thumping win over Mainz.

Defending champions Bayern Munich went top of the Bundesliga thanks to a convincing 6-2 win over Mainz at the Allianz Arena.

Die Roten started the game brightly and took the lead in the fifth minute courtesy of Serge Gnabry. The German international latched onto Sadio Mane’s cross to fire it home from ten yards out. It was exactly the start the home side were looking for and swung the momentum in their favour.

Mainz, to their credit, refused to lie low and tried to hit back from the restart. Sven Ulreich denied Silvan Widmer with a neat save, preserving his side’s early lead. The excellent Jamal Musiala made the score 2-0 in the 28th minute after some excellent work down the left wing by Alphonso Davies and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

Once again, Mainz tried to hit back but were thwarted twice by the post, with Ulreich soundly beaten. It proved to be costly as Sadio Mane’s driving run saw Alexander Hack do justice to his name by bringing down the Senegalese attacker in the box.

The former Liverpool man initially missed his spot-kick but was at hand to score the rebound. It proved to be decisive as Mainz won a penalty at the other end minutes later, only for Jonathan Burkardt to miss it. The visitors kept at it, and Widmer stole in at the far post to make it 3-1 at the break.

The second half was a largely muted affair, coming alive when Leon Goretzka made the score 4-1 just before the hour mark. Substitute Mathys Tel made it 5-1 in the 79th minute before Sven Ulreich assisted Marcus Ingvartsen in pulling another one back for Mainz three minutes later.

In-form striker, Choupo-Moting finally got his name onto the scoresheet in the 86th minute to round off the win. Having secured qualification to the Last 16 of the UEFA Champions League midweek, Die Roten now end Saturday top of the Bundesliga standings. Not a bad week for Julian Nagelsmann and co. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how the Bayern Munich players fared.

Sven Ulreich: 5/10

The reserve goalkeeper had a massive let-off in the first half when he was convincingly beaten twice in quick succession by Jonathan Burkardt and Lee Jae-sung. Thankfully for Ulreich and Bayern, both players struck the post. He also made a fine save from Silvan Widmer, helping Bayern keep a 2-0 lead at the break.

Ulreich can consider himself unlucky for clattering into Burkardt, taking him out to hand Mainz a penalty. While he did well to save it, Mainz kept at it and scored a minute later. The German had a slightly easier second half but opted to self-destruct by passing the ball to Ingvartsen, who made the score 5-2.

Noussair Mazraoui: 6/10

Mazraoui was full of energy, but the final ball was lacking. He did keep things tight at the back and was unassumingly effective on the right.

Dayot Upamecano: 6.5/10

Upamecano dealt well with whatever was thrown at him in the first 45 minutes and used his physicality well against the Mainz runners. He kept things simple and did not take any unwarranted risks either.

Matthijs de Ligt: 6/10

The Dutchman was caught out a couple of times and did not appear to be at his best. Julian Nagelsmann chose to take him off for Benjamin Pavard at half-time.

Alphonso Davies: 6.5/10

Davies started off well and was a nuisance down the left for Mainz. He linked up well with Sadio Mane and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting in the build-up to Bayern’s second goal. Davies faded a little in the second half, but the job was done, and he had no reason to exert himself unnecessarily.

Joshua Kimmich: 6/10

It was a quiet and unassuming performance by his standards. Kimmich largely kept to the midfield and let those ahead of him do the heavy pushing. The German international shielded his backline well and helped Bayern control the tempo of the game.

Leon Goretzka: 7/10

The German international was largely solid alongside Kimmich and kept things simple. He scored Bayern’s fourth, once again handing the home side a three-goal lead. Goretzka was taken off in the 60th minute for Marcel Sabitzer as Nagelsmann rang in the changes.

Serge Gnabry: 6.5/10

The winger got off to a sensational start, giving his side an early lead. Gnabry, however, failed to keep up the momentum and was less involved as the game went on. While he did have his moments, it is fair to say that Musiala and Mane outshone him on Saturday. A slow start to the second half saw him pulled for Kingsley Coman at the hour mark.

Jamal Musiala: 8/10

The youngster continues to make a mockery of his age with yet another excellent performance. He linked up well with Sadio Mane and Choupo-Moting and was always looking up to make a decisive pass. Musiala doubled Bayern’s lead in the first half before striking the bar in the second half.

Sadio Mane: 8/10

An excellent performance from the Senegalese attacker, who was difficult to pin down. Mane linked up well with his teammates and also made a few darting runs that caused mayhem in the Mainz backline. An output of two assists and a goal were just desserts for what was an impressive day out.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting: 7/10

The Cameroonian continued his scoring streak with a late goal that added gloss to Bayern’s win. Choupo-Moting linked up well with Davies whenever he drifted wide and held the ball up well for Mane and Musiala to wreak havoc. He earned himself an assist in the first half before adding his name to the scoresheet in the 86th minute. Given his recent run of form, it was a quiet but effective outing. 

SUBSTITUTES

Benjamin Pavard: 6/10

Pavard replaced de Ligt at the break and was largely solid. The Frenchman earned himself a needless yellow card in the game’s dying minutes.

Kingsley Coman: 6.5/10

A rather anonymous display from the Frenchman, who did not test the Mainz defence as much as he would have liked. However, it did give Coman some precious minutes on the field as he works to improve his match fitness. The standout moment came late on when he took on three players and grabbed himself an assist for Choupo-Moting’s strike.

Marcel Sabitzer: 6.5/10

The Austrian was a like-to-like replacement for Goretzka and slotted well alongside Kimmich. Sabitzer also earned himself an assist for Tel’s late strike.

Ryan Gravenberch: N/A

The Dutchman replaced Musiala as he continues to adapt to the Bundesliga. He still appears to be some way off from demanding a regular starting spot.

Mathys Tel: 6/10

The youngster was given a run around by Nagelsmann and replaced Mane in the 76th minute. He took the opportunity by latching onto Sabitzer’s pass to make it 5-1. While he got lucky with the goal, it was a promising cameo from a player we might see more of in the coming years.