BL, MD27: FC Bayern München 3 - 1 VfL Bochum

[__-SNAKE-__]

I dunno whats goin on with the team today, they arent their usual self, fuckin long balls all the time, Podolski is invisble, Toni outmatched, Van Bommel was unlucky about the 2nd card. Overall Half Time performance: Crap.

[Oliver_Kahn]

This looks worse than last season's Bayern. Absolutely abysmal.

[__-SNAKE-__]

RIBERY!!!!!! from the penalty, he should have scored 2 more in te 1st half.

[__-SNAKE-__]

Christian Lell wraps it up 3-1, Miro Klose turned the game imo, the team turned on the style late in the 2nd half.

[vampyrian]

Well I'm happy.

[Vargas_4]

Not happy.

Is this how we're suppossed to overcome Getafe on Thursday?

Not happy at all about this. We didn't look good at all in the 1st half and again, we are missing good chances.

But it's worth to mention that we did "well", considering we got Van Bommel sent off. Not everyone goes from losing 0-1 with 10 men to win it 3-1.

Still, not happy.

[Vargas_4]

A 21st German championship title came a step closer for Bayern on Sunday as the resolute Reds made light of losing a man with less than half an hour played to record a fully merited and potentially decisive win over Bochum.

Mimoun Azaouagh silenced the vast majority of the 69,000 full house at the Allianz Arena with a fourth-minute opener for the lively visitors, and matters threatened to get seriously out of hand for the home side when Mark van Bommel harshly received his marching orders for a second bookable offence before the half-hour was up.

But the dismissal galvanised the leaders and Lucio headed his side level after 31 minutes to make it all square at the interval. The ten men in red resolutely battered away at the increasingly defensive Bochum side and were finally rewarded fifteen minutes from time when Franck Ribery netted his seventh league goal of term from the spot after Marc Pfertzel’s blatant handball.

The leaders survived the odd minor scare at the end before Christian Lell netted with two minutes remaining to seal a fully merited win, a crucial result which sends the leaders fully nine points clear of second-placed Schalke 04 with only seven matches remaining.

Bochum’s shock opener

Ottmar Hitzfeld made just one change to the side held 1-1 by Getafe in midweek, Christian Lell coming in at full-back for Marcell Jansen. That meant a familiar midfield featuring van Bommel and Ze Roberto in anchor roles supporting Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ribery on the flanks, with another start for Lukas Podolski alongside Luca Toni up front.

Azaouagh had already drawn a routine save from Oliver Kahn and Ribery flashed a drive across the face of goal before the VfL man took aim and smashed a 22-yarder beyond Kahn’s dive and into the top corner to stun the home crowd.

Bochum number one Jan Lastuvka neutralised Ribery’s free-kick, but the France star was guilty of a glaring miss on the quarter-hour, sliding his shot wide after Toni’s lay-off had left him with only the keeper to beat. Danny Fuchs whacked an 18-yard effort just wide, Zé Roberto was only thwarted by Marcel Maltritz’ last-ditch tackle, and Lucio rifled a volley just wide of the far post as the action continued at both ends.

Lucio levels

But Bayern were reduced to ten men on 27 minutes when referee Michael Weiner, who had already warned and booked Van Bommel for fouls in quick succession, adjudged a harmless-looking challenge on Oliver Schröder as worthy of a booking and sent the Dutchman from the field.

Far from being shocked, Munich reacted with fight and resolve, exemplified by Lucio’s explosive gestures of celebration on heading his side level from Schweinsteiger’s floated free-kick four minutes after the sending-off. Lastuvka caught Toni’s header and Ribery angled a drive narrowly wide as the men in red finished the half with much the better of the chances.

The goalmouth action eased off somewhat after the restart as the sides settled to their newly-briefed roles, Bayern pressing in search of the lead and Bochum looking to counter-attack. Benni Auer half-hit two efforts on Kahn’s goal and Schweinsteiger curled successive free-kicks over the bar, before Andi Ottl took over from the Germany midfielder and Miro Klose came on for the subdued Podolski.

Rousing rally

Toni somehow contrived to steer a free header wide of the target as Bayern gathered themselves for a final push in the last 20 minutes, Jose Sosa replacing Ze to beef up the attacking effort. The reward came with Pfertzel’s blatant handball in the box, allowing Ribery to stroke home an excellent spot-kick and hand his side the lead on 74 minutes.

Bayern set out to defend their precious advantage as Bochum boss Marcel Koller adjusted his team to include no fewer than four recognised strikers, but any lingering doubts were banished after 88 minutes when Klose’s sublime flick set up Lell for his first league goal of term to wrap up an ultimately courageous and deserved victory for the home side.

Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley


Bayern Munich - VfL Bochum 3-1 (H-T: 1-1)

Bayern Munich: Kahn - Lell, Lucio, Demichelis, Lahm - Schweinsteiger (Ottl 66), Van Bommel, Zé Roberto (Sosa 71), Ribéry - Toni, Podolski (Klose 66)

Substitutes: Kraft, Jansen, Van Buyten, Kroos

VfL Bochum: Lastuvka - Pfertzel, Maltritz, Yahia, Bönig - Imhof -
Schröder (Mieciel 79), Fuchs (Epalle 76) - Azaouagh (Bechmann 46) - Sestak, Auer

Referee: Mr Weiner (Giesen)

Spectators: 69,000 (capacity)

Goals: 0-1 Azaouagh (22), 1-1 Lucio (31), 2-1 Ribéry (74, pen), 3-1 Lell (88)

Yellow Cards: - / Fuchs, Imhof, Auer, Pfertzel

Yellow/Red Cards: Van Bommel (27)

[Munchen Minded]

I am extremely happy!!!! The way we came back from being down a goal and a man showed good character and determination by Bayern!!! Just when I was ready to even live with a tie, and thought about the last missed Ribery penalty, all of the sudden we end up 3:1 winners. Even that scoreline is flattering for Bochum as it should have been 5 or 6 to 1. MvB dismissal only fueled us on. But of course we don't want a repeat of this for the Uefa game, at least MvB isn't suspended from that game. Klose came on and did really well, and I even liked Schweini's and Lahm's performances. I guess all the players are clearing out the cobwebs and starting to come back to life!! I know now that Bayern will beat Getafe after this performance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Trim]

Originally Posted by Vargas_4

Still, not happy.

Oh well, the most important thing is getting a win and the three points. Our lead is extended once again, now +9.

It's true that we have not seen some good football from FC Bayern, but not always the good and attractive football brings the three points.

Bochum stunned us with that goal, it was all out of sudden. I doubt there are many keepers who could have saved that, I don't blame Kahn at all.

I knew right from the first booking that Mark van Bommel was going to be sent off. He got the yellow so early, I knew he couldn't resist. When he got sent off, I said 'now we're officially fucked'.

But, Lucio changed my mood totally with that goal. LEGEND. Did you see his reaction? If he leaves soon, I'll miss his lion, captain heart, more than anything else.

Right after this goal, we shut down Bochum completely and they rarely attacked, I can't really remember any dangerous attack from them afterwards.

I was surprised to see Hitzfeld making changes in the 60th minute, it happens once in a long while.

I sensed a goal coming, and that penalty was a bonus. Of course, The Franck couldn't miss it. Then, Lell scored for 3-1 and closed the case. That goal action was pure class.

+9 points advantage, 7 matches left till the end of the championship.

[Vargas_4]

^ What i'm still not happy about are all the chances we are missing. That's what fucked us vs Getafe. It didn't bite us in the ass this time but still, we are being "too nice" in that aspect.

[RunX]

GREAT MACTH !!! 10 men and we win
great tacticts from ottmar !!
bayern rulez !!
next getafe

[Vargas_4]

Hitzfeld: I’m delighted by my team’s reaction

Relief was the main emotion flowing through the Bayern camp after Sunday’s brave victory, in which the Bavarians came from a goal and a man down to beat VfL Bochum 3-1 and move nine points clear at the top of the Bundesliga. With just seven matches remaining, Munich look well set to claim a 21st German championship title. “I’m delighted at the reaction shown by my team,“ satisfied coach Ottmar Hitzfeld declared after his men neutralised and then overcame the threat posed by visiting VfL.

Reaction to Bayern v VfL Bochum:

Ottmar Hitzfeld: “After conceding the early goal and having a man sent off, it was always a big ask to turn the game around. Bochum are a good team, strong on the break. But we played on with three strikers, it was a risk we had to take because we needed all three points. We’re aiming to win the league, and today was always a decent chance to collect three more points. The team reacted superbly to adversity, they picked themselves up after the sending off and pushed for the win, which was important for our morale. I’m really delighted at the reaction shown by my team.“

Oliver Kahn: “We showed unbelievable morale, we pulled together brilliantly as a team, we fought until we were ready to drop, so I have to pay a huge compliment to the team. I know all about the run-in at the end of a season, when it’s all or nothing and titles are decided by centimetres and millimetres, form on the day, and bit of good luck and a bit of bad luck.“

Marcel Koller (VfL Bochum coach): “Everything went our way at the start, with the early goal and the sending off. We also knew Bayern might be a little weary. Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep it up until the end, because Bayern put us under a lot of pressure even with only ten men. Especially in the second half, we lost possession too easily 20 or 25 yards from goal and couldn’t get into their penalty area. That was our fundamental problem at the end of the day.“

***

Reaction to Bayern v VfL Bochum

[Oliver_Kahn]

Lucio is a legend, man of the match for me.

Agreed with Snake, Klose changed the match completely.

[LAF]

Bayern were poor today but still got three points. Great work ethic your team has.

van Bommel was awful today. All he did was hack everything in site and argue with the referee.

[Oliver_Kahn]

See, this is exactly why I don't rate van Bommel. He is an oaf.

Imagine if he had done this in a CL match, we would have got a 5-0 thrashing.