Bayern Munich 2-1 RB Leipzig: Talking points as Kane brace keeps Bavarian title hopes alive

Bayern Munich ended their woeful streak of three consecutive defeats in all competitions by beating RB Leipzig at the Allianz Arena on Saturday evening. Harry Kane broke the deadlock with a fine finish in the 56th minute, and the visitors cancelled it out through a deflected shot by Benjamin Sesko 14 minutes later. However, Kane struck again just as the 90 minutes expired, setting the final score at 2-1.

The first half

The two halves of this game seemed like two different games. In the first, Bayern easily kept the ball in Leipzig’s half through determined high pressing and good organization in the middle of the park.

However, once in the final third, they struggled to break through the double line of four that barred the way towards Janis Blaswich’s goal. For a long time, the only way to get the ball into the box was to go wide and whip it in from there, but every time they did that, the Leipzig defence reacted immaculately.

The downside to such an approach from Leipzig, keeping their midfield line close to the defence, was rather obvious. Upfront, forwards Lois Openda and Sesko were completely cut off from the rest of the team for very large spells, unable to get on the end of most long balls aimed their way from the back. Only occasionally would Xavi Simons or Dani Olmo try to carry the ball forward, but they rarely got far enough to create anything to trouble Manuel Neuer.

The second half

In the second half, however, the visitors gradually opened up and the contest became far more interesting. While Bayern still dominated the ball, both teams were getting closer to the opposition goal. Leipzig came very close to taking the lead through Mohamed Simakan, who got on the end of a well-taken corner to hit goalwards from some 15 yards, missing the target by a foot or two.

But Leipzig’s more open approach expectedly left a little more space for Bayern to exploit at the other end, and that’s exactly what happened in the 56th minute….

Source link : https://www.soccernews.com/bayern-munich-2-1-rb-leipzig-talking-points-as-kane-brace-keeps-bavarian-title-hopes-alive/367500/

Author : Veselin Trajkovic

Publish date : 2024-02-24 21:04:09

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.