AOn Wednesday, FC Bayern Munich published a snuggly photo on its Instagram channel. Leon Goretzka stands in the middle and sticks out his tongue. He put his right arm around Niklas Süle. His left to Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting. Kingsley Coman and Alphonso Davies can also be seen in the snuggle group. All in all: eight players, arm in arm.
On Saturday afternoon, Coman, Davies, Choupo-Moting and Süle got ready for the Bundesliga game against Hoffenheim in the soccer arena in Munich. Leon Goretzka was missing. On Friday, coach Hansi Flick announced that Goretzka and Javi Martínez had tested positive for Covid-19. Then he said: “Everything has been clarified so far with the health department.”
Despite this information, essential questions remain unanswered. One is like this: When did the positive tests become known? In a brief press release from the association on Friday, it was stated that Martínez, who is doing well like Goretzka, has been in quarantine “for a few days”. And Goretzka?
On Saturday, Flick clarified when asked. Martínez tested positive even before the game against Schalke last Sunday. Goretzka “on Wednesday or Thursday” – shortly after he still had physical contact with some of his teammates. But that had no further influence on Saturday because the other tests were obviously negative and the health department apparently had nothing to complain about.
And with that to the game. On the 19th Bundesliga matchday, FC Bayern won 4-1 against TSG Hoffenheim, which had duped the champions in the first leg with the same result. The outsider had good chances this time too, but with the exception of Andrej Kramarić (44th) he missed them. The rested Bavarians did that differently. Jérôme Boateng, Thomas Müller (43.), Robert Lewandowski (57.) and Serge Gnabry (63.) scored four goals. It could have been more.
For Hansi Flick, the sovereign victory began with a change. Because in addition to Goretzka and Martínez, the ailing Corentin Tolisso – who had a tattoo last week and was fined by his club for violating the Corona rules – was missing, the coach had to take the midfield position next to Joshua Re-fill Kimmich. He chose the Spaniard Marc Roca.
He had to watch how the Hoffenheim striker Ihlas Bebou could have scored the first goal twice. In the 8th minute he appeared free in front of Manuel Neuer, the goalkeeper fended off the ball with his right foot. In the 26th minute he flew past the ball after a cross from Andrej Kramarić in the six-yard box. On the other hand, it was even tighter: Thomas Müller circled the ball against the crossbar from a standing position (15th).
Joachim Löw must have seen that too. The national coach sat in the stands with a blanket. And so it was a nice punch line that the two professionals who threw Löw out of the national team initiated victory with their goals. Jérôme Boateng headed the 1-0 after a Kimmich corner kick (32nd). Müller scored the 2-0 in an attack that he initiated with a through pass to Lewandowski (43.). Then Kramarić scored the 1: 2 (44th) with a volley on Bebour’s presentation.
Thomas Müller (left) and Serge Gnabry were also successful.
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Image: AFP
It wasn’t the first gap in defense that Hoffenheim’s strikers had found. The defense will remain an issue in Munich. This also has to do with an interview that sports director Hasan Salihamidzic gave “Sky” before the game. He reported on a meeting with the advisor to Leipzig central defender Dayot Upamecano. “We had very good, professional discussions,” said Salihamidzic. “Now we have to see what happens there.”
In the second half against Hoffenheim, the defense no longer had to tremble. That was also because Lewandowski (57th) and Gnabry (63rd) decided the game early with two goals within six minutes. “We wanted to get back on track after two defeats, that’s what makes a great team. The team showed that they can do it, ”said coach Flick. In the course of the game, Müller and Boateng were allowed to leave the field. Flick must have liked what he saw of them. And Loew?
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