Leipzig (Germany) (AFP)
With or without Lewandowski, Bayern is the boss.
The Bavarians took a very big step on Saturday towards a ninth consecutive Bundesliga title by winning 1-0 at their runner-up Leipzig, four days before their meeting with Paris SG in the Champions League.
This victory, thanks to a goal from Leon Goretzka, allows the "Rekordmeister" to now have a seven-point lead over the RB with seven days from the end of the championship.
"It's an important step towards the title, and we don't want to let go," said Bavarian captain Manuel Neuer, visibly happy.
The "Rekordmeister" was however handicapped by the absence of Robert Lewandowski.
The 32-year-old Polish striker, currently in the form of his life, suffered a knee injury last week with the Polish squad and will be out for probably three more weeks.
At kick-off, coach Hansi Flick had chosen to replace him with former Paris SG Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who remained in Munich during the international window and fresher than Serge Gnabry - the other candidate to play in tip - tired by his three matches with Germany in qualifying for the World-2022.
- Luminous Goretzka -
Three French started at Bayern, Kingsley Coman, Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard, and three also in Leipzig, Dayot Upamecano, returning from injury, Christopher Nkunku and Nordi Mukiele.
In his behind-the-scenes "Red Bull Arena", it was the RB who entered the game strongest, monopolizing the ball from the start, until Bayern found their rhythm.
But after 30 minutes of play, the two goalkeepers still had nothing to do, and the fight, intense and rhythmic, was not necessarily spectacular.
Then came the lightning.
A deep ball for Thomas Müller in the area.
Choupo-Moting who sucks the central defense of Leipzig towards the goal.
And Leon Goretzka in the back curtain to take back Müller's back pass.
A shot without control, tense and violent, at the conclusion of a bright school action (1-0, 38th).
On returning from the locker room, Leipzig threw itself into the assault.
But the RB then showed its main weakness this season: the absence of a real goalscorer.
Timo Werner's departure for Chelsea was not made up for by a player of the same caliber.
- Dortmund cracks -
In a few minutes, Nkunku (47th), Sabitzer (49th), Olmo (52 and 53rd), found themselves in position to score.
None of them framed their shot!
Then Neuer saved his team on two long shots from Sabitzer (56th, 59th).
"We were clearly the best team, we had huge chances," said RB boss Julian Nagelsmann, "in all statistics we have been better than our opponent. We have to work to be more lucid and take advantage of the situation. of those opportunities that we create for ourselves. "
"Our first chance to win a title has passed," however admitted the 33-year-old technician.
At the end of the match, Bayern was again dangerous, but neither Coman (68th) nor Alaba (76th) nor Müller (77th), nor Choupo-Moting (90th + 2) managed to materialize their opportunities.
In the other matches, the big loser of the day is Dortmund, beaten 2-1 at home by Frankfurt, its direct competitor in the fight for fourth place, the last qualifier for the Champions League.
Fifth now seven points behind Eintracht, Borussia is in a critical situation.
If the team does not qualify for the premier competition, managers will likely have to let go of their two 20-year-old gems, England international Jadon Sancho and Norwegian scorer Erling Haaland, already courted by Europe's biggest clubs. , including Real Madrid.
© 2021 AFP