Thanks to this success, the twelfth of the season in the league, the teammates of Thomas Müller strengthen their place at the top of the Bundesliga after 20 games played.

With 43 points on the clock, they keep their three-point lead over Borussia Dortmund, winners on the lawn of Werder Bremen (2-0), thanks to a strong goal from the left of Jamie Gittens-Bynoe and one against Julian Brandt.

While waiting for the poster of the day, Saturday evening (6:30 p.m.), between Leipzig, fifth, and Union Berlin, third, Bayern show a slight lead of four points over the Berliners, their first pursuer on the evening of the 19th day. (39 pts).

On Saturday, in a friendly atmosphere at the Allianz Arena between Bayern and Bochum fans (the two teams' fan clubs celebrated their 50 years of friendship), it was over a disagreement between Bochum defender Saidy Janko and his goalkeeper Manuel Riemann, that Bayern opened the scoring.

Coman enters and scores

Thomas Müller took advantage of this back pass from Janko, which was a little too weak, and Riemann's poor anticipation thirty meters from goal, to take the ball, dribble past the goalkeeper and open the scoring just before the break (41st).

Until then, Bayern had dominated the debates, without finding the fault, whether on a too long control of Leroy Sané (4th), on a header from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (16th) not framed, or a beautiful combination between Müller and Sané whose center back was intercepted by Riemann.

In the second half, the Munich people were able to manage their lead, against a fairly harmless Bochum attack, with the exception of a header from Philipp Hoffmann repelled by Yann Sommer (52nd).

Just four minutes after entering the game, Kingsley Coman allowed Bayern to double the lead, at the end of a superb movement initiated by a one-two between Sané and Jamal Musiala (64th).

And a quarter of an hour from the end of the match, Serge Gnabry converted a penalty that he created himself on a fault by Janko, to ensure the show (74th).

As in the round of 16 of the German Cup in Mainz (4-0 victory), Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann decided on Saturday to start the match with a three-man central defense, with Matthijs de Ligt and Benjamin Pavard, alongside Dayot Upamecano.

In the piston roles, Serge Gnabry was this time preferred to Coman on the right to start, while Joao Cancelo retained his place on the left.

Four days before receiving Chelsea in the round of 16 first leg of C1, Borussia Dortmund signed their sixth success on Saturday in as many matches in 2023, defeating Bremen.

The BVB thus maintains the pressure on Bayern, accusing only three points behind when it was nine points at the time of the winter break after 15 days (34 against 25).

© 2023 AFP