Bayern win against Hoffenheim:

For the red-dressed spectators in the Sinsheimer Arena, the season was basically over after the final whistle. "German champion is only the FCB", the Bayern fans sang after the convincing 3-1 victory over Hoffenheim, who could have turned out one, two goals higher.

Who could blame the Bayern, who had had so much criticism in the preliminary round, but also blame that they gratefully accept the ballot and opened the hunt for the league leaders from Dortmund? "Our goal is to be first," said coach Niko Kovac. "I do not know if there's ever been a story about a club catching up with a nine-point gap in the meantime, but that's our goal."

On Friday it was in any case only three points behind Dortmund. If BVB win in Leipzig, it would be six again. Wherever any computational games after 18 of 34 games played are still pretty pointless.

New optimism

More important than the result should have been from Bayern view on Friday evening then also that the team had performed so that you can imagine a happy outcome of the catching up after this performance, at least again. That was exactly the case until the end of November. Whoever does not win at home against Freiburg and Dusseldorf and loses 0: 3 against Mönchengladbach, will inevitably become meek.

He may also be louder again, if the results are correct: since the 3: 3 against Fortuna all six league games have been won. In Sinsheim, the Bavarians brought their individual superiority to the spot: they played the more handsome football, and they showed the primary virtues, without which from the county league A to the Champions League was rarely won a football match.

Or, as Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann put it: "If you're clearly inferior in non-talented areas such as two-man combat and aggression than your more talented opponent, then things will be difficult." A duel rate of 39 to 61 says quite a bit, the perceived superiority of Bavaria, however, was even clearer about it.

That was not only due to the regained strength of Bayern, but also to the opponent. Hoffenheim played in the first round as weak as ever this season. The spaces that gaped between the three-chain and a midfield without real sixes, would probably have accepted even worse teams than Bayern.

Like a Porsche driver on the lonely highway

Even Leon Goretzka, who met two times and was next to the deplorable Hoffenheim goalie Oliver Baumann the best man on the court, must have felt like a Porsche driver on a specially closed for him highway: "We had many rooms since a bit more consistent, we have a quiet evening. " As it is, could also show the substitute James, who is fighting for a new contract. His centimeter-accurate cross to Thomas Müller made possible only the game-changing 3: 1 by Robert Lewandowski.

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Probably Bayern would now give some if the game plan would bring them in the second half of the season only Friday games. That the Dortmund would have to constantly "refuel" in the future, seemed to have become on Friday anyway a fixed idea in the Bavarian camp. "If we win, we put Dortmund under pressure, they have to follow suit," said coach Kovac. And defender Niklas Süle wished at the old site that "it will hopefully be every week now that we submit."

A pious wish, because the BVB and Bayern usually have to run at the same time until the end of the season. And of course, at the beginning of the second half of the season, where the season for the FCB actually really starts, the match day planner does not mean well with the people of Munich: on the coming weekend and the weekend after next, Dortmund will even play one day ahead of them. Even for the resurgent Bayern it should be difficult to submit.