Augsburg 2-3 Bayern Munich: Player ratings as Kane goal secures nervy victory
Bayern Munich beat Bavarian rivals Augsburg on Saturday afternoon, coming away with a 3-2 victory that sees them close in on top spot in the Bundesliga.
Aleksandar Pavlovic opened the scoring from a corner in a first half low on quality and intensity, with Alphonso Davies doubling Bayern’s lead moments before the break.
Ermedin Demirovic bagged a second-half brace but sandwiched in between his strikes was a crucial goal from Harry Kane, which ultimately proved the winner for Bayern.
The result moves Bayern within just a point of table toppers Bayer Leverkusen before Xabi Alonso’s side face Borussia Monchengladbach in Saturday’s late kick-off.
How the game unfolded
Despite an injury crisis, Bayern were still able to field a strong starting lineup for their trip to the WWK Arena, but Thomas Tuchel didn’t have many options from the bench to call upon. The visitors were given an early scare, Matthijs de Ligt adjudged to have handled in the area, but the VAR review showed that the offence took place just outside the box.
Bayern were handed another fright shortly afterwards, Elvis Rexhbecaj’s well-struck half-volley ruled out for an incredibly marginal offside. At the other end, Leon Goretzka almost put the Bundesliga champions in front, but slammed his effort into the side netting.
After a low-key start to proceedings in Bavaria, Bayern did sneak in front against Augsburg with 23 minutes played. A teasing corner fell to the feet of Pavlovic in the penalty area, the 19-year-old keeping his cool to fire home from close range following a goalmouth scramble.
Rexhbecaj did his best to level things up but his shot from a tight angle was too tame to trouble Manuel Neuer, while Kane flashed an effort across the face of goal just before the break as he looked to add to his sizeable Bundesliga tally.
Just as the half looked as if it would peter out, Davies produced the first real moment of magic to give Bayern a two-goal cushion. The left-back fired an exquisite right-footed shot beyond Finn Dahmen in the Augsburg goal, beating the 25-year-old at his near post.
Despite showing little cutting edge in the first half, Augsburg managed to reduce the deficit just seven minutes after the break. Kevin Mbabu was given far too much time to whip in an accurate cross from the right flank, with Demirovic producing a neat header to offer the hosts hope.
Leroy Sane came close to restoring Bayern’s advantage with a fierce strike that was rebuffed by Dahmen, but Kane did put the visitors two ahead just minutes later, tapping in after Jamal Musiala was tackled in the penalty area. While initially ruled out by the linesman, the England captain was adjudged to be onside by VAR after an Augsburg defender diverted the ball into his path.
Mathys Tel spurned the chance to put Bayern completely out of sight with eight minutes to play, striking the post following Sane’s pass.
Augsburg were offered the chance to make things interesting just before stoppage time, Neuer conceding a penalty for colliding with Felix Uduokhai. However, the German produced a terrific stop to deny Sven Michel.
But Bayern somehow managed to concede another spot kick following a trip by Thomas Muller in the fourth minute of added time, the fallen Demirovic making no mistake from the spot. Despite a late flurry from Augsburg, the champions held on for a nervy win.
GK: Manuel Neuer – 6/10 – Gave away a penalty late in the game but produced a fine stop from the spot to redeem himself.
RB: Raphael Guerreiro – 6/10 – Forced to play on the right-hand side and performed with mediocrity in an unorthodox position. Not as attack-minded as Davies on the other side but did support Bayern’s front line.
CB: Matthijs de Ligt – 7/10 – A strong defensive performance from De Ligt, who made some important interventions in his own box.
CB: Eric Dier – 6/10 – His first start in a Bayern shirt and he didn’t too much wrong despite conceding twice.
LB: Alphonso Davies – 8/10 – Scored a wonderful goal with his weaker right foot and was a bundle of energy down the left flank.
CM: Aleksandar Pavlovic – 7/10 – Despite being a relatively straightforward goal, the youngster stayed calm in the penalty area to open the scoring. Regularly made himself available for the ball, seldom giving it away easily.
CM: Leon Goretzka – 6/10 – Set up Davies with an incisive if relatively simple pass but an unremarkable display.
RM: Leroy Sane – 7/10 – Not at his inspired best in the first half but showed glimpses of his quality. Better in the second half and was always a danger in the opposition box.
AM: Jamal Musiala – 7/10 – His quick feet caused Augsburg plenty of problems, the hosts never able to get too close to him without committing a foul.
LM: Kingsley Coman – 6/10 – Suffered a nasty injury in Pavlovic’s goal and was subsequently substituted.
ST: Harry Kane – 7/10 – Scored the simplest of goals at a crucial moment for Bayern but wasn’t involved too much for the visitors.
Substitutes
SUB: Mathys Tel (26′ for Coman) – 6/10 – Wasted a couple of opportunities but did have his moments.
SUB: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (89′ for Sane) – N/A
SUB: Thomas Muller (89′ for Musiala) – N/A
SUB: Lovro Zvonarek (90′ for Pavlovic) – N/A
Subs not used: Sven Ulreich (GK), Frans Kratzig, Adam Aznou.
Manager
Thomas Tuchel – 6/10 – Having come under pressure in recent weeks, this was a much-needed victory for the Bayern boss. However, it was far from convincing.