Two brilliant passes, a glorious chip, a tap-in and a sumptuous shot: Philippe Coutinho demonstrated the entire range of his skills in the 6-1 victory over Werder Bremen, standing out in the match. It was the first time the Brazilian was involved in five goals in a competitive match in Europe. The fans appreciated it and rose to give a standing ovation when the Man of the Match left the pitch after 82 minutes.
"Everyone at the stadium enjoyed it," coach Hansi Flick said after the final whistle. "The team were really glad he turned in such a display: he scored three and set up another two goals, it was just superb," added the 54-year-old.
Involved in five goals
Coutinho's gala began before half-time. Milot Rashica had handed Bremen the lead midway through the first half. Then Serge Gnabry invited the 27-year-old to tap in from point-blank range in the 45th minute.
Coutinho soon shone with a brilliant pass. He got hold of the ball in Bremen's half, charged towards goal and chipped the ball over two Bremen defenders and into the path of Lewandowski, who had only Pavlenka to beat and handed Bayern the lead with the half-time whistle imminent.
"It was his match today, with the ball, with his movements. He played outstandingly well. We need such a player. I'm very glad he showed how good he is and what potential he has," striker Lewandowski said in praise of his team-mate, who modestly commented: "I always try to do my best. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It was important to take the points to advance today. That's what we want," Coutinho said.
Top form
O Magico, as Coutinho is called in Brazil, shone in the second half too, all but putting the game to bed when his sumptuous lob found the net after the hour. Lewandowski made it four before Coutinho's fine pass invited Thomas Müller to score. The Brazilian rounded off the final scoreline when he curled the ball into the far corner from the edge of the box with ten minutes to go.
Coutinho scored his competitive goals number five, six and seven in his 20th appearance for the German record champions. Bayern's number 10 has been involved in eight goals over the last five matches, scoring five and setting up three. He was involved in 12 shots on Saturday, firing eight times and setting up another four shots. The Bremen players took a toal of 11 shots.
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