2020 was an eventful year for FC Bayern. The Munich side were in second place going into the second half of the 2019/20 season, which was halted for more than two months in March due to the global coronavirus pandemic. After the restart in mid-May, coach Hansi Flick's team showed they were well prepared and extremely motivated. Consequently, they deservedly secured trophies in all three competitions, with Robert Lewandowski winning the Golden Boot in each one. In the first part of our review of the year, fcbayern.com examines the second half of the 2019/20 season.
Training camp in Doha
As in previous years, FC Bayern laid the foundation for a successful year at their training camp in Doha. The record champions completed 14 intensive sessions in just one week, and coach Hansi Flick was "very satisfied" with his team before returning to Munich. "The intensity was very, very high right up until the end." Despite three practice sessions a day in some cases, there was no shortage of fun either. Flick said: "The spirit is excellent, we have a good mentality in the team."
Bayern back at the top
Bayern reaped the fruits of their labour at the beginning of the second half of the season. After emphatic victories against Hertha BSC (4-0) and FC Schalke 04 (5-0), Manuel Neuer & Co replaced 2019 Christmas leaders RB Leipzig at the top of the table with a 3-1 win at 1. FSV Mainz 05 on Matchday 20. It was the sixth win in a row for the Reds. "This is the real FC Bayern," emphasised Neuer. "We have to continue on this path."
On course too in the DFB Cup
Bayern also stayed on course in the DFB Cup. In a hard-fought last 16 match against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, the Munich men ran out 4-3 victors and advanced to the quarters. "The bottom line is that we have progressed. The cup takes on a life of its own and there are always a lot of goals," said Thomas Müller after the match.
Top spot retained
The first major test in the Bundesliga awaited FC Bayern on Matchday 21. RB Leipzig, who had been top at Christmas, were the visitors for the top-of-the-table clash at the Allianz Arena. After 90 intense and intriguing minutes, the two teams drew 0-0, with FCB maintaining their one-point advantage over the Saxony side in the table. "You have to honestly say that the draw was the right result and deserved," summarised Flick afterwards. "We know there are still 13 matchdays to go and it will be a tough road to become champions in the end. After all, that's what everyone wants, for there to be a tight title race."
Memorable night at the Bridge
The entire Bayern family witnessed a memorable evening at Stamford Bridge in London on 25 February. In the Champions League round of 16 first leg away at Chelsea, Bayern picked up an emphatic 3-0 victory after an outstanding performance. Serge Gnabry (2) and Robert Lewandowski scored the goals for an unshackled Bayern. "The knockout matches are just something else," said Müller. "Overall, it's an absolutely deserved 3-0. We kept going until the 92nd minute, the team performance was pretty good. We expected a lot of pressure here and arrived with a lot of confidence."
Last game with fans in the stadium
In the Bundesliga, Bayern continued to string together victory after victory. Neither 1. FC Köln (4-1), SC Paderborn (3-2) nor Hoffenheim (6-0) were able to slow Bayern down on their way to defending the title. With a 2-0 home win against FC Augsburg on Matchday 25, FCB extended their lead at the top of the table to four points over second-placed Borussia Dortmund. But that matchday was to be a very significant one for another reason entirely: it was the last match before the interruption of play caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and at the same time the last match in front of a crowd at the Allianz Arena this year.
Successful restart after the coronavirus break
After a break of more than two months, the Bundesliga resumed play on 17 May and Bayern picked up where they left off in March. A 2-0 win against 1. FC Union Berlin was followed up by further victories against Eintracht Frankfurt (5-2), in the top-of-the-table match against title challengers Borussia Dortmund (1-0) and against Fortuna Düsseldorf (5-0), leaving the Bavarians seven points clear at the top.
Bayern wrap up the title in Bremen
Flick's men marched on towards their 30th league title in June, showing no signs of weakness as they won their next games against Bayer Leverkusen (4-2) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (2-1) before securing the title on Matchday 32 with a 1-0 win at Werder Bremen. In the remaining two games, Bayern ended with two more wins, against SC Freiburg (3-1) and VfL Wolfsburg (4-0).
Three-time top goalscorer Lewandowski
The year 2020 in football was dominated by Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski. In the Bundesliga, he picked up the 'Torjägerkanone', the cannon-shaped prize awarded to the league's top scorer, for the fifth time after scoring 34 goals - only Gerd Müller (seven) has won this award more. In the DFB Cup, too, the striker was the top goalscorer for the fifth time with six goals. And in the Champions League - still to be completed at this point - the 32-year-old would increase his goal tally to 15 goals and secure his own personal treble as the three-time top scorer. But that was not all: further milestones were to follow in the first half of the 2020/21 season...
DFB Cup triumph versus Leverkusen
Title No. 30 in the Bundesliga was followed by No. 20 in the DFB Cup at the beginning of July. Having seen off Schalke 1-0 in the quarter-finals before the coronavirus break, Eintracht Frankfurt (2-1) were knocked out in the semis when the competition resumed. In the final at Berlin's Olympiastadion, the Munich side recorded a deserved 4-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen - Bayern's 17th consecutive win in all competitions and the 13th double in the club's history. "When you win the double and you're also still in a third competition, then you're doing well. You can only pay the team a great compliment," summed up CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Historic 8-2 win against Barca in UCL quarters
After winning the domestic double, Bayern wanted more in the Champions League. To achieve this, they first had to overcome the hurdle of a second leg at home to Chelsea at the beginning of August. With a 4-1 victory in the last-16 second leg, the record champions entered the one-legged finals tournament in Lisbon, meeting FC Barcelona in the quarters. The Bavarians completely blew apart the Catalans and Lionel Messi and celebrated a historic 8-2 success. "It was a special evening," said a delighted Müller. "Just the result and how it felt on the pitch, and how we played was certainly special. We can't quite comprehend it. The way we played together, my heart just leaps."
The continental crown
In the semis, Olympique Lyonnais were Bayern's opponents. But even the surprise package of the tournament were not able to stop Bayern on their way to European glory. With a resounding 3-0 victory, FCB advanced to the final, where they met the French champions Paris Saint-Germain. In a thrilling final at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, former Parisian Kingsley Coman's 59th-minute header ensured a narrow 1-0 win and crowned an outstanding season with the club's second ever treble.
Treble winners 2020
Bundesliga champions, cup winners, Champions League winners - that's as good as it gets. Thanks to an outstanding second half of the 2019/20 campaign, FC Bayern announced themselves as the number one club, nationally and internationally. 25 wins and one draw in 26 competitive games since the winter break, 11 wins out of 11 in the Champions League, plus the top goalscorer in all three competitions. Never before has a treble been so well deserved!
"Goal achieved - and in an absolutely outstanding manner, in all respects," said a delighted club president Herbert Hainer after the treble triumph. "Head coach Hansi Flick's team has inspired us all. We can all look to the future with confidence: FC Bayern has got to the top of European footballing tree."
Trophies, trophies & more trophies - see every cup lifted by Bayern in 2020:
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