Quick off the mark, two steps, a determined jump and - back of the net! Jerome Boateng put Bayern on the road to victory with his courageous header in the 32nd minute against Hoffenheim. At a corner from Joshua Kimmich, the 32-year-old central defender cleverly won the battle in the middle and headed the ball into the left corner past TSG keeper Oliver Baumann to make it 1-0.
It was an unfamiliar and yet familiar feeling for the centre-back. Boateng had waited almost three years to the day for a Bundesliga goal. He'd last scored in the German top flight in January 2018 in a home game - against Hoffenheim, also heading in a corner kick from the right. On that occasion he scored to level the game at 2-2 in Bayern's 5-2 win.
Boateng's goal was the first of four for the Munich side in a dominant home win on Saturday. FCB were on top in the early stages, but the visitors from Sinsheim also had good opportunities to take the lead. After Boateng's fifth Bundesliga goal, Bayern played more purposefully and rewarded themselves for a good performance.
"We're just happy Jerome has scored again after a long time," coach Hansi Flick said of Boateng, who is partly responsible for the fact Bayern's defence has been more solid in recent games. "With Jerome Boateng and David Alaba, we have a level of stability in central defence," Flick had stated before the game against Hoffenheim. This stability needs to continue in the next challenge on Friday. A special game awaits Boateng - the latest return to his home town Berlin and the duel with his youth club Hertha BSC.
Read how Bayern assessed the home win here:
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