FC Bayern’s No.7 was in fact seven minutes early this weekend. Serge Gnabry had opened the scoring in last week’s 2-0 win over Hertha Berlin in the 69th minute. This time, in the no less pivotal 2-1 victory away at Werder Bremen, the 27-year-old bagged the opening goal with 62 minutes gone. The Germany international has certainly played his part in Bayern ending a four-games winless run across competitions to get back in the groove and build a four-point advantage at the top of the table overnight with three games to go. Borussia Dortmund have the chance to cut Bayern’s lead when they host Wolfsburg on Sunday.
The delight on the faces of Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Kimmich shows how big these three points were.
Gnabry the repeat offender
It’s the fifth time this Bundesliga campaign that Gnabry has scored the goal to put FCB 1-0 ahead, taking his tally for the season to 11. He’s now level with Jamal Musiala, who set up his goal in Bremen, as Bayern’s top scorer in the league for 2022/23. “The win was hugely important,” Gnabry summarised. “We knew it wouldn’t be an easy game. We did our job and have created a little buffer. Now we have to keep going.” Gnabry has now struck four times this season against his former club, having also netted a hat-trick in the 6-1 win in Munich.
Noussair Mazraoui set up the second goal to secure victory.
The state of the title race with Dortmund means it’s not about how many goals each team scores in a game but simply about the result. Key credentials for that are fighting spirit and being ready for action – those factors were previously evident in the Hertha win too. “There was enormous joy in the dressing room,” Gnabry revealed. The team fought hard and reaped the reward for their effort.
Sane equals PB
Leroy Sane also struck at the Weserstadion for Thomas Tuchel’s side after coming off the bench with Thomas Müller to add further impetus. His finish into the far corner from Noussair Mazraoui’s pin-point through ball took his tally for the season to eight in the Bundesliga and equalled his personal best total from 2015/16 with Schalke. “It’s hugely important at Bayern that we have 13, 14, 15 players who can always start. Leroy was good, Thomas had good energy and was something different on the right side,” Tuchel said in praise.
The Bayern camp can be pleased, with Gnabry and his teammates earning a “nice weekend”. But as Tuchel stressed, they need to quickly look ahead: “We’ve now got two days for a breather before we prepare for Schalke. There’s a good character in the team.”
🗞 Recap the game in our report:
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