His smile shone as far as the upper sections of the Allianz Arena and it was brighter than the intense March sun. Thomas Müller gave him a big embrace and Manuel Neuer came over to congratulate him too. It was an outstanding Saturday for Serge Gnabry and a sensational day for everyone at Bayern Munich.
The period of suffering for Gnabry has thus definitely come to an end. On Tuesday against Lazio, the 28-year-old had celebrated his comeback. And now, during the marvellous 8-1 home victory against 1.FSC Mainz 05, he contributed a truly magical goal. It was his first in the Bundesliga since May 2023.
Having come on as a substitute after 62 minutes, he immediate set his sights on goal. His back-heeled volley from a great Leon Goretzka cross was the icing on the cake of a gala performance and possibly the most beautiful of all stories surrounding this 25th matchday.
Impulse for rest of season
“A spectacular goal," praised head coach Thomas Tuchel. "It's great for him because he was out for a long time. Great run, great pass. It was an intuitive and unconventional finish, but it was fantastic."
The win, the performance, the finesse, and the determination could also be an important impulse and sign for the rest of the season: we are here, we are FC Bayern, and we are still hungry for goals and trophies!
But it wasn't only Gnabry who displayed an appetite for success. His teammates all showed up. Harry Kane scored a hat-trick, Goretzka netted a brace, and Thomas Müller and Jamal Musiala were also on target in a game in which Bayern delighted the fans with an intoxicating performance. “I hope this game acts as a kind of restart for the rest of the season," summarised top scorer Kane, who took his goals tally for the season to 30 already. "We used the momentum today. It was a great performance of ours from start to finish."
Bayern very disciplined once more
Mainz did put up a good fight for long stretches. “They played with great quality, we had to work really hard and stay mobile,” said coach Tuchel. However, Mainz' abilities fell short against a very disciplined Bayern team. “We remained cool even if Mainz man-marked us all over the pitch. We had good positioning, were very assured in possession and made few mistakes,” captain Manuel Neuer summarized.
FCB continued where they had left off during the 3-0 victory against Lazio in the Champions League and used their transitional opportunities very cleverly. “We supported each other,” Tuchel recognised the most important element of his team's performance. Business before pleasure. Bayern Munich broke Mainz' resistance with their fourth goal shortly after the interval.
The performance seemed particularly impressive because each and every player fulfilled his role 100 percent. On top of that, Bayern were able to add quality from the bench. As well as Gnabry, Mathys Tel and Bryan Zaragoza proved a breath of fresh air against Mainz. Bayern's overall structure seems to ooze security, and that leads to more confidence for players such as Goretzka, who not only registered two goals and two assists but also showed a great willingness to run and played 15 passes in the final third. “He's doing very well. He's feeling more and more conformable,” Tuchel recognised.
One eye on Leverkusen
Goretzka said what all Bayern fans were thinking at the end of this fantastic Saturday afternoon: “We produced a very good and steady performance, and finally we scored many goals again. It's obviously much more fun that way."
At the same time, he cast one eye on league leaders Bayer 04: “Should Leverkusen stumble, we have to be there.”
Bayern have now played 25 Bundesliga games. Nine games remain, 27 possible points are still up for grabs.
We are FC Bayern.
The reaction to the emphatic win against Mainz:
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