Clear-cut victory after Wednesday's setback: FC Bayern lay down marker in fight for the title

FC Bayern needed only 30 minutes to put the game to bed on Saturday. In contrast to April 2024, when Heidenheim came from behind to beat Bayern, the table-toppers were dominant and left no doubt as to who would leave the pitch as winners, winning their tenth match on the road this season.

The 4-0 victory was utterly deserved, even by this margin, and FC Bayern not only extended their lead overnight but also laid down a marker in the fight for the championship title three days after the bitter Champions League exit away at Inter. “We knew how hard it would be here. We turned in a strong display, a huge compliment to the lads. I’m very glad, it was a good conclusion to the week for us,” head coach Vincent Kompany said after the final whistle.

Sun instead of whipping wind

His players too were relieved. “To show such a strong reaction marks us out,” added Konrad Laimer: “We can’t change what happened in the past. We came here and Heidenheim did a good job recently, but to be dominant over 90 minutes and win 4-0 is very good, it was a decent reaction to the last few weeks.”

After battling wind and rain at the San Siro on Wednesday night, Bayern were greeted by glorious sunshine and agreeable temperatures in Heidenheim. Kompany made four changes to Wednesday’s starting XI, and Munich showed verve, relentless pressing and aggressive tackling to quickly assert their dominance. The underdogs in 16^th place had no chance against FC Bayern, who refused to ease off and were determined and focused. “We couldn’t involve them in one-on-ones and close down space. We only chased the ball and suffered,” Heidenheim head coach Frank Schmidt said after the match.

Two goals within six minutes

Michael Olise invited Harry Kane to hand Bayern the lead with a sumptuous low drive after only 12 minutes. It was Kane’s 24^th goal and his 102^nd shot on goal this season – no Bundesliga player boasts more finishes.

FC Bayern continued to put in a lot of legwork, and their intensity showed they had put the bitter 2-2 draw against Inter behind themselves, physically and mentally. Serge Gnabry, who provided impetus up front, played a fine through ball to release the charging Konrad Laimer, who proved a cool customer to double the lead (19’). It was an emphatic reaction to Bayern’s probably biggest weakness this season, their efficiency.

Heidenheim were reeling now but were lucky Bayern failed to take their following chances: Kane miscued two headers and Olise was through on goal after Laimer’s pass but failed to find the net.

Bayern still put the game to bed before half-time. Raphaël Guerreiro saw an effort parried, but Kingsley Coman slotted home the rebound when he found a gap between the leg of Heidenheim keeper Kevin Müller and the near post (27’). It was the second time the German record champions scored three away goals before half-time this season – away at Heidenheim and in the 6-1 victory over Kiel in September. Bayern almost made it four, but Harry Kane’s low shot went just wide. It would have been his 61^st goal in his 60^th Bundesliga match.

The home side failed to get a grip after the restart because FC Bayern refused to ease off. Stand-in captain Joshua Kimmich made it four from the edge of the box (56’) to round off the final scoreline of a match in which Bayern enjoyed 77 percent of the ball and utter dominance. Eric Dier and defensive midfielders Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlović stifled any Heidenheim forays.

“I just told the team it hurts – 3-0 at half-time, only chasing the ball and only having one chance in each half,” Frank Schmidt commented on the atmosphere in his team. The Heidenheim head coach saw a “normal result” against Munich, “a team of Bayern’s quality and today’s attitude that dominated and won deservedly. Unfortunately we couldn’t prevent that.”

Urbig’s clean sheet

Heidenheim were lucky Bayern didn’t take more of their chances. It was almost flattering that Bayern’s keeper Jonas Urbig, of all people, stood out when he made a strong save to deny Sirlord Conteh (65’) to keep his first clean sheet in his sixth Bundesliga match: “It can get awkward if you aren’t completely focused, both up front and at the back. But we showed a great reaction,” commented Urbig.

“Everything has to come together for us to be able to stand our ground against them, and very, very little came together today,” said Heidenheim defender Patrik Mainka. The subdued mood at Heidenheim confirmed how strong and dominant FC Bayern were. “We mustn’t underestimate this victory and the way we played in particular,” stressed Joshua Kimmich: “I think we had our last match 40 hours ago, we were very disappointed when we came here, but the way we approached this match impressed me. It was a crucial step.”

Board member for sport Max Eberl was impressed by his team shortly after the the defeat in Milan: “Our reaction today, the way we played from the start, showed the team want to win. Thanks to the way we played – we wanted to win from the start – we’re a step closer to the championship title now.”

The reaction to Heidenheim v Bayern: