The Bayern express rolled on relentlessly in Saturday’s trip to Bremen as the ruthless Reds recorded a comprehensive and fully merited 7-0 victory over outclassed Werder, the northerners slumping to the heaviest home defeat in their Bundesliga history. Records tumbled again in the treble winners’ unprecedented 40th unbeaten league match, as Pep Guardiola’s sparkling side also equalled the record of 26 away games without defeat, matching the achievement of a previous FCB generation between 1985 and 1987.
The 42,100 full house at the Weserstadion saw the visitors open brightly and take a 21st-minute lead when Bremen defender Assani Lukimya turned a Franck Ribery cross over his own line. Daniel van Buyten scored his first of the season to double the lead six minutes later, and Ribery added a simple third as the champions wrapped it up before half-time. Mario Mandzukic tapped home the fourth on the hour from another Ribery assist, Thomas Müller made it five on 68 minutes with a crisp finish, the outstanding Ribery brought up the half-dozen, and Mario Götze added the seventh with the last kick of the match to complete the rout.
Fifteen matches into the season, the league leaders now have 41 points, seven clear of Leverkusen and ten ahead of BVB, with the sides lying second and third going head-to-head in Dortmund in the evening’s big match. The Bavarians have no time to draw breath as they are back in action on Tuesday in the final Champions League Group D fixture at home to Manchester City, before completing their Bundesliga programme for the year on Saturday 14 December at home to Hamburg.
Boss makes three changes
Compared to the midweek DFB Cup victory away to Augsburg, Guardiola used the limited rotation options available to him at present and brought in three new faces. Ribery replaced the injured Arjen Robben, Daniel van Buyten took over from Dante, and Müller came in for Javi Martinez. Claudio Pizarro and Xherdan Shaqiri both took seats on the bench for the first time since recovering from injury.
The champions began with captain for the day Manuel Neuer in goal behind a back four of Rafinha, Jerome Boateng, Van Buyten and David Alaba. Thiago anchored the midfield, Toni Kroos and Götze played centrally, Ribery and Müller patrolled the flanks, and Mandzukic started up front.
Two ex-FCB men featured for the Werder team coached by Robin Dutt, with Nils Petersen promoted to the starting line-up after scoring as a sub away to Hoffenheim in a 4-4 draw last weekend, and Mehmet Ekici on the bench.
FCB’s impressive first half
After referee Marco Fritz whistled play underway on a bitterly cold afternoon in the north of the country, the Reds set to work energetically and had the ball in the net after three minutes only for Rafinha to be called offside. Götze raced into space in the box two minutes later but Werder keeper Raphael Wolf smothered the chance. Dutch international Eljero Elia warmed Neuer’s gloves, but Boateng’s far more promising shot at the other end was inadvertently deflected to safety by Müller.
Boateng then blocked a dangerous Aaron Hunt effort, but FCB took the lead midway through the first half when Ribery skinned home skipper Clemens Fritz down the left and skimmed a cut-back into the danger zone, Lukimya unluckily diverting the ball past Wolf and into his own net. The still-eager Reds doubled their lead on 27 minutes when Van Buyten rose above Petersen and powerfully headed home Kroos’ fine free-kick from down by the corner flag.
The visitors eased back a shade now and Hunt landed a free-kick on the roof of Neuer’s net, before Van Buyten cleared a loose ball almost from under his own crossbar. But danger lurked whenever the red shirts poured forward, Ribery arrowing a drive just wide, Mandzukic guiding a free header across goal but past the far upright, and the Croat and Müller combining on 38 minutes to provide Ribery with the simplest of finishes from six yards out to make the score 3-0. Neuer then showed all his class to deny Hunt from close range as the sides went in at the break with the outcome all but settled.
Munich magic, Werder outclassed
Petersen skied the first chance after half-time, before Boateng released Müller with a raking pass only for the striker to scuff his shot. FCB kept up the pressure and Wolf blocked bravely from Götze and Mandzukic, but the keeper was powerless to intervene on the hour when Ribery burst into the box and squared for Mandzukic to guide the ball into the empty net for the fourth goal.
Dante replaced Boateng now but it made no difference to FCB’s attacking intent as Götze strolled into acres of space after 68 minutes and rolled a simple pass into the path of Müller, the Germany striker producing a lovely finish with a clipped daisy-cutter neatly inside the near post and past Wolf’s despairing dive.
Jan Kirchhoff and Claudio Pizarro took over from Kroos and Thiago for the closing stages, former Werder stalwart Pizza receiving the warmest of receptions from all sides of the ground. Still FCB were not done, Pizarro’s cunning backheel releasing Alaba to dash to the byline and square for Ribery to apply the 82nd-minute finish. There was some fun and games at the end with Ribery inadvertently hitting a post and Müller seeing his point-blank follow-up blocked, but the last word went to Götze as his racked up the seventh goal with the last kick of an almost absurdly one-sided afternoon.
Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley
Topics of this article