Five-star Bayern end year with big win

FC Bayern beat RB Leipzig 5-1 in the Bundesliga on Friday to end the year on a winning note. Jamal Musiala opened the scoring in the first minute, with Benjamin Šeško levelling the scores immediately, but Bayern were dominant and Konrad Laimer and Joshua Kimmich ensured a half-time lead. Leroy Sané and Alphonso Davies added gloss to the scoreline in the second half.

Bayern lined up with Daniel Peretz in goal and Laimer, Dayot Upamecano, Minjae Kim and Davies in a back four. Kimmich and Leon Goretzka anchored a midfield featuring Sané, Musiala and Michael Olise, with Harry Kane returning as the target man. Aleksandar Pavlović, Eric Dier, Raphaël Guerreiro, Mathys Tel and Thomas Müller took over from Laimer, Kim, Davies, Olise and Kane in the second half.

Scorching first half

Bayern got off to a perfect start when they won the ball in Leipzig's half and Olise's square invited Musiala to tap home in the first minute. Leipzig responded immediately as Lois Openda found Šeško, who beat Peretz. But Bayern dominated from that point. Musiala had a header saved before Goretzka and Kane saw shots deflected behind. A goal was coming, though, and arrived when an Olise cross found Laimer, who smashed home on the volley.

Munich set up camp in Leipzig's half and Kimmich soon unleashed an unstoppable strike from distance that curved inside the near post. Kane saw a shot saved as Bayern went into half-time with a deserved 3-1 lead.

Five-star finish

The pattern remained much the same after the restart, with Kim miscuing a header before a Musiala shot was saved. More chances came and went for Sané, Olise and Kane. A Sané pass only just evaded Olise, but Davies soon charged forward and slipped in Sané, who found the far corner of the net. Kimmich's pinpoint cross invited Davies to nod home a fifth as Bayern rounded off the year with an impressive win.

The result means Bayern top the table on 36 points from 15 matches and will have at least a four-point lead going into 2025. The Bavarians take on Red Bull Salzburg in a friendly on 6 January and return to competitive action on 11 January when they travel to face Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga.

Live match report for fcbayern.com by Greg Salmen