March 20, (THEWILL) – Bayern Munich cruised to a 4-0 victory over Taiwo Awoniyi’s Union Berlin in the Bundesliga on Saturday evening, moving seven points clear of Borussia Dortmund at the top of the league.
In the first 45 minutes, Kingsley Coman, Tanguy Nianzou, and Robert Lewandowski all scored to essentially wrap up the fixture.
Just over 15 minutes into the game, Coman darted inside from the left flank and hammered an effort goalward for a dominant Bayern. Although it was a magnificent strike, Union goalie Andreas Luthe could have kept it out but for leaky fingers.
When Nianzou, a teen defender, met a Joshua Kimmich corner with his head, he doubled the lead to pile more pressure on Luthe that seemed to weigh down on the keeper’s shoulders throughout the first half.
Bayern had several opportunities to expand their lead. Coman was denied by a great block by Paul Jaeckel, and he then shot another attempt over the bar from a promising position.
The third goal came in the final minutes of the first half, when Lewandowski converted a penalty after being taken out by Luthe while sprinting onto a through ball. From 12 yards, the Pole made no mistakes to make it three for the Bavarians.
Jamal Musiala provided the assist for the last goal from the edge of the six-yard box, as Lewandowski scored his second goal in as many games after the break.
Despite being down by such a large margin, Union had chances of their own, the greatest of which saw Genki Haraguchi force a good low save from Manuel Neuer, followed by Lucas Hernandez blocking on the line as Awoniyi attempted to turn in the rebound.
The final half-hour of the game was mostly determined by substitutions. Julian Nagelsmann made five changes for Bayern, taking advantage of the bench to rest some crucial players as the game was already decided. Union seemed content with damage containment.
Serge Gnabry had another late chance, but he sent the ball wide of the post.
Bayern Munich returned to winning ways to go seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table. Dortmund has a game in hand, but with Bayern dominating like they did tonight, few will be able to prevent them from capturing their ninth title in a row.
Meanwhile, Union’s losing record stretches to three games, and if their current form continues, they will soon be out of contention for European football places in the Bundesliga.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
