April 18, (THEWILL) – Bayern Munich cruised to a 3-0 victory over Arminia Bielefeld on Sunday, putting them just one win away from reclaiming the Bundesliga crown.
Bayern took the lead when Jacob Laursen put the ball into his own net, and Serge Gnabry made it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time. Late in the game, substitute Jamal Musiala converted a feed from Robert Lewandowski to make it three.
Patrick Wimmer took possession of Alphonse Davies before firing into the side-netting for the hosts. Bayern, on the other hand, quickly established a dominant rhythm and would have grabbed the lead had it not been for Stefan Ortega’s crossbar save.
It did not matter because Julian Nagelsmann scored inside ten minutes when Laursen knocked Davies’ cross into his own net. The goal was first disallowed due to offside, but after consulting with the VAR, it was awarded.
Arminia’s Masaya Okugawa blasted a half-volley over the bar before Ortega was called into action once more, this time fending off Robert Lewandowski’s attempt.
Okugawa appeared to have equalised for Ariminia with a looping finish after some poor Bayern defence from a long pass, but the Japanese midfielder had just drifted offside, and the goal was disallowed.
Neuer was called upon to keep Ariminia at bay, which allowed the Bundesliga champions to go up 2-0 soon after. With all of Bielefelder Alm’s freedom, Joshua Kimmich found Gnabry with a lobbed pass over the home side’s backline. Gnabry scored his 12th league goal of the season on the volley.
Bayern strolled through the last minutes of the game before turning up the heat to send the game out in style, with Musiala arriving to finish brilliantly off Lewandowski’s feed.
Ariminia are one of Europe’s most toothless clubs, with only Norwich scoring fewer goals in the continent’s top five leagues this season, and their consistent stream of chances surprised many Bayern fans after their Champions League defeat at the hands of Villarreal.
As it was, individual brilliance from Kimmich, Gnabry, and Musiala made the difference, with the away side’s general play sluggish throughout the 90 minutes.
The victory keeps Bayern Munich in top place in the Bundesliga, re-establishing a nine-point lead over second-placed Borussia Dortmund. Next Saturday, the two squads will compete in Der Klassiker.
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.
