Bayern Munich finished the calendar year on an excellent note as they registered a 2-1 comeback triumph over Bayer Leverkusen on the road on Saturday.
The Bavarian giants fell behind after just 14 minutes into the game after a sumptuous volley from Patrik Schick which beat Manuel Neuer at the near post.
They managed to level the scores right before the break as Robert Lewandowski pounced on the defensive mishap from Leverkusen to head the ball into an empty net, from a Thomas Muller cross.
Chances were at a premium in the second half, but Lewandowski scored the winner with seconds left on the clock. The Poland international saw his deflected shot beat goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky.
With the victory, Bayern have regained their spot at the top of the Bundesliga table. They will now enter into a mini-German winter break. Their next game will come against struggling Mainz on January 3.
Three talking points after the game:
Lewandowski proves why he’s the best: The Pole was recently named as FIFA’s Best Player of the Year after helping Bayern to win the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League treble last season while scoring a staggering 55 goals. The 32-year-old’s form upfront has been truly exceptional over the past year and against Leverkusen, he bagged his 16th and 17th goal of the Bundesliga campaign from just his 12th outing. He has shown no signs of slowing down and will be pivotal to the club’s bid to defend their silverware during the backend of the season.
Bayern’s exceptional 2020 form: 2020 has been a memorable year for Bayern as they secured the second treble in their long history. They were able to do so by going on a stunning 30-match unbeaten streak across all competitions where they picked up 29 wins and just one draw. The streak was ended by the shock 4-1 loss to Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga this season, but that has been their only defeat of the entire calendar year. It is quite an outstanding statistic for a team, which looked in complete disarray at one stage last season where they suffered three defeats from five league games.
Bayern’s Bundesliga dominance: Bayern have won the previous eight Bundesliga titles and they appear favourites to extend the streak. There was a four-way title race at the start of the season, but Borussia Dortmund have dropped off the pace. At present, there are two points separating Bayern from Leverkusen and RB Leipzig behind them and the duo are bound to face the pressure as they look to keep up with the reigning champions in the title pursuit. Meanwhile, Bayern will need to improve their defensive displays in 2021, having failed to keep a clean sheet for eight consecutive top-flight matches.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
