Schalke vs. Bayern Munich: Winners and Losers from Bundesliga Game
Bayern Munich held off a resilient Schalke on Saturday to earn a 3-1 win at the Veltins-Arena, opening up an eight-point lead over Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga table.
David Alaba scored an early opener for the visitors after his long-ranged effort took a wicked deflection, but Max Meyer curled in a brilliant equalizer not long thereafter. The game remained deadlocked until the 69th minute, when Javi Martinez headed home the go-ahead goal for Bayern, and Pep Guardiola's men never looked back. As Schalke struggled for ideas to draw level, Thomas Muller capitalized to make it 3-1 in injury time.
Following Saturday's action, we take a look at the winners and losers from the match. Click "Begin Slideshow" for our picks.
Winner: Leroy Sane
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Max Meyer may have scored the equalizer for Schalke, but the architect of the goal was Leroy Sane. The 19-year-old's brilliant flick to himself and subsequent run sliced through the Bayern defense before he set up his Germany under-21 international teammate to curl home from the edge of the box.
That one moment of brilliance was a particular highlight, but in truth, Sane was consistently excellent. Many teenage stars, like Marc Stendera and Timo Werner, have faced Bayern in recent weeks. But none until Sane were able to take the game to the league leaders. In spite of his limited years, Sane was a true leader for Schalke and a danger especially on the counterattack. His explosive pace and clever dribbling made him a real live-wire going forward.
Loser: Leon Goretzka
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Until now, Leon Goretzka has been the 1995-born central midfielder of choice in Andre Breitenreiter's squad, ahead of Bayern loanee Pierre Hojbjerg. The German national has started almost every game. His stock took a bit of a hit on Saturday, though.
It was unlucky that his deflection sent the ball into the net for David Alaba's opener, but Goretzka ought to have done better to block his opponent's effort on goal. The 20-year-old also didn't exactly cover himself in glory later, he made a poor decision of his killing a great counterattack towards the end of the first half.
Winner: Javi Martinez
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Two years ago, Javi Martinez was on top of the world. Since emerging as a world-class midfield anchor in Bayern's treble-winning team, however, he has had his career blighted by injuries. The Spaniard has undergone rehabilitation again and again, and on Saturday may have marked his return to the big scene.
It was a big ask for him to start against a strong Schalke team, and Martinez did well, especially in the absence of usual stalwart Jerome Boateng. Most important of course was his run into the penalty area to head home the game-winning goal. It was a huge goal for both player and club.
Loser: Andre Breitenreiter
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Until about a month ago, Schalke were flying high under Andre Breitenreiter. The new coach had his team playing at an extremely high level. But since then, things have fallen flat for the Gelsenkirchen side.
Saturday's defeat marked the seventh-consecutive game in all competitions that Schalke failed to win. Their last victory was more than a month ago, against Hertha BSC. The toughest tests they've faced over the last month—Monchengladbach (twice), Dortmund and Bayern—have all earned victory against Schalke. And although Breitenreiter's side played well until Martinez's go-ahead goal, they looked utterly clueless after going behind for a second time. Breitenreiter still has plenty to prove.
Winner: Thiago Alcantara
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One Bayern player who benefited greatly from Saturday's action was a man who didn't even play a minute: Thiago Alcantara. The midfielder, currently sidelined with a knee injury, missed his first match of a run that should see him sidelined for several weeks. And Bayern struggled without his presence.
Prior to his injury, Thiago was a regular starter alongside Xabi Alonso. Arturo Vidal played sometimes, but was not the main man in the big games. And on Saturday, the Alonso-Vidal pairing proved to be rather impotent when it came to moving the ball forward quickly and effectively.
Both completed many passes, but they weren't quick enough in distributing and lacked creativity in the final third. Thiago offers just that, with Alonso the support man for long-ranged passing and building up in deep areas. If Vidal wants to become a key starter during the Spaniard's absence, he has much to prove. In the meantime, Thiago will be content to know that this Bayern team just isn't the same without him.
