Hannover vs. Bayern Munich: Winners and Losers from Bundesliga Game
Bayern Munich continued their progress at the top of the German Bundesliga as they won 1-0 at Hannover 96 on Saturday, ensuring they remain in first place over the winter break.
A fast start saw chances missed by both clubs in the opening minutes, but Bayern soon began to dominate, and after several scoring opportunities were spurned, Thomas Muller hit the opener from the penalty spot to leave Bayern 1-0 up at half-time.
Although Bayern continued to enjoy more possession and chances, they couldn't find a second goal, and Hannover threatened a little more late on in the game—but never really looked like stealing a point.
Here are our biggest winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Ron-Robert Zieler
1 of 5
Hannover 96's goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler might have ended on the losing side, but the distance between the teams could have been far greater if not for his interventions.
Just minutes after kick-off, he had to thwart Thiago from close range, while further big saves against Kingsley Coman and a lightning-quick reaction to block a Thomas Muller shot on the line were also standout moments for the German international.
There was nothing Zieler could do to stop the penalty, of course, and he then produced further stops in the second half against Robert Lewandowski to keep the scoreline close.
Loser: Christian Schulz
2 of 5
Hannover skipper Christian Schulz did not have an impressive first half.
He was twice at fault for letting Bayern attackers get into space inside the area and get efforts on goal away, particularly early on when Thiago peeled off him with ease.
As if that wasn't poor enough, once his team had escaped on a few occasions and kept Bayern at bay, it was Schultz who bizarrely opted to dive and intercept a cross with his arm—inside his own penalty box.
The resulting penalty gave Bayern the lead, and Schulz continued to give away fouls and a chance or two after the break.
That the goal was the only time Bayern managed to breach Zieler's goal made the crazy handball even more frustrating for his team.
Winners: Thiago and Kingsley Coman
3 of 5
Bayern had huge amounts of possession and moved the ball about nicely inside the Hannover half, but it was really when it came to two talents in particular that they looked a cut above.
One of those was midfielder Thiago, who not only had the vision and invention to pick passes to break lines, but also the movement and agility to dribble past opponents and get into the box himself, looking a big threat anywhere around the edge of the penalty area.
The other was Kingsley Coman, very much the differential option in the Bayern team as he continually looked to take on his man, keep the width and deliver from the byline. His end product wasn't quite always as dead-eye as it might have been, but that also owed much to the lack of bodies in the box for the Bavarians.
Loser: Bayern's Injury List
4 of 5
Bayern Munich's injury list before the game was so severe that manager Pep Guardiola only named three outfield players on his substitutes bench, with Sebastian Rode, Joshua Kimmich and Jan Kirchhoff joined by goalkeeper Sven Ulreich.
Those unavailable included David Alaba, Mehdi Benatia, Juan Bernat, Philipp Lahm, Mario Gotze, Douglas Costa, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, star names who would be in the first team or close to it on any given matchday.
To make matters worse, Holger Badstuber was subbed off—looking visibly annoyed—with a cut head, according to ESPN FC's Mark Lovell, while Arturo Vidal was later taken off for an injury, too.
The winter break and chance to recuperate somewhat can't come quickly enough for Bayern.
Winner: Pep Guardiola
5 of 5
Speculation about Pep Guardiola's future has been rife this weekend: BBC Sport reports the boss will announce his plans for next season in the coming days, and Fabrizio Romano and Marcus Christenson of the Guardian report that Carlo Ancelotti will replace him at the German club.
To that end, Guardiola would have wanted nothing but a win to ensure there was no suggestion that his focus wasn't on something other than Bayern and continuing a successful campaign—and that's what he got.
It wasn't the most complete or spectacular performance by his team, but the three points were obtained and there is still plenty of optimism that major success, domestically and in Europe, can be had this term before he leaves—if indeed that is his decision, soon to be announced.
