Hamburger SV vs. Bayern Munich: Score, Reaction from 2016 Bundesliga Match
Bayern Munich swept to victory against Hamburg in the Bundesliga, beating their opponents 2-1 at the Volksparkstadion on Friday.
A penalty from Robert Lewandowski gave Der FCB the lead shortly before the break. A Pierre-Michel Lasogga equaliser provided Hamburg with great hope after half-time, but a deflected effort from Thomas Muller—against Lewandowski—sealed the points.
It was a solid night's work from the reigning champions, with Hamburg showing endeavour, and Bayern now look odds-on to earn yet another league crown.
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Bayern manager Pep Guardiola made three changes to the side that featured in the win against Hannover five weeks ago, with Javi Martinez, Rafinha and Arturo Vidal making way for Philipp Lahm, David Alaba and Douglas Costa. There was also a place on the substitutes’ bench for Arjen Robben, who has not featured since November.
Hamburg coach Bruno Labbadia decided to make three alterations to his side that started the 1-0 defeat away to Augsburg before the winter break, with Dennis Diekmeier, Cleber and Gojko Kacar coming into the starting lineup to replace Gotoku Sakai, Emir Spahic and Gideon Jung.
Fox Soccer's Thomas Hautmann highlighted how one-sided the fixture has been in recent times:
Bayern looked comfortable in the opening exchanges, dominating possession and territory as expected, despite being the away team.
However, the hosts looked dangerous on the counter-attack on the rare occasions the champions gave away the ball, and Aaron Hunt almost converted during a fast break for Hamburg.
Bayern looked cool and calm as the clocked ticked away, and they were finally rewarded for their patience after Muller was brought down by Hamburg goalkeeper Rene Adler just inside the area, conceding a penalty.
Goal machine Lewandowski stepped up to take the kick, and his clean strike gave Bayern the lead going into the interval.
WhoScored.com shared the first-half stats during the break:
Bayern assumed control in the second half, but Hamburg hit back quickly as they grabbed a shock equaliser.
Hunt was once again the hosts' creative hub, and it was his free-kick set piece that provided Lasogga the chance to level the scoreline, to the delight of the home supporters.
Guardiola lost Jerome Boateng to injury just before the hour-mark, per Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl:
The atmosphere was suddenly charged, as Hamburg fans smelt blood, but the champions soon put their opponents back in their place as they took the lead for a second time.
Muller's rasping volley deflected off Lewandowski, wrong-footing Adler and leaving the stopper stranded as the ball crossed the goal line.
Hamburg claimed the Polish international was offside as he sprinted past the last man, but replays showed he was level with play—although his goal was more luck than judgement.
BeIN Sports proved the striker was just onside:
Despite the gulf in class, Hamburg continued to do themselves credit, conceding territory but forcing Manuel Neuer to stay concentrated.
In the closing moments, the hosts were still motivated to attain a second equaliser on the night, but Guardiola's team remained smart on the ball as they ran down the clock.
Hamburg's best efforts proved unfruitful on Friday, but their performance deserved credit against the toughest side in German football.
Bayern earn their 16th win of the league season in 18 Bundesliga matches, and they look unstoppable early in 2016.
Post-Match Reaction
Guardiola celebrated yet another win for his team in the Bundesliga, and expressed his delight after the match, as quoted by the club's official Twitter feed:
Hamburg travel to Stuttgart in the next round of Bundesliga matches on Saturday, Jan. 30, while Bayern host Hoffenheim on the Sunday.
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