Cologne vs. Bayern Munich: Score, Reaction from 2016 Bundesliga Match

Bayern Munich stretched their lead over Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga to eight points after beating Cologne 1-0 on Saturday. As usual, striker Robert Lewandowski was the inspiration for Bayern, netting the decisive goal to take his season tally to 25 in the league. 

Bayern boss Pep Guardiola refreshed his ranks after the club's recent heroics against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League. Among the changes, jet-heeled winger Kingsley Coman and Spanish master Thiago Alcantara, super-subs in the comeback win over Juve, were handed places in the starting XI, per the club:

Meanwhile, dangerous front man Anthony Modeste led the home side, per the club:

It took just 10 minutes for Munich's Polish powerhouse to get on the scoresheet after a defensive error from Cologne centre-back Dominique Heintz. As the league's official site noted, the goal marked a career high for Lewandowski:

Bayern then stayed in control for most of the opening 30 minutes. Their assured passing, among the best in Europe, had the home side chasing shadows, particularly in midfield.

Statistics from the Bundesliga revealed how Munich owned the ball early on:

But for all their dominance, the away side still needed a brave block from Joshua Kimmich to preserve their lead.

Bayern's superiority in the middle owed a lot to the performance from veteran deep-lying playmaker Xabi Alonso. OptaFranz revealed how the 34-year-old was rarely off the ball:

But Alonso only saw 10 minutes of second-half action before he made his way to the bench. Guardiola opted to sub his metronome for the energy and tenacity of Arturo Vidal. The Chilean workhorse's qualities were needed to rouse what was a sluggish start from Bayern after the break.

During that time, Modeste always looked a threat, twice racing behind the Munich back line, only for the linesman's flag to frustrate him.

Cologne continued to press even after Vidal's introduction. Modeste narrowly missed a fine low cross into the box.

In response, Guardiola swapped Douglas Costa for Franck Ribery, in the process confirming a landmark moment for the French winger:

Most of the closing minutes were spent with Cologne committing numbers forward, while Bayern tried to stem the tide with cautious passing. Munich's best chance of doubling their lead came when Lewandowski forced Cologne stopper Timo Horn into a fine save from distance.

Ultimately, Guardiola's men clung on to take three vital points.

Post-Match Reaction

The Bayern boss gave his team credit for recovering from the rigours of facing Juve midweek to still take three crucial points:

Meanwhile, Cologne chief Peter Stoger felt his players showed the intent to win during an improved performance after the break:

While Bayern's performance was rather workmanlike, this was the kind of victory that paves the way to a title.