VfB Stuttgart vs. Bayern Munich: Score, Reaction from 2016 Bundesliga Match
Bayern Munich came away with a 3-1 win over VfB Stuttgart during Saturday's Bundesliga action, keeping their title bid right on track.
Georg Niedermeier gave the visitors the lead with an own-goal midway through the first half, and David Alaba doubled their advantage after the break. Bayern seemed to be on their way to a routine win, but a fine strike from Daniel Didavi brought Stuttgart back into the match.
A late goal from Douglas Costa secured the win for Bayern, however, opening up an eight-point lead at the top of the standings ahead of Sunday's derby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04.
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As shared by Bayern's official Twitter account, the visitors kept Costa and Thomas Muller on the bench to start this match:
The first chance of the match fell to Stuttgart, as Manuel Neuer had to be alert to punch out a free-kick from Filip Kostic, but Bayern quickly took control of the ball and threatened early. Franck Ribery should have opened the scoring after just four minutes, but his effort to turn Mario Gotze's cross goalward was below par.
Bayern dominated possession early, but Stuttgart looked dangerous on the counter-attack, and Neuer had to produce a top save to keep a trickling shot from Didavi out of his goal.
The pace of the match dropped midway through the first half, and star midfielder Arturo Vidal didn't seem to like it. The Chilean made a handful of rash challenges in short succession as he tried to reclaim the ball, and he was booked for his efforts after 22 minutes.
Manager Pep Guardiola had seen enough, and four minutes later, Vidal's afternoon as over. Muller replaced him, adding some more attacking firepower, and Bleacher Report's Clark Whitney agreed with the move:
The introduction of Muller seemed to have the desired effect, as the Bavarians immediately looked more threatening. Muller managed to isolate Robert Lewandowski, who did well to hold up play before finding Gotze, but the midfielder's shot missed the goal by miles.
Bayern were knocking on the door now, and the goal eventually came, as Ribery fired a low cross into the box and Niedermeier turned it into his own goal. It was an unfortunate turn of events for the hosts, who had played a great match until that point, but the Bavarians didn't care, per Twitter:
The goal seemed to liberate the visitors, and Lewandowski came close to doubling their lead, firing a volley into the side netting.
Another rash tackle, this time courtesy of Xabi Alonso, saw a scuffle involving a handful of players, and by the end of it, the Spaniard had been booked. He'll miss Bayern's next Bundesliga match, against Schalke 04.
Javi Martinez intercepted a fine cross before Artem Kravets had a chance to turn it goalward, one of the few chances Stuttgart had after the opening goal. Most of the action took place on the other side of the pitch, and after some smart work from Joshua Kimmich and Muller, Lewandowski tried his luck once more, curling a shot toward goal that Niedermeier could only head out just in time.
That would be the final major chance of the half, as Bayern took a 1-0 lead into half-time. Per OptaFranz, scoring own-goals is becoming a habit for the hosts:
Bayern continued their push for a second goal after the break, and Ribery nearly found Lewandowski with a neat cross after a run through the box.
A second goal seemed imminent, and Alaba eventually found the breakthrough. Juan Bernat did well to pick out his team-mate with a header, and the Austrian faked a shot to create space before firing an effort through the legs of Daniel Schwaab and into the net.
Per WhoScored.com, the versatile full-back likes going up against Stuttgart:
Stuttgart's bid to upset the Bavarians seemed over after the second goal, as the visitors started working the ball all over the pitch and seemed to be cruising toward the final whistle. But a fantastic goal from Didavi, who lofted the ball over Neuer after missing his initial kick, returned some excitement to the match.
More from WhoScored, who pointed out Didavi had put an end to quite the streak for Neuer and Bayern:
Suddenly, Bayern found themselves pressed inside their own half, and Alaba had to make a vital interception to deny Kravets a good look on goal.
Stuttgart did well to put pressure on Bayern's defence, but the Bundesliga leaders showed their class dealing with the danger and limited their chances. Guardiola also introduced Costa, ensuring the Stuttgart defence had one more speedy winger to deal with.
Thiago Alcantara was also introduced, and the Spaniard nearly made a major impact immediately, smashing a shot off the crossbar.
Stuttgart geared up for a final push and had the Bavarians on the ropes inside the final 10 minutes, but when Kravets finally found some space inside the box, he was incorrectly flagged down for offside.
Instead, the goal fell on the other side of the pitch, as Costa cut inside and fired a fantastic strike into the bottom corner, giving goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton no chance.
FC Bayern US enjoyed the strike:
With the win, Bayern take an eight-point lead over Dortmund at the top of the standings ahead of the Ruhr derby on Sunday.
Bayern will travel to Portugal to face Benfica in midweek, before hosting rivals Schalke at the Allianz Arena on Saturday. Stuttgart will take on Augsburg in a vital clash near the bottom of the standings.
Post-Match Reaction
As shared by Bayern's official Twitter account, Guardiola was happy with the result, given the fact the match came between two UEFA Champions League fixtures:
Bayern haven't looked their best in recent weeks, but the team continues to find ways to win even the toughest matches, and Saturday's clash with Stuttgart was no different.
Guardiola managed to give a handful of players some rest with an eye on the clash with Benfica, and while he was forced to introduce Muller much earlier than expected, the Bavarian's legs still looked fresh after Saturday's match.
That's good news for the return match against Benfica, and Bayern should enter that clash feeling confident they'll advance to the semi-finals.
