Hertha Berlin vs. Bayern Munich: Score, Reaction from 2016 Bundesliga Game

Bayern Munich moved within touching distance of a fourth consecutive Bundesliga title on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Hertha Berlin at the Olympic Stadium.

The hosts were resilient in their approach throughout the first period, but Arturo Vidal’s deflected strike two minutes after the half-time break made the difference. 

Douglas Costa sealed all three points with a long-range piledriver on 79 minutes, crashing in a powerful strike from the right flank.

Bayern entered the match with an opportunity to win the league title dependent on results elsewhere. Three points against Hertha, combined with a Dortmund defeat at Stuttgart would advance the Bavarians into an unassailable position with three matches remaining in the league.

With that in mind, there was a carnival atmosphere at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, with Bayern fans setting the scene with flares in the away end, as captured by attendee Hecko Flores:

With domestic success on the cusp of being achieved, head coach Pep Guardiola made significant changes to his starting lineup in order to keep key players fresh for their impending UEFA Champions League semi-final clash away at Atletico Madrid next Wednesday.

Guardiola made seven alterations to the team that played midweek in the German Cup, with captain Philipp Lahm handed a rest. Supporting cast members Joshua Kimmich, Mario Gotze and Serdar Tasci were all handed starts, but in-form Arturo Vidal and Robert Lewandowski were both included.

Fourth-placed Hertha started the contest with a refreshingly positive approach against the reigning champions, preventing Guardiola’s players any time in possession and pressing high up the field.

The visitors were the first to manage an effort on goal, however, as Douglas Costa went close to opening the scoring inside six minutes. The Brazil attacker collected possession inside the Berlin half before darting through the midfield and striking an accurate long-range strike that was well parried by Thomas Kraft.

Michael Sohn/Associated Press

With 20 minutes on the clock, Hertha had their best chance of the half following intricate ball retention on the right of midfield. Maximilian Mittelstadt played a low ball into the area that found the feet of Mitchell Weiser, but the German youngster saw his shot well closed down.

Just two minutes after that passage of play, it was Bayern’s turn to put an effort on goal. Thiago Alcantara embarked upon a mazy dribble that ended with him entering a cul-de-sac in the Hertha box before firing a low shot off the legs of Berlin stopper Kraft.

Goals were to be expected when these two sides came face to face, with three of the top five Bundesliga scorers—Lewandowski, Muller and Salomon Kalou—both featuring in the clash. 

Bayern had won five of their last league games ahead of the away contest, and it did not take Bayern long to move ahead following the half-time interval.

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Two minutes after the break, Arturo Vidal netted his third goal in four games in all competitions as he crashed a low effort past Kraft from the edge of the box. Smart play from Gotze on the left wing opened up space for the Chilean midfielder to strike an effort on goal, which took a wicked deflection, to grab the game’s opener.

Squawka detail Vidal’s run of form across his most recent matches:

That goal appeared to take the life out of Hertha as the players became subdued after being put on the back-foot. The arrival of David Alaba and Franck Ribery will not have been welcomed by the Berlin defenders as they intended to find parity.

With Champions League ambitions of their own, Pal Dardai’s men were hoping to close down the two points differential to third placed Bayer Leverkusen. However, that opportunity appeared to have vanished following the opening goal of the game, with Opta providing the unwelcome statistic:

With 11 minutes still to play, Douglas Costa wrapped up all three points with a sublime long-range strike to net his fourth league goal of the season. Collecting the ball on the right wing, the Brazilian tucked inside before unleashing a left-foot rocket that flew over the head of the helpless Kraft and into the top corner.

The official Bayern account displayed their delight at their second goal of the game:

Meanwhile, DW Sports journalist Stefan Bienkowski claimed Costa had taken inspiration from another Bayern winger during his time at the club following the sensational strike:

Bayern secured a comfortable victory on the road but they were forced to be patient in their quest to secure the Bundesliga title following Borussia Dortmund’s 3-0 victory over Stuttgart. Goals from Shinji Kagawa, Christian Pulisic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan sealed the away win. 

The Bavarians' maintain their seven-point lead over their closest challengers, but with just three matches remaining in the Bundesliga, another domestic title for the Munich giants appears inevitable.

Post-Match Reaction

Following the full-time whistle, head coach Guardiola admitted his players found the first half difficult in Berlin and were only able to play to their potential after Vidal broke the deadlock in the second period, per the club's official website.

He said “The match was awkward for us, the first half was very difficult. Arturo's opener was very important for our confidence, for our play. We didn't allow any chances after that. Now it's up to us. We need one more victory. I hope we'll turn in a strong display next week and wrap up the championship title!”

“The match was awkward for us, the first half was very difficult. Arturo's opener was very important for our confidence, for our play. We didn't allow any chances after that. Now it's up to us. We need one more victory. I hope we'll turn in a strong display next week and wrap up the championship title!”

Meanwhile, Gotze—who laid on the assist for Vidal's opener—claims the team's result has moved them significantly closer to their end goal.

Per the Bayern website, he said: “Our coach switched many things around at half-time. We know we didn't play so well in the first half. But it isn't so easy against deep-lying opponents, especially away from home. Nevertheless we've booked the three points and taken a giant stride!”