Match Awards from Bayern Munich’s awkward 3-0 win over Gladbach

Bayern Munich slogged through a choppy first half to overwhelm Borussia Mönchengladbach with three second-half goals to maintain the perfect season. Joshua Kimmich, Raphaël Guerreiro, and Lennart Karl all scored left-footed goals against a scrappy Gladbach side that will be mired in the relegation battle this season. Josip Stanišić and Serge Gnabry both had successful returns from injury as Bayern looks to get 100% healthy by the winter break for a deep treble run.

Jersey Swap: Moritz Nicolas

Nicolas channeled his inner Yann Sommer to stonewall the best attack in Europe for 63 minutes, most of which was planned down a man. Nicolas finished with seven saves, including four from inside the box. It took an incredibly awkward goal from Joshua Kimmich to finally beat the German goalkeeper. By the third goal of the night, Nicolas was mentally and physically exhausted as he stood frozen like a gargoyle at the sight of Lennart Karl.

After Jens Castrop’s red card in the 19th minute, very little was asked of Bayern’s back line. Dayot Upamecano and Tom Bischof both picked up yellow cards, while Sacha Boey was correctly substituted at halftime after another substandard performance.

Kim calmly reminded us that he is a quality center-back when healthy. He recorded nine recoveries, two clearances, won two out of three duels, and topped it off with a 96% passing rate.

Fußballgott: Raphaël Guerreiro

Guerreiro replaced Boey and immediately brought the proper energy to the match. His quick, short bursts opened up passing lanes against the compact low block. It was only fitting that Guerreiro was on the receiving end of Bayern’s second goal that put the game out of reach.

Five minutes after entering the fray, Karl scored an absolute banger that left the goalkeeper frozen in awe. Even Vincent Kompany cracked a smile at the teenage sensation’s instant impact. He almost scored again a few minutes later on a header, but it only seems fair that he hasn’t perfected every aspect of his game before he graduates.

Karl is a firecracker every time he touches the ball and is quickly becoming a fan favorite to the Bayern faithful and his teammates alike. He has showed enough in the past week to be guaranteed 30 minutes every night and starting minutes when Harry Kane, Luis Díaz, and Michael Olise desperately need a break.

In case you haven’t rewatched the highlight a million times already, take another look (via @ESPNFC).

Meister of the Match: Joshua Kimmich

By the halftime whistle, this award was earmarked for ANY player that broke the deadlock, Gladbach players included. It wasn’t pretty but Kimmich’s 64th minute goal from his own rebound was the capstone on 20 minutes of constant pressure from Bayern.

Overall, Kimmich was back to his usual self with a 96% passing rate that kept the ball moving. Kimmich was instrumental in Bayern picking up the pace in the second half to break down the Gladbach defense and eventually break through for the 13th consecutive win of the season.

Bayern Munich traveled to Borussia Mönchengladbach for a Bundesliga tilt featuring the league first-place and last-place teams.

The game went as expected — especially after Gladbach picked up an early red card, which completely shifted the momentum into Bayern Munich’s favor.

It was a daunting task to ask Gladbach to hold strong for over 70 minutes and eventually Die Fohlen just broke down. Ultimately, Bayern Munich walked away with a 3-0 victory over Gladbach.

Let’s get into all on this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show:

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