Bayern Munich took one more step towards an 11th straight Bundesliga title with their 2-1 win at Werder Bremen. Much like last weekend’s 2-0 win over Hertha Berlin at the Allianz Arena, Bayern had to wait until the second half to break the deadlock after a first half that was rather scarce of too many credible chances for either side. Benjamin Pavard did come close with a first-half header from a Joshua Kimmich set piece, though, and Bremen’s Christian Groß put a chance just over the crossbar with Yann Sommer rooted to his spot roughly ten minutes before the halftime interval.
They made hard work of it once again, but it was another massive three points for Bayern, further shaking off the rut they endured during the beginning of Thomas Tuchel’s reign as manager, replacing Julian Nagelsmann.
Noussair Mazraoui was handed a start at right back by Tuchel as Bayern’s defensive depth is running a bit thinner than usual at the moment due to injuries to both Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano. It was only last week’s win over Hertha that marked the Moroccan’s first start for Bayern since returning from his pericarditis problem, though he did come on after only 9 minutes the week before in the 3-1 loss to FSV Mainz to replace the injured Davies.
Mazraoui provided what was a beautiful, through ball assist to Leroy Sane for Bayern’s second goal in the 72nd that ultimately put the seal on the win for the Rekordmeister despite Niklas Schmidt’s 86th minute consolation goal. Speaking after the match, Mazraoui was rather pleased with the patience Bayern showed and how they kept their composure against a resolute, well-organized defense. “It was a difficult game. There weren’t many chances in the first half. But like last week, we stayed calm and patient. We kept the pressure up and the opponent got tired. The spaces got bigger and we were able to use our chances. We’ll give everything to win the title,” he explained (via @iMiaSanMia).
Photo by AXEL HEIMKEN/AFP via Getty Images
There very well might be more chances for Mazraoui in the lineup, too, given the fact that Davies will be out for the remainder of the season. Upamecano won’t be out for that long, but with Schalke 04 and FC Koln as two of Bayern’s three remaining opponents in the Bundesliga, they’ll likely face similar defensive setups in those matches and will need to stay calm, composed, and patient.
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