Bayern Munich ease past Hertha Berlin to remain unbeaten

Bayern Munich scored two goals in a seven minute span in the first half to ease past Hertha Berlin. The Bundesliga leaders remain at the top of the table, and they stretch their unbeaten run to fourteen games.

Pep Guardiola started the match with Jerome Boateng playing far more forward up the field than Javi Martinez. Perhaps Pep wanted to get Jerome's passing skills further up the field against a bunkering opponent. Midway through the first half, however, Martinez moved far up the field, and Bayern used the extra numbers to their advantage in the attack.

After the pressure on the Hertha goal throughout the first half, Bayern finally struck in the 34th minute. Medhi Benatia headed a corner toward the goal, and Thomas Muller managed to get his head in there and deflect the ball into the back of the net. The goal was Müller's thirteenth on the season.

Bayern's second goal was, as Ray Hudson would describe it, magisterial. Boateng long pass found the Martinez at the top of the penalty area. The Spaniard played an inch perfect pass with his first touch into the path of Kingsley Coman. His sliding finish put Bayern up 2-0 just before halftime.

The second half was not much to write about. The only highlight was really the return to the field of Sebastian Rode. He came on for Boateng who left the match with reported knee problems.

All in all, it was a good three points for Bayern as they remain perfect thus far in the Bundesliga.

Match Details

Bayern Munich 2-0 Hertha Berlin

Bayern Munich: Thomas Müller (34), Kingsley Coman (41)
Hertha Berlin: None

Bayern XI: Neuer; Rafinha, Boateng (Rode 66), Benatia, Lahm; Vidal (Badstuber 84), Martinez, Alonso; Coman, Lewandowski, Müller

Hertha BSC XI: Jarstein; Plattenhart, Brooks, Langkamp, Regasel; Lustenberger; Haraguchi, Darida (Stocker 72), Skjelbred (Cigerci 56); Kalou, Ibisevic (Baumjohann 56)

Match Analysis

• Boateng showed in the first half just how great of a passer he has become. Most of his long passes were right on the mark and were just fluffed by the attackers in the scoring situation. As has been discussed a lot this season, Boateng's emergence as a continual great passer from deep is a fantastic sign for FC Bayern.
• Somehow, someway Müller will find a way to score a goal. Against Hertha BSC, Müller found himself in the right situation at the right time to finish of the header from Benatia. The guy just finds a way to get open.
• The goal scored by Coman was beautiful. Go back and watch it.
• Today felt like a performance that FCB have been waiting for since they signed Arturo Vidal. The Chilean was all over the field, and used his relentless motor to cause all kinds of problems for Hertha during the match.
• Some great news from the match was the return of Rode. The midfielder has been out since September 19, and it was good to see him back on the field for Bayern.
• Boateng reportedly left the field with knee issues, and it remains to be seen if the issues are serious or not. Bayern have not hesitated to pull players immediately if something feels amiss so far this season.
• The second half of the match was pretty poor from an entertainment standpoint. Nothing at all happened for long stretches. Bayern's inability to get the third goal in the match was dissatisfying.