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As became clear within minutes of kickoff, when Gabriel Mercado took out Lewandowski just two minutes into the game, a major part of Vincenzo Montella’s game plan for Sevilla FC was to be as physical as possible. Lewandowski bore the brunt of the onslaught, but he was not the only Bayern player to flirt with injury on the pitch. Rafinha, Javi Martinez, and James Rodriguez all had to be treated at various points. The good news is that none of them have suffered any serious injuries.
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Lewandowski: #nofoul
Robert Lewandowski left the stadium with a large bandage over his left cheekbone from an aerial collision. He was effectively taken completely out of the game by Sevilla’s brutal tactics, despite the fact that head referee William Collum issued two yellow cards in the first ten minutes of the game for fouls on Lewandowski (2’ for Mercado; 11’ for N’Zonzi). Lewandowski was also fouled twice, Clement Lenglet, who went unpunished despite cleating the striker on the ankle near the sidelines.
The worst blow fell in the 8’ minute of the game, when Lewandowski collided with Mercado in an aerial duel. He had to be treated with ice and bandaged during the game. Collum’s whistle remained silent, but Lewandowski made clear on Instagram that he felt otherwise.
Rafinha, James, and Javi
Man of the match Rafinha gave everyone a scare when it initially appeared that he had seriously injured his shoulder or collarbone after making a spectacular last-man tackle at the end of the first half. Although clearly in pain, while Juan Bernat warmed up, Rafinha managed to shake it off and remain in the game until he was replaced by Niklas Süle late in the second half.
James Rodriguez suffered a severe bruise on the thigh, according to Jupp Heynckes after the game, and Javi Martinez suffered one on his knee. Martinez was sent to the ground by a nasty late tackle by Joachin Correa, who was at last shown the red card in stoppage time.
Sven Ulreich joked after the match, “I think Dr. Müller-Wohlfahrt will have a little muscle soreness tomorrow.” As for his patients, Heynckes will decide later in the week which of them is fit to play on Saturday against Mönchengladbach.