After a 120-minute-long game, Bayern Munich are through to the quarterfinals of DFB Pokal. It was a hard game but, in the end, a deserved win for the Bavarians. Bayern was pulling all the strings in the first half, until Mats Hummels made a costly error in the second half that sent things went south. However, Bayern found strength and came on top in the end. Without further ado, here are the match awards!
Jersey swap: Davie Selke
Since coming onto the field, Selke gave Mats Hummels and Niklas Sule a lot of trouble, including capitalizing on Hummels’ error to score a crucial goal. It seems that the coach Pal Dardai was right to give him a chance tonight. Generally, Hertha’s players were good and Dardai prepared them well for the Bayern clash.
Tip of the cap: Kingsley Coman
It was surely not the best performance from the young Frenchman, but in the end, he made an impact by scoring the winner for Die Roten. We witnessed his usual good runs on the left side of the field, and he also produced some good dribbles that left him space for more options. His partnership with David Alaba was a beautiful thing to see. Unfortunately, his crosses were not accurate enough, but it was all-in-all a good performance.
Golf clap: Thiago Alcantara
Today was another game to appreciate Thiago’s presence on the field. He was vital for Bayern’s game, equally important for attack and for defense. When he plays, it’s visible that Bayern’s transitions are more fluid, and everything seems to go smoother. Today, he managed 94.4% accurate passes and also 61% won duels. These are amazing stats for a player who previously hasn’t loved his defensive responsibilities.
Standing ovation: Robert Lewandowski
It was a hard game for the Pole. Hertha’s defenders did a good job of keeping him away from the goal. He had to take a more deeper role to lure the opposing players to track him. It was a wonderful performance from him, because he proved time and time again that he is still becoming a better team player. He assisted Coman on his winner and also placed a key pass to James Rodriguez who then assisted Serge Gnabry, which he converted into a goal. This is very important for Bayern: if he is cut off from the goal, he still manages to help his teammates with assists!
Meister of the match: Serge Gnabry
It was Serge’s first competitive start after his injury back from December. And my-oh-my did he take advantage of it! He scored two huge goals for Bayern this evening with a man-of-the-match worthy performance. His first goal was crucial since it leveled the scoreline and, with the second, he completed Bayern’s comeback! It was a pure pleasure to watch Gnabry tonight. He seemed confident, and he was good at everything. His shots were on target, his passes and crosses were accurate, and his dribbles were splendid. He seemed like a more complete player than ever. Hopefully, he can continue with this form to the next few games since they are the most vital ones.