Match Awards from Bayern Munich’s 2-0 victory over Lokomotiv Moscow

In a match that ultimately proved to be a tune-up for rotational players needing playing time, Bayern Munich fought through a scoreless first half to finish the match with a 2-0 scoreline thanks to Niklas Süle and Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting. It was no Bayern vs RB Leipzig, but Hansi Flick and Bayern showcased why they’re the reigning champions. Here are the match awards from the match:

Jersey Swap: Guilherme

When playing Bayern, it’s usually the goalkeeper that earns the Jersey Swap and here it is no different. In the 58’, he made a stupendous save to keep the scoreline equal after a beautiful 1-2 combination with Davies and Gnabry resulted in an open net shot. He also made another wonder save on a close opportunity. Lokomotiv did well enough to keep the scoreline to only 2-0, however, it was against a rotated Bayern squad and I saw no reason any else deserved the award over Guilherme.

Der Kaiser: Alphonso Davies

Davies was all over the field in his return from injury. Frankly, I did not expect Davies back this soon nor to hit the ground running quite to the extent that he did. He was able to recover quite effectively using his lightning quick speed and was a force offensively, just like we saw all of last year. Here is just a snapshot of how effective he is offensively.

Der Fußballgott: Marc Roca

His presence was a reassuring one. His play allowed Leon Goretzka to resume his preference of pushing up offensively knowing that Roca was doing his best Joshua Kimmich impression. Clean interceptions and stout defense allowed Goretzka to play his best.

All things considering, I did not expect much of Roca. But this match showcased the talent Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Hasan Salihamidžić saw and why they were excited the youngster joined Bayern Munich. If he can build off of this showing he has a bright future as a capable replacement or alternative for Kimmich.

Der Bomber: Leroy Sané

Sané was the only consistent offensive threat. His play has been electric offensively since he’s joined Bayern, albeit inconsistent. In a lineup missing Lewandowski, Gnabry, and Coman, Sané was the only one able to create the necessary chances required to test Guilherme and the Lokomotiv defense. His build up play was on full display on Choupo-Moting’s goal that was Bayern’s second of the contest.

Meister of the Match: Niklas Süle

Looks like the public criticism of Süle might have just paid off. Not only did he score the game winning goal in the 63rd minute, Süle just played like his regular, consistent self for the entire match. His positioning was great all match long, complimenting Jerome Boateng’s to a “T.”

Effective in stopping attacks while at the same time spearheading Bayern’s attack vs. Lokomotiv Moscow, Süle should have reestablished his spot as CB No. 2 with David Alaba following his performance of this match.