Union Berlin 0-2 Bayern Munich: Initial reactions and observations

Initial reactions and observations

• Though Union played admirably, Bayern was the better team. Bayern asserted their dominance from the beginning until the very end. Bayern showed that they are still the favorites and the leaders of the league, while Union showed that they will likely have enough fight in them to remain in the top flight next season.
• Geisterspiele are weird. Although it was great to have soccer back, especially to see our beloved Bayern Munich, it was weird to see the game without the fans. This game would have likely been one of the best atmospheres of the season as far as road games go.
• Bayern was rusty, but the intensity was still there. Some of the things that we have taken for granted from Bayern this season were missing this game. Davies was still quick but missed simple passes. Gnabry appeared to not know when to pull the trigger when shooting from inside the box. This is probably natural for being the first game in two months. Hopefully Bayern will be able to shake off the rust before the opponents get better.

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Final Whistle — Union Berlin 0-2 Bayern Munich.

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89’ — Substitution Bayern. Cuisance on for Mueller

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85’ — Substitution Bayern. Perisic comes on for Gnabry

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85’ — Double Substitution, Union. F. Kroos and Ryerson on for Prömel and Büttler.

81’ — Substitution, Union. Mees comes on for Ingwatsen.

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80’ — GOAL!! Benjamin Pavard header from a corner!

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70’ — Substation Bayern. Coman comes on form Goretzka

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70’ — Double Substitution, Union Berlin. Andersson and Gentner comes on for Andrich and Ujah

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46’ — we are underway again!

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Halftime Observations

• Bayern is lucky to be in the lead at halftime. Union has shown great hustle and tenacity and have often frustrated the Bayern players. Each time Bayern looked to be breaking, Union always seemed to put a foot in and disrupt the play.
• Conversely, Union is lucky to only be down 1-0. Bayern held a commanding lead in the possession and had more chances, even if they weren’t all clear-cut. Mueller’s goal was only offsides by inches.
• This game will likely not be over early. This does not feel like a game that Bayern will run away with. This game will likely go down to the very last minute. Bayern needs all three points to reestablish their four-point lead over Dortmund. Hopefully they won’t make this too dramatic.

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Halftime — Union 0 - 1 Bayern

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39’ — PENALTY GOAL!! Lewandowski scores from the spot!

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19’ — Thomas Mueller appears to score, but after a VAR check it was ruled offsides!

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Kickoff: The ball is rolling in East Berlin!

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One hour until kickoff: Lineups are out!

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It feels like an eternity has passed since the last Bayern Munich game, but we’re finally back. The return to football is awkward and not without controversy, but this is a good time for fans of the club to just relax on a Sunday evening and watch their favorite team. We could all use a little pick-me-up at the moment.

Bayern have a few injuries coming into the game — most notably that of Philippe Coutinho and Corentin Tolisso, both of whom are sidelined with ankle trouble and expected to miss the season. Still, Hansi Flick has all he needs to field a proper lineup, with Robert Lewandowski returning to fitness over the course of the lockdown. Between him and Thomas Muller, the striker partnership should be taken care of. If not, then there’s still Serge Gnabry to pick up the slack, and Joshua Zirkzee on the bench if need be.

Speaking of bench options, given that this is a restart game and a total of five substitutions are allowed, we might see lesser-used players like Michael Cuisance and Fiete Arp get some playing time in the coming weeks. Of course, the first concern is getting all three points, and you can be sure that the team is laser-focused after two months on the sidelines.

It’s Bayern time.

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Match Info

Location: Stadion An der Alten Försterei, Berlin, Germany

Time: 6 pm local time, 12 pm EST

TV/streaming: Fubo.tv, Find Your Country

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