Bayern crush Hannover 96 at the HDI-Arena

Manuel Veth –

Hannover v Bayern saw the Rekordmeister resurgent. Hannover 96, in fact, never stood a chance against a Bayern side that was not just clinical but also dominant in every area showing glimpses of the team that dominated the league over the last six seasons.

• Joshua Kimmich opens the scoring within 62 seconds and wins the man of the match
• Bayern shut out Hannover
• Bayern to face RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt next

Hannover v Bayern

Goals: 0-1 (Joshua Kimmich, 2’), 0-2 (David Alaba, 29’), 0-3 (Serge Gnabry, 53′), 0-4 (Robert Lewandowski, 62′)

It took Bayern just 62 seconds to get on the scoresheet. A long ball found Thomas Müller at the byline and the national team player, who was playing his 300th game today, hit the ball overhead back to the edge of the penalty box where Joshua Kimmich hit the ball with a great volley to beat Michael Esser.

The Bavarians looked razor-sharp in the opening ten minutes and were pressing to built on the early opener. Müller should have had the second in the 20′ minute, left wide open on the penalty spot the 28-year-old received the ball with the back to the wall turned but his shot flew right over the crossbar.

Then in the 27′ minute, Leon Goretzka followed an unopposed run through midfield with a shot from 20-yards that drew a flying stop from Esser. Just moments later Müller played a one-two with Serge Gnabry that left Lewandowski open but the ball was played behind the Polish striker, and the chance was gone. In the same attack, Kimmich tested Essere with a close-range shot that drew a corner.

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The second goal was coming, and it arrived from that corner. Hannover were able to clear the initial corner but the ball fell straight to David Alaba, and his shot from 20-yards was perfectly placed to beat Esser to make it 2-0 in the 29′ minute.

If this had been a boxing match, the referee would have stopped it. Hannover were on the ropes, down and out as Bayern put on a school in the first 45 minutes. The Bavarians put on a show, had 76% possession and completed 91% of their 322 passes. Nonetheless, Hannover had the final chance of the first 45 minutes when Hendrik Weydandt got on the end of a Takuma Asano cross in the 44′ minute, but his header hit the outside of the post.

Any hope Hannover fostered from that chance, however, was pulverised within seven minutes of the second half. Gnabry was given to much space on the right, broke into the box and despite a poor touch was allowed to slot the ball past Esser to make it 0-3 in the 52′ minute.

Bayern kept coming. Müller tested Esser following a Thiago corner in the 57′ minute, and Niklas Süle saw a volley miss the target after another corner in the 58′ minute. The fourth was coming and arrived in the 62′ minute when Robert Lewandowski got on the end of a Kimmich cross inside the six-yard box to head home the ball.

That goal settled the match as Bayern now started to conserve their energy ahead of another week with two games (against RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt). Nonetheless, Bayern had further chances the biggest one in the 85′ minute when Lewandowski went one-v-one with Esser, but his finish lacked conviction and went over the crossbar. The 30-year-old striker then missed the empty net in the final minute, not that it mattered much the Bavarians had wrapped up a dominant win against a lacklustre Hannover side.

Hannover v Bayern  – Man of the Match

Joshua Kimmich was the player of the match. With Thiago back in the lineup Kimmich was forced back to the right-back role, but the national team player did not miss a beat despite the switch. Scoring once and assisting on Lewandowski’s goal Kimmich completed 92% of his 62 passes, played eight key passes and four of his ten crosses found the target. It is not often that players dominate from the right-back position, but Kimmich did exactly that to earn the man of the match award.

Hannover v Bayern – Joshua Kimmich (L) and Leon Goretzka of Muenchen celebrate their teams first goal during the Bundesliga match between Hannover 96 and FC Bayern Muenchen at HDI-Arena on December 15, 2018 in Hanover, Germany. (Photo by Thomas Starke/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Hannover v Bayern  – Talking Point

Bayern looked like Bayern again. Dominant in every area Hannover never had a chance in this match as the Bavarians were ready for this match right from the get-go. The real test for Bayern, however, is only coming up for the Bavarians. Bayern will play RB Leipzig midweek and then face Eintracht Frankfurt. Bayern showed some problems midweek against Ajax, and the upcoming opponents in the Bundesliga are the sort of opponents that could seriously test the stability of this Bayern side.

Hannover v Bayern  – Match Stats

• Thomas Müller got the start to make his 300th Bundesliga appearance.
• Bayern have scored their fastest Bundesliga goal (62 seconds) since April 2012, when Mario Gomez scored against Augsburg after just 24 seconds.

Hannover v Bayern  – Line-ups

Hannover 96:

Formation: 3-4-1-2

Esser – Wimmer, Anton, Felipe (Maina, 46′) – Ostrzolek, Walace, Schwegler, Haraguchi – Asano (Muslera, 63′) – Füllkrug (Elez, 73′), Weydandt

Coach: André Breitenreiter

Bayern München:

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Neuer – Alaba (Rafinha, 73′), Hummels, Süle, Kimmich – Goretzka, Thiago – Coman (Renato Sanches, 72′), T. Müller (Wagner 79′), Gnabry – Lewandowski

Coach: Niko Kovac

Manuel Veth is the owner and Editor in Chief of the Futbolgrad Network. He also works as a freelance journalist and among others works for the Bundesliga and Pro Soccer USA. He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in History from King’s College London, and his thesis is titled: “Selling the People’s Game: Football’s transition from Communism to Capitalism in the Soviet Union and its Successor States,” which is available HERE. Originally from Munich, Manuel has lived in Amsterdam, Kyiv, Moscow, Tbilisi, London, and currently is located in Victoria BC, Canada.  Follow Manuel on Twitter @ManuelVeth.