Bayern beat Eintracht Frankfurt in convincing fashion

Bayern Munich survived a slight scare to eventually overcome Eintracht Frankfurt 5-2 in an entertaining encounter on Saturday evening.

The result saw Bayern restore their four point advantage at the top of the table and condemned Eintracht to their fifth consecutive league defeat.

The hosts were utterly dominant in an impressive first half display in front of a collection of club legends such as Franz Beckenbauer and OIiver Kahn. 

Their first clear cut opportunity arrived in the eleventh minute. Joshua Kimmich teed up Robert Lewandowski with a precise corner and the Polish striker, just beyond the penalty spot, met it first time, only to see his shot cannon back off the crossbar with Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp beaten.

Ivan Perisic and Benjamin Pavard both had good chances saved by Trapp in quick succession as The Bavarians continued to pile the pressure on their visitors.

This pressure paid off in the 17th minute as Bayern took the lead. Thomas Muller broke down the left and pulled the ball back for Leon Goretzka, who hit a first time half volley with the inside of his right foot, giving Trapp no chance.

Despite plenty of possession Bayern only doubled their lead just before half-time when Muller turned goalscorer. Alphonso Davies broke rapidly down the left and whipped a cross in, Muller controlled it using an awkward looking but effective combination of his right foot and thigh, before firing it home with his left foot beyond the oncoming Trapp.

The second half started as the first finished, with Bayern in the ascendancy. They duly capitalised on this by scoring less than a minute after the restart. Muller was once again influential as he volleyed the ball down the right wing for Kingsley Coman to chase. The Frenchman crossed from just inside the edge of the penalty area, which was met by a powerful header from Lewandowski to make it 3-0.

It seemed from this point, it would be a comfortable win for the home side but suddenly they were perhaps guilty of taking their foot off the pedal and Frankfurt certainly woke up.

Martin Hinteregger struck twice in three minutes, from corner kicks, to pull Eintracht right back into the match. The first goal came when he reacted first to his own flick on to drill the ball into the corner of the net and the second was a free header from eight yards out that again gave Manuel Neuer no chance.

Just after the hour mark, Davies capitalised on a misplaced pass by Frankfurt captain Gelson Fernandes on the edge of the area. His shot went into the left corner beyond Trapp to help Bayern restore their two goal cushion. 

Substitute Serge Gnabry created the final goal with little over a quarter of an hour remaining, as slotted the ball beyond Trapp. However, he was denied a place on the scoresheet as Hinteregger got his feet in a muddle as he attempted to clear the ball and inadvertently helped it into his own net.

The final minutes of the game were fairly uneventful with Bayern firmly back in control but, the one moment of magic came from Frankfurt’s Filip Kostić who went on a mazy run and was unlucky to see his shot smash the inside of the post and bounce away to safety with Neuer rooted to the spot.

Bayern: Neuer (c) – Pavard, Boateng (Hernandez 73′), Alaba, Davies – Kimmich (Cuisance 85′), Goretzka – Coman (Zirkzee 85′), Müller, Perisic (Gnabry 64′) – Lewandowski
Unused subs: Ulreich, Odriozola, Martinez, Mai, Batista, Meier

Frankfurt: Trapp – Toure, Hinteregger, N’Dicka (Chandler 46′) – da Costa (Durm 76′), Fernandes (c), Ilsanker, Rode (Kamada 71′), Kostic – Gacinovic (Sow 71′)- Silva (Dost 76′)
Unused subs: Rönnow, de Guzman, Torro, Hasebe