Götze: 'Who knows when this will happen again?'
Munich - Another weekend of Bundesliga action and yet another record has been broken by FC Bayern München. On Matchday 12, the Reds defeated FC Augsburg 3-0 in the Allianz Arena to make it 37 games unbeaten in the Bundesliga, overtaking the record set by the legendary Hamburger SV team of the 1980s.
Universal pride
Mario Götze, starting his fourth game in a row, may have played a supporting role in his team's astonishing run, but that didn’t stop him revelling in yet another unique achievement for the Bavarians. “Who knows when you get another chance to do this,” he beamed at the final whistle.
Over a year has passed since Bayern last suffered defeat in the Bundesliga, when Bayer 04 Leverkusen sneaked an unlikely victory in the Allianz Arena on Matchday 9 in the 2012/13 season. Since then, the Reds have had the best home and away record, scored 98 goals and conceded just 21 - both league bests - and won 31 matches. It’s an extraordinary acheivement, and one that everyone in the team was equally proud of, regardless of their contribution.
“It’s definitely something special,” said Götze, who featured in just seven of the 37 encounters. “If you get the chance to set records like these, you have to take them.” Franck Ribery, scorer of the second goal against Augsburg, has played a significantly larger part in the record-breaking run - appearing in 33 games - but his joy was just as unconfined: “We did well, were very aggressive and played better than last time.”
Heynckes remembered
The plaudits will go to Pep Guardiola for leading the club to this milestone, as well as continuing the best-ever start to a season by a Bayern head coach and extending the club’s lead at the top of the table. However, it should not be forgotten that not the platform for this historic streak was laid down by his predecessor Jupp Heynckes.
Bayern’s quadruple-winning coach from last season contributed 25 of the 37 unbeaten matches, winning 21 and drawing four. The two-time UEFA Champions League-winning tactician may presently be enjoying his retirement away from the world of football, but he wasn’t forgotten at full time. “The whole club deserves credit for this, as does Jupp Heynckes, who led us to so much success last season,” said Jerome Boateng, who opened the scoring against Augsburg.
Perfect preparation for Dortmund
Indeed the day could hardly have gone better for Bayern, as not only did they make history, they also saw nearest rivals Borussia Dortmund slip up again after a 2-1 loss at VfL Wolfsburg. Guardiola's charges now have a four-point advantage going into the international break, after which they travel to Signal Iduna Park for the next instalment of their rivalry with Dortmund.
“It was fantastic for us that Dortmund lost and now we have a great chance that we want to seize,” said Götze of the clash against his former club. It’s also an opportunity for the Bundesliga's 'Invincibles' to extend this remarkable run to 38 matches, which is a motivation in itself for Thomas Müller. “It’s a record that won’t be overtaken any time soon. Now we want to build on it to make it harder for future generations to catch us.”
Bernie Reeves / Andi Messmer
Check out Mario Götze's top five goals, courtesy of the official Bundesliga YouTube channel:
