Franck Ribery feels he deserved to win the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or award
Franck Ribery feels he deserved to win the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or award

Mandzukic and Müller find the net in Hoffenheim

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Hoffenheim – After falling behind, FC Bayern München show their class in the 1-2 away win over 1899 Hoffenheim on Matchday Eleven.

Slow start for Bayern

Niklas Süle opened the scoring in the Rhein-Neckar Arena after a mistake from Manuel Neuer. Mario Mandzukic drew even before half time after the ball deflected off him from a set piece. Thomas Müller put one on top to give Bayern the lead late in the second half.

Bayern defence played a high line pressing the Hoffenheim midfield, however Roberto Firmino had Hoffenheim’s first real chance in the 12th minute after some good passing which saw him infront of goal, only to be denied a shot by Javi Martinez sliding in on the edge of the 16-yard-box. Hoffenheim’s attacks were being broken down by the Bavarian defence.

Bayern found their feet after the first quarter of an hour, having several good chances to sink the ball into the back of the net. Both Lahm and Müller found themselves free for two attempts on goal that the Hoffenheim goalie could deflect. In the 24th minute, Martinez had a great chance to score after a set piece from Bastian Schweinsteiger, but just bounced passed the wrong side of the post after hitting the ball with his thigh.

Süle and Mandzukic


Niklas Süle scored (34th) from a corner after a mistake from Manuel Neuer giving him his first goal of the season. Hoffenheim who were struggling so far, showed a new aggressive side pushing to get a quick second goal for the last ten minutes of the half. Mandzukic equalized in the 39th minute deflecting the ball after a Ribery freekick.

Dante headed the ball just over the crossbar from a corner just after half, however Hoffenheim were pushing forward. Pep Guardiola was not happy with the midfield and briefly swapping around Lahm, Martinez and Boateng trying to find the right line-up. This tweek to the line-up helped Bayern retain possession in midfield, stopping Hoffenheim before they reached the danger zone.

Too much pressure


Kevin Forland found a great opening after cutting inside to blast the ball towards the bottom right corner demanding a terrific save from Manuel Neuer. Shortly after, Frank Ribery found his shot deflected just wide of the goal for a corner. After a long build up from the Bavarians Müller deals the decisive goal (75th) for the 1-2 scoreline, after the club from Sinsheim failed to clear the ball on two occasions.

Bayern showed their ability to keep the pressure up in the final quarter of an hour, passing the ball very well and winning the it back quickly. Müller and Schweinsteiger each had a definite chance to put the game in a bag in the dying minutes of the game, yet were unsuccessful. The game was much closer than it should have been, with Bayern dominating possession for large parts of the game and with the most chances.