Schalke 04 0-3 Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich picked up their first win of the Bundesliga season in resounding fashion as they smashed Schalke, 3-0, at the Veltins Arena.
Robert Lewandowski, who scored both goals in their 2-2 draw against Hertha Berlin last week, added a hat-trick to his impressive early-season tally as he once again inspired the champions to victory.
The match also saw three Bayern newcomers — Lucas Hernandez, Philippe Coutinho, and Ivan Perisic — make their debuts for the team.
Neither Coutinho nor Perisic contributed anything of note in their first match. But they got to witness firsthand the elite quality of Lewandowski, whom they will look to supply with even more goals this season.
Highlights of the game
As noted in SBOBET’s preview to this match, it was a bit too soon for Coutinho to go straight into the Bayern starting XI. He, along with fellow newcomers Ivan Perisic and Michael Cuisance, started out on the substitutes’ bench.
Instead, manager Niko Kovac opted to go with Joshua Kimmich in midfield alongside Corentin Tolisso and Thomas Muller, with Benjamin Pavard starting at right-back. Meanwhile, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry flanked main man Lewandowski up front.
It was Lewandowski who got the game’s first shot on target on four minutes. The Polish striker got on the end of Kimmich’s free-kick, but he didn’t make the best contact with it, which resulted in a tame effort that was easily caught by Alexander Nubel.
However, Lewandowski did make better contact with his next chance on 16 minutes. Off a Kimmich corner, the Pole rose high for a strong header, but Nubel was able to push it away.
Minutes later, though, Bayern would get their breakthrough. Coman was clumsily brought down in the penalty area by Schalke defender Jonjoe Kenny, which resulted in a clear-cut penalty. Lewandowski stepped up to the spot and made no mistake as he sent Nubel the wrong way.
David Wagner’s Schalke took their time to get into the match, and they finally got their first shot attempt of the match near the hour mark as Omar Mascarell tried his luck from distance. But his effort didn’t trouble Manuel Neuer at the slightest, and neither did Amine Harit’s weak shot minutes before half-time.
Bayern had to wait just five minutes in the second half to extend their lead. Lewandowski, again on set-piece duties, doubled his tally with a sublime free-kick right into the top corner that gave Nubel no chance. Surely, that will go down as one of the top Bundesliga 2019 highlights of the week.
With Bayern cruising at 2-0, Coutinho and Perisic came on for their debuts on 57 minutes. However, Schalke hadn’t yet given up hope as they continued to look for a goal to cut Bayern’s lead in half.
Matija Nastasic met Daniel Caliguiri’s corner with a thumping header, but the former Manchester City man was unable to keep it below the crossbar.
But Bayern eventually sealed victory on 75 minutes thanks to — who else — Robert Lewandowski. The striker completed his hat-trick as he took a masterful touch to evade a Schalke defender and unleashed a powerful shot past the diving Nubel.
Borussia Dortmund may be looking good with two wins out of two, but Bayern sent a message with this strong performance that they are still the team to beat.
Key statistics
Bayern’s remarkable dominance over Schalke continues. The Bavarians have now extended their unbeaten run against Schalke to 19 matches (16 wins, three draws), and have won their last six meetings in a row.
Meanwhile, they’ve won seven of their last eight visits to the Veltins Arena by at least two goals; Schalke have scored just one in those eight matches.
Lewandowski has now scored five goals in his first two matches, two of which have come from the penalty spot. The Pole has converted 41 out of his last 43 penalties, which is a remarkable conversion rate of 95 per cent.
What’s next?
It’s back to the drawing board for David Wagner and his Schalke side. They will look to recover from this sound beating at the hands of Bayern in their next match next weekend, which will be at home to Hertha Berlin.
As for Bayern, they will also be at home next week as they host Mainz at the Allianz Arena. That will serve as their warm-up match ahead of their huge clash away to RB Leipzig the following week. Don’t forget to check out the Bundesliga 2019 odds for that match on SBOBET once they become available.
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