Heading into the weekend’s action, Bayern led atop the league table by just a solitary point over Borussia Dortmund, but are now four clear, with their rivals playing on Sunday, away to Freiburg. It puts added pressure on the team in Black and Yellow to come up with a result, knowing that points are at a premium, with just four matches left of this campaign.
The Allianz Arena team dominated this match for the most part, but carved out just one clear cut opportunity in the first half. Thiago Alcantara put through German international Serge Gnabry, but the winger’s shot was well saved by the Werder Bremen goalkeeper at his near post.
The away side were defensively organised, but offered very little going forward, and the teams headed into the interval scoreless.
After the break, the five times European champions came out all guns blazing, peppering the Bremen goal and they kept their goalkeeper Pavlenka, very busy. Polish forward Roberto Lewandowski had the first good chance of the second half, as he had a shot, which forced the shot-stopper to clear with his feet.
Bremen’s first half defensive rearguard was being breached in the second half, as the Czech goalkeeper had to save twice more before the hour mark, from Bayern’s seemingly main danger men, Gnabry and Leweandowski once each again.
A big turning point occurred soon after, as Milos Velikovic was sent off for Bremen, after being given his second yellow card for what the referee deemed was a high elbow, on a one on one challenge with Niklas Sule.
Interestingly, it was Sule that got the go ahead goal for the home team, he collected a pass from Thiago, had a shot, the ball took a deflection off Klaasen and the ball went in the goal. Pavlenka had looked like saving the initial direction of the ball, but after the deflection, he had no chance.
Lewandowski missed another chance to get his name on the score-sheet, hitting the ball over the bar late on, but it did not affect the result as his team closed out the match, achieved the win and are again in pole position to claim a record extending 29th domestic league title.