Bayern Munich battle past Augsburg to keep pressure on league leaders Leverkusen
After ending a four-match winless streak last time out (D1, L3), Augsburg seemed to carry that new-found momentum into this match, starting strongly and putting the visitors under early pressure. A knockdown from Ermedin Demirovic found Elvis Rexhbecaj, who sent a well-executed finish in from a tight angle, only to see his would-be opener chalked off for offside.
Bayern responded with Leon Goretzka striking the side-netting before Aleksandar Pavlovic netted his first goal for his hometown club, firing home after a corner kick broke to him on just his fourth Bundesliga start.
That goal swung the momentum in the champions’ favour, and after Harry Kane came close with a shot across the face of goal, Bayern doubled their lead.
Exactly five years to the day since making his Bundesliga debut, Alphonso Davies marked the occasion by drilling in his first club goal of the season, beating Finn Dahmen from distance on the stroke of HT.
Augsburg once again made a fast start after the break, this time producing something more tangible when Demirovic connected with Kevin Mbabu’s searching cross, sending a looping header inside the far post beyond the reach of Manuel Neuer to cut the deficit.
Less than 10 minutes later, Kane had the ball in the back of the net thanks to a simple tap-in, and although the goal was initially disallowed, a VAR review determined that the ball had been tackled into his path, restoring the Bavarian side’s two-goal lead.
An overzealous attempted punch from Neuer caught Felix Uduokhai to hand Augsburg a late lifeline but the German shot-stopper redeemed himself to push away Sven Michel’s spot-kick.
Incredibly, a clumsy Thomas Müller foul handed the hosts another penalty which was this time converted by Demirovic in stoppage time, yet it was too late for Augsburg to mount a comeback.
Victory for Bayern sees them cut Leverkusen’s lead to just one point at the top of the table with a pivotal visit to the BayArena now on the horizon. As for Augsburg, defeat sees them drop to 12th in the Bundesliga standings, exactly 10 points above the automatic drop zone and 10 points from a European spot.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich)