Thomas Muller led the charge with a goal and two assists as Bayern Munich scored a convincing 4-0 triumph over Werder Bremen in Bundesliga action on Saturday.Bayern came into the match on a high note following a 7-0 thumping of Shakhtar Donetsk to reach the Champions League quarterfinals. A rare lackluster performance from the Bavarians led to a scoreless draw in the opening leg. The dominance returned on Wednesday.Afterward, the club's official site passed along comments from manager Pep Guardiola. He explained his players have proven they normally rise to the occasion when the heat is on."I'm delighted with my players today. They were under pressure but, as they've shown over the years, they're up for it when it matters," Guardiola said.Also of note, Bayern was without a few key contributors on Saturday due to injury:The absences in the midfield didn't seem to impact the Bundesliga leaders in the early going.They were able to take control of possession almost immediately. It led to a few chances inside the first 15 minutes. The best being a Robert Lewandowski header nicely handled by Bremen goalkeeper Raphael Wolf.Bayern continued to force the pace and got on the scoreboard in the 24th minute.Muller collected the ball at the top of the box, took one touch to create an angle and then perfectly curled the shot inside the far post. It was a true goal-scorer's tally as he showed terrific poise as two defenders converged.Squawka Football noted the recent strong form of the forward:Bundesliga Live provided an interesting tidbit about the goal:Cristian Nyari of Bundesliga Fanatic applauded the finish:Bremen was unable to string any passes together to create much of anything offensively in the first half. They held just 29 percent of possession and, when they did have the ball, the Bayern defense was rarely under pressure.Then, shortly before the halftime whistle the Bavarians struck again.Bayern earned a free kick just outside the box. David Alaba stepped up and delivered another highlight-reel effort. He flighted the shot easily over the wall and it curled past the outreached arm of Wolf to make it 2-0 for the away side.Bleacher Report UK pointed out it was the club's 100th goal of the campaign:Bavarian Tweets highlighted the attacking weapon the 22-year-old defender has become:Bayern carried the two-goal lead into the locker room.The pace slowed after the break. Bremen started playing a more physical brand of football in an attempt to create more Bayern turnovers, which wasn't overly successful. The reigning champions responded in kind to begin a steady stream of yellow cards.Saturday's clash also marked the competitive debut with the side for veteran goalkeeper Pepe Reina. He wasn't called into action very often. The longtime Liverpool star was forced to make a nice save to keep the two-goal cushion just after the hour mark, as the club noted:Bayern stretched the lead to three about 10 minutes later courtesy of Lewandowski.Wolf made a poor decision to leave his line to attack a long ball. Muller beat him in the race, chipped it over the top and the Polish striker headed the pass into the empty net. It was a nice play all around to take advantage of the keeper's mistake.As ESPN FC pointed out, for all intents and purposes that put the game on ice:They make it look easy, as Flares and Fuball stated:Lewandowski found the net again in stoppage time to wrap up the scoring. Muller played another perfect pass in his direction, from there he simply outran the defense and slid to touch the ball over the goal line.Bayern News spotlighted the delivery from Muller:It was the final meaningful play of the match as the final whistle blew on a 4-0 Bayern victory.Notable Player GradesThomas Muller (Bayern Munich): AA constant presence in the attacking third. Scored the opening goal for Bayern with a picturesque delivery in the far corner. Continued to showcase top form, further solidifying himself as one of the most reliable forwards in Europe. Capped it off with a pair of late assists.Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich): B+Had been battling some up-and-down form as of late. As with most strikers, it usually comes down to their confidence level. He looked far more dangerous on Saturday. Created a few chances in the first half and scored twice in the second. Exactly the type of strong effort he needed.Philipp Bargfrede (Werder Bremen): C-The defensive midfield role is vitally important against a Bayern side that's usually going to dominate the possession battle. Bargfrede didn't do enough to thwart the Bavarians' numerous extended stints on the attack or jump-start enough chances on the counter.Post-Match ReactionTo follow.
Click here to read full news..
