FC Bayern took on FC Porto with a plan and with hopes of continuing their march towards the Champions’ League final in Berlin, but instead found themselves on the brink after a error-strewn and at times painful 3-1 defeat against an energetic opponent. Bayern had gone into the game with an eleven-game unbeaten record on Portuguese soil, but this counted for nothing as Porto left Die Roten with plenty of work to do in the return leg in Munich. Continue reading FC Porto v FCB
After the gruelling DFB-Pokal quarter-final against Bayer Leverkusen earlier in the week, a depleted FC Bayern resumed their Bundesliga campaign with a professional and highly competent 3-0 win over mid-table Eintracht Frankfurt. The injury problems may be bad and Bayern may have had only four fit substitutes on the bench, but it was more than enough to overcome a opponent lacking in both spirit and imagination. Continue reading FCB v Eintracht Frankfurt
Over two hours of football couldn’t separate FC Bayern from DFB-Pokal quarter-final opponents Bayer 04 Leverkusen, with a pulsating encounter going all the way to the lottery of a penalty shootout. In the end the matter was decided by one crucial save from goalkeeping hero Manuel Neuer and a calm and composed winning strike from comeback kid Thiago Alcântara – with Bayern coach Pep Guardiola calmly watching from the sidelines on a small wooden chair, at times rocking gently. Continue reading Bayer 04 Leverkusen v FCB
The Red Dragons gathered in force at the Bavarian Beerhouse for the much awaited “Klassiker” against Borussia Dortmund, and after a gritty encounter at the Signal Iduna Park that lacked the usual quality and gloss but contained plenty of drama and tension, a depleted and rejigged Bayern side did enough to score the crucial goal and hold firm to claim all three points. Despite the ongoing injury crisis, Dortmund were effectively shut down and closed out by what was a supreme team performance from Die Roten. Continue reading Borussia Dortmund v FCB
This week’s report was always going to be a little different, with my being in the south stand of the Allianz Arena in Munich to watch FC Bayern live in what was arguably a modern revival of the age-old Klassiker of the 1970s against Borussia Mönchengladbach. Sadly, for Bayern fans the game wouldn’t quite match up to our expectations – and in what was surely the cruellest twist of fate I ended up having to witness at first hand what was probably Bayern’s most insipid display of the season. Continue reading FCB v Borussia Mönchengladbach
Fresh from their 7-0 demolition of Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek FC Bayern returned to domestic Bundesliga action against 1980s and early 1990s rivals Werder Bremen. Pep Guardiola’s side registered an easy 4-0 win without breaking into much of a sweat, with Polish striker Robert Lewandowski scoring a much-needed and confidence-boosting brace. Continue reading SV Werder Bremen v FCB
It had started out as a potentially tricky encounter against an unpredictable banana skin, and ended with a gentle breeze. Up against ten men following the fastest dismissal in the history of the Champions’ League, FC Bayern showed their professional poise in seeing off Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk to claim a place in the quarter-finals. Continue reading FCB v Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Bayern closed in on a record-extending twenty-fifth Bundesliga title with a functional and at times scrappy victory against mid-table Hannover at the HDI Arena, coming back from one goal down to register a safe if not exactly spectacular 3-1 victory with a brace from Thomas Müller. Continue reading Hannover 96 v FCB
FC Bayern continued their steady progress towards a third successive DFB-Pokal with a straightforward two-goal Pflichtsieg over second division Eintracht Braunschweig at the Allianz Arena. While the overall display against a highly defensive opponent provided plenty of missed opportunities and occasionally ventured into tedium, the two goals were right out of the top drawer. Continue reading FCB v Eintracht Braunschweig
27th February 2015 marked the 115th anniversary of the foundation of FC Bayern, and the Red Dragons London gathered in force for what would turn into a memorable birthday party. The evening ended with the presentation of a special “Allianz Arena” cake and a club history quiz, but the main meal – a Friday evening match up against one-time old school rivals 1. FC Köln – helped kicked things off nicely as Bayern scored two goals in each half to stay well on course for a twenty-fifth Bundesliga title. However, despite the convincing 4-1 scoreline it was one of those games where the result doesn’t tell the real story. Continue reading FCB v 1. FC Köln