Bayern beat RB Leipzig 6-1 at Allianz Arena as Luis Díaz nets hat-trick
Bayern Munich routed RB Leipzig 6-1 at the Allianz Arena on Saturday in a Bundesliga match, with Luis Díaz scoring a hat-trick. The victory came after a testing week for the champions and provided a dominant response on a Saturday night showcase.
Bayern had arrived having failed to win in their previous two matches, conceding the Bundesliga’s fastest goal at Augsburg and going 1-0 down in less than 90 seconds in Stavanger. Vincent Kompany sat out the post-match press conference owing to illness and a hip problem that made his movement from the dressing room to pitch side slow and uncomfortable; Max Eberl stood in on his behalf. Kicker described the game as a “Trainingsspiel in der Allianz Arena”.
The hosts threatened from the outset when Harry Kane tested Leipzig goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt early, but Díaz opened the scoring in the 12th minute after steaming onto a Joshua Kimmich pass and driving through the centre of the Leipzig defence. Díaz then supplied a pass for Aleksandar Pavlovic just before the half-hour, and a subsequent collective move ended with Kane creating a chance that Michael Olise finished imperiously.
Vandevoordt’s performance prevented an even heavier defeat for Leipzig; the report noted that had it not been for the goalkeeper performing creditably, Leipzig’s club record defeat would have been comfortably surpassed. The piece described Bayern’s display as a forceful release of recent frustrations, including Manuel Neuer’s early error at Augsburg and a red card that followed a provocative incident involving Viking’s captain Zlatko Tripic and Olise.
Díaz completed his hat-trick in the second half, first gathering a Kane pass to chop inside and curl a shot into the far corner, then finishing from a central position after a longer run to complete the treble. Joshua Kimmich emphasised Díaz’s importance afterward: “He delivered incredible numbers for us last season,” Kimmich continued (22 goals and 17 assists in Bundesliga and Champions League combined).
Bayern finished the weekend top of the Bundesliga table, ahead of Borussia Dortmund on goal difference, aided by Freiburg’s first loss of the season at Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen came from behind to win after Derry Scherhant had put Freiburg ahead; Ibrahim Maza equalised and then set up Patrick Schick for the winner, Schick having now scored in each of the opening six games. Maza told DAZN: “Just playing in the cage, just improvising and going for it.” Other results included Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 Cologne, Werder Bremen 2-2 Paderborn, Union Berlin 0-0 Dortmund, Schalke 0-1 Mainz, Hamburg 1-0 Stuttgart, Elversberg 4-3 Augsburg, Leverkusen 2-1 Freiburg and M'gladbach 1-2 Hoffenheim.
Werder’s draw with Paderborn featured Niclas Füllkrug scoring for a fifth straight game as his brace rescued a 2-2 draw, and coach Daniel Thioune said: “Niclas expects a lot from a coach. It’s not just what he does on the pitch, but also what happens in the locker room. Niclas is never too proud to go the extra mile.” Dortmund were held to a goalless draw by Union, their second successive scoreless match, while Stuttgart slipped into the bottom six after a defeat in Hamburg; “We’re not a top team right now,” bemoaned Deniz Undav.
Arsenal are Bayern’s next opponents on Wednesday, and the report noted that this version of Díaz will be needed with Olise suspended. “We have memories of that game,” said Eberl, “and we want to translate those memories into energy this Wednesday.”