Germany’s unlikely title contenders were taught a tough lesson at the Allianz Arena as Bayern Munich showed RB Leipzig what they are messing with on Wednesday night.
The two sides came into their first competitive meeting with only goal difference separating them, but the champions made a huge statement in emphatically winning their fifth consecutive league game.
Leipzig’s push to be crowned Bundesliga champions had been compared to Leicester City in the Premier League last season, albeit with a little less romance due to them having been founded and funded by Red Bull.
They were only established by the energy drink giants in 2009 and a win would have seen them top for Christmas, but that was never on the cards after a calamitous first half in Munich.
Thiago Alcantara and Xabi Alonso both scored as Bayern raced in front in the first half, before the visitors’ Emil Forsberg was sent off for a foul on Philipp Lahm.
Robert Lewandowski’s penalty – his 12th league goal of the season – added to Leipzig’s misery before the break and Bayern cruised to victory from then on, with substitute Franck Ribery hitting the crossbar.
Leipzig had won nine of their previous 10 league games having impressed hugely after promotion
, but will now have to reflect on their morale-sapping defeat during the Bundesliga’s one-month mid-season break.
It was a first-half blitz from a Bayern team trying to show who the true boss of the Bundesliga is.
Their captain admitted as much afterwards, as Lahm said: ‘We wanted to send a signal.’
That they did and it took only 17 minutes for Bayern to get their Christmas party started.
Lahm crossed for Lewandowski, who beat Forsberg to the ball. The 28-year-old striker flicked his shot against the woodwork, only for it to fall fortuitously to Thiago to follow it in.
Douglas Costa then hit the post for Bayern immediately after, as it looked like it would get worse for Leipzig.
Then, it did.
Thiago had the ball on the edge of the box and fed former Liverpool midfielder Alonso, whose effort found the far corner. It was easy.
As if Leipzig didn’t already have it all to do, they then went down to 10 men after a Bayern counter-attack following a corner for the away side.
Lahm was galloping towards the other end of the pitch and Forsberg could not completely catch up, deciding instead to slide his studs down the Achilles of the 33-year-old.
A trip would have done the trick to kill off the breakaway but this was malicious, and well worth the red card from the referee, Felix Zwayer.
And there was still time for them to shoot themselves in the foot again, too.
Costa broke through towards the left of the 18-yard box and Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, somewhat unnecessarily, ran out to meet him. Gulacsi took Costa out, and Zwayer pointed to the penalty spot.
Lewandowski took it and coolly scored to make it 3-0, and complete the scoreline before half-time.
The second half was straightforward. Bayern could have tried to humiliate their opponents but they knew the three points were already theirs.
It was brilliant from Bayern, while Leipzig looked like a deer caught in headlights, in the first half at least.
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