BayernForum.com

24.02.2007

Bayern were fluent and laboured by turns on their return to domestic action, but an ultimately routine victory takes the Reds to within touching distance of third in the Bundesliga.

The 69,000 capacity crowd at the Allianz Arena saw Bayern survive a couple of early scares before settling to the task at hand and dominating the first period.

Lukas Podolski's 26th minute penalty separated the sides at the interval, although the Reds were fortunate when VfL's Germany striker Mike Hanke hit a post on the stroke of half-time.

<b>Important three points</b>

But Bayern retained their refreshing fluency after the restart and Mark van Bommel doubled the advantage on 55 minutes with a sweetly-struck 20-yard drive.

However, the Reds declined to polish off their largely toothless opponents and Cedrick Makiadi pulled one back with ten minutes to go to set up an uncomfortable closing phase.

The champions held on to seal a result which takes them to 40 points from 23 matches and up to within two points of Bremen in third, although Werder travel to bottom club Monchengladbach on Sunday.

<b>Surprise start for Görlitz</b>

With Willy Sagnol and Martin Demichelis suspended, and flu victim Daniel van Buyten missing for the first time this season, Christian Lell deputised alongside Lucio at centre-half with Hasan Salihamidzic as a makeshift right-back.

Those changes were expected, as was the forward pairing of Podolski and Claudio Pizarro with Roy Makaay dropping to the bench, but few had predicted a first start in two-and-a-half years for Andreas Görlitz on the right side of a midfield diamond featuring Mark van Bommel in the hole and Owen Hargreaves in the holding position.

<b>Poldi breaks deadlock</b>

After a cagey start, the match exploded into life on ten minutes with two stunning saves from Oliver Kahn, the first from Brazilian playmaker Marcelinho's free-kick and the second a blinding reaction stop from Alexander Madlung's header.

The Wolves' Simon Jentzsch was much the busier of the two keepers after that as the Reds eased into command, although neither van Bommel nor Pizarro connected properly from inviting positions and Hargreaves whistled a free-kick past the post.

Van Bommel volleyed wide when hitting the target looked easier, but the breakthrough came shortly afterwards when referee Torsten Kinhöfer adjudged Madlung's tussle with Pizarro as worthy of a penalty, Podolski sending Jentzsch the wrong way to chalk up his second league goal in a red shirt.

<b>Mark makes it two</b>

The VfL shot-stopper acrobatically beat away a dangerous Philipp Lahm cross and saved well from Pizarro's header, but the home side were suddenly breathing a huge sigh of relief when Hanke drove against the inside of the upright on a rare Wolves foray, Görlitz brilliantly denying Diego Klimowicz as the Argentine hitman shaped to tap in the rebound.

The incident looked like a blip as the Bavarians piled on the pressure in the second half, Podolski twice coming within inches of connecting with crosses from the lively Görlitz and Pizarro driving across the face of goal after a bustling run.

A second goal looked overdue and finally arrived when Lucio burst forward, Bastian Schweinsteiger laid off and Van Bommel buried a shot from outside the box and into the far corner.

<b>Uncomfortable closing phase</b>

Podolski fired narrowly wide a few minutes later, but the action was thin on the ground in the closing stages as both sides seemed content to see out time, Bayern unwilling to invest much more and Wolfsburg unable to.

Makiadi's strike from Jacek Krzynowek's 79th minute cross arrived out of nowhere and meant Ottmar Hitzfeld's men had to concentrate unnecessarily hard for the last few minutes, but Kahn denied sub Isaac Boakye and Jentzsch thwarted Pizarro on the break as the Reds hung on for a big win.

<i>Live match report for <b>fcbayern.de</b> by Chris Hamley</i>