Five Key Games In Bayern's Title Win

AFP looks at five key Bayern Munich games in the 2017/18 season after they were crowned Bundesliga champions for the sixth consecutive year on Saturday

Berlin, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Apr, 2018 ) :AFP looks at five key Bayern Munich games in the 2017/18 season after they were crowned Bundesliga champions for the sixth consecutive year on Saturday: Paris Saint-Germain 3 Bayern Munich 0 (Champions League, group stages, September 27 2017) The defeat cost Carlo Ancelotti his job and was the turning point of Bayern's season.

They had no answer to goals by PSG stars Dani Alves, Edinson Cavani and Neymar in Paris. Ancelotti paid the price for leaving Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben out of the starting team.

Having lost his dressing room, Ancelotti's sacking came hours after the defeat. "Whatever decision you make, if the club does not protect you, you're dead," he later told Italian television. "If you sort out a player, he then goes to the club and is strengthened by them, then you lose face with him in front of the other players.

You will not recover from that. "According to the media, I was fired at Bayern because I had five big players against me". The quintet were Thomas Mueller, Robert Lewandowski, Robben, Ribery and Boateng, who all complained that training was too easy under the Italian.

Freiburg 0 Bayern Munich 5 (Bundesliga, matchday eight, October 14 2017) Jupp Heynckes' first game in charge was a one-sided rout as Kingsley Coman, Thiago Alcantara, Lewandowski and Joshua Kimmich scored after Freiburg leaked an early own goal.

Heynckes' changes had an immediate impact. Javi Martinez was returned to the defensive midfield, where he had been magnificent for Bayern in the 2013 treble-winning season. Thomas Mueller was moved from the wing to attacking midfield with Robben on the right wing.

Having drawn their two previous league games, Bayern routed Freiburg and won their next nine games to wipe out a five-point deficit in the league table behind early leaders Borussia Dortmund. Bayern Munich 2 RB Leipzig 0 (Bundesliga, matchday 10, October 28 2017) Just three days after winning a penalty shoot-out in the second round of the German Cup in Leipzig, Bayern grabbed top spot for the first time in the league with another win over RB.

The red card after just 13 minutes showed to Leipzig's key defender Willi Orban, for bringing Robben, left RB fighting an uphill battle at the Allianz Arena. James Rodriguez scored six minutes later, then Lewandowski hit a first-half goal which meant it was all over at the break and left Bayern three points ahead in the table.....

Borussia Dortmund 1 Bayern Munich 3 (Bundesliga, matchday 11, November 4 2017) ...which became a four-point lead over Leipzig the following weekend when Bayern won handsomely at Dortmund, who were then six points adrift of Munich.

Robben, Lewandowski and David Alaba all claimed goals before Borussia's Marc Bartra scored a late consolation as the Bayern defence kept Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang quiet. When Bayern suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at Borussia Moenchengladbach three weeks later, they still enjoyed a three-point cushion over second-placed Leipzig.

Even by that stage, Dortmund were down to fifth, eight points behind Munich, after throwing away a four-goal lead at home to Schalke in the Ruhr Valley derby. Bayern Munich 6 Hamburg 0 (Bundesliga, matchday 26, March 10 2018) Bayern smashed hapless Hamburg for six at the Allianz Arena to go a staggering 20 points clear in the table.

Having fired an earlier penalty over the bar, Lewandowski wrapped up his first league hat-trick of the season with a 90th-minute spot kick. Hamburg had no answers as Bayern charged into a 3-0 lead after just 19 minutes thanks to goals by Ribery and two from Lewandowski.

Their massive points lead meant it hardly mattered that Bayern lost 2-1 at home to Leipzig the following weekend. As had long been the case, it was just a matter of time before Bayern were again confirmed league champions.