Bundesliga
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There had been so many warnings before the game: last year, FC Liverpool had lost to SSC Napoli in the notorious stadium of Rajko Mitic. The fans created a scary atmosphere, and the own history of FC Bayern in Belgrade was not very good.
But after the final whistle it was the coach of Red Star, Vladan Milojevic, who said: "We were afraid." No noise from the stands, no rioting in the square, nothing at all. After the disastrous 0: 6 from the point of view of the hosts, Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer sounded almost as if he had sympathy with the opponent: "It is also difficult if we do not allow anything."
The frustration did not turn into rage: From the grandstand was in the 77th Minute even a short, respectful applause to hear, in the moment when Robert Lewandowski was replaced. Incidentally, the grandstand was already half empty.
Best debut of a Bayern coach
A test of courage was Belgrade for the Bayern then not, rather a mandatory date. Head coach Hansi Flick had celebrated a very good debut in the first three games, in the Champions League, the move into the second round was already safe. But now a routine evening turned into an evening of superlatives.
With so many records to choose from, which will have the most importance later: The fastest four-pack in the history of the Champions League by Lewandowski (14:31 minutes); two four-packs in a preliminary round (Serge Gnabry also scored in the 7-2 in Tottenham), as well as 21 goals in five games and the chance to be the first German team to celebrate six wins in the preliminary round; the best debut of a Bayern coach ever.
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Bayern's Robert Lewandowski: Four in 15Conversely, it was the highest home defeat in the history of Red Star, according to Belgrade coach Milojevic. And just this time, Uli Hoeneß was not there, it was the first trip abroad, after the President was ceded: In this stadium he had gambled in 1976 as a national player with a shot in the night sky, the European Championship.
"Very serious"
Now the list of triumphant European Cup evenings for Bayern is not exactly short. The special thing about the success in Belgrade, however, is how quickly the team shows a completely different face within a very short time. In Piraeus they won the match 3: 2, said CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge at his nightly banquet speech, "but the game was not so great". This time around, the team has "done a fantastic job, very serious".
The last four games under Niko Kovac: eleven goals conceded; the first four under Flick: no more. Although it must be noted that Belgrade played terrifyingly passive: The quality boost is so striking that it is not so easy for the players to talk about it openly - it could very quickly sound like washing dirty clothes.
Neuer gave the standard justification: "That we defend forward, that we are closer together," he said. Just grab everything together, even when rotating. In Belgrade, the team was changed to four positions compared to the league match in Dusseldorf.
63 goals in the Champions League
Leon Goretzka, who celebrated his first Champions League goal, acknowledged that the Lewandowski show might also be seen as a "compliment to the team". Lewandowski now comes in the Champions League to 63 goals, he is in the eternal scorers list in fifth place. First is Cristiano Ronaldo with 127 goals. In the current season, Lewandowski has scored almost half of Bayern's goals with 27 competitive goals (59).
Finally, the good-humored striker turned himself into the interview zone. At first he pretended to joke, as if he wanted to pass the reporters seriously and silently. The ball, which he had taken as a souvenir after the game was already stowed in the bus, he said. Of course he emphasized the team performance.
Like Thomas Müller, he felt that his goals as striker were an expression of general superiority. But how did that happen so fast? "It's little things that make the difference - the tactics, the positioning, with and without the ball. When we play defensively, we know where to stand."
Look at the bank
Asked whether Flick's human resources are similar to Jupp Heynckes, the Pole said, "I think so." Flicks contact with the players, his "empathy", that could be compared. Comparisons with other coaches were not drawn.
Flick himself continued to evade all questions that had to do with the duration of his further whereabouts. But he himself gave an example of what Lewandowski meant with empathy: If his team scored a goal, Flick told, then he makes sure, "what happens on the bench": Whether the other players are also happy. There you could see if it is a real team.
Obviously he was satisfied with what he saw.
Red Star Belgrade - Bayern Munich 0: 6 (0: 1)
0: 1 Goretzka (14)
0: 2 Lewandowski (53. penalty)
0: 3 Lewandowski (60.)
0: 4 Lewandowski (64.)
0: 5 Lewandowski (67.)
0: 6 Tolisso (89.)
Belgrade: Borjan - Gobeljic, Degenek, Milunovic, Rodic - Cañas (61st Vulic), Petrovic (76th Ivanic) - Vukanovic, Marin, García (69th Pankov) - Boakye
Munich: Neuer - Pavard, Martínez (68th Kimmich), Boateng, Davies - Thiago - Coman, Goretzka, Tolisso, Coutinho (61st Perisic) - Lewandowski (77th Müller)
Referee: Kuipers (Netherlands)
Yellow Cards: Milunovic / -
Spectators: 50,000
