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Bayern attacker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (right) hit a hoe and scored once himself
Photo:
RONALD WITTEK / EPO
The most beautiful template of the game:
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting shone before the World Cup as an attacker who suddenly always hit the target and shot Bayern out of the crisis.
In 2023, however, he did not want to succeed much either.
So far.
He scored himself against Mainz and then performed magic just before half-time when he hoeed a high ball from Thomas Müller to Leroy Sané.
The winger has rarely been able to complete a nicer pass in his career (44th).
Result:
Bayern easily won 4-0 (3-0) at Mainz 05 and advanced to the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup.
The goals came from Choupo-Moting (17'), Jamal Musiala (30'), Sané (44') and Alphonso Davies (83').
Here's the message.
The second beautiful assist:
Choupo-Moting's heel-toe forward was mouth-watering.
João Cancelo, however, also added an impressive assist when he dribbled down the right flank in the 17th minute and then crossed softly into the box to find Choupo-Moting lurking.
Everyone knew that Cancelo would be a more than useful reinforcement for Bayern going forward.
Apparently not that he fits in so quickly: Trainer Julian Nagelsmann tried loudly to stop Cancelo from crossing moments before his submission.
João Cancelo:
In any case, the full-back surprisingly signed by Manchester City immediately had a lot of influence on the game – and especially on the line-up.
Nagelsmann initially sent him onto the field as a right rail player and posted a back three behind him.
Cancelo filled this role confidently, even if he didn't always seem perfectly integrated into the game.
But he also allowed himself a drop-out when he headed to a Mainzer in his own penalty area in the second half.
Defensively he was not always safe in Manchester either, such mistakes can be expensive.
The first half:
Mainz seemed surprised and overwhelmed by Bayern's back three and the resulting offensive power.
The 05ers didn't get into the game at all and were a grateful opponent for the recently ailing Bayern, who deliberately played the game.
Musiala or Müller?
That was the big question in the preparation.
The two already played together in the league against Frankfurt, with moderate success at the weekend.
In Mainz, both showed that this variant can work.
Müller hung around everywhere, worked himself up, picked balls down.
And Musiala, officially lined up behind, had room for his dribbles.
This time he even crowned his strong performance with a goal.
The second half:
Mainz got into the game better and put Bayern under pressure earlier.
In particular, defenders Dayot Upamecano and Matthijs de Ligt kept throwing in a bad pass.
However, Mainz did not punish these negligence and Bayern closed the sack.
No trash cans:
referee Deniz Aytekin sent Mainz coach Bo Svensson to the stands with a red card shortly before the end.
Reason?
Svensson asked if Aytekin was blind, the referee said after the game on ARD.
He didn't want to put up with that.
"We are not the nation's dustbin," Aytekin complained.
Oh well.
crisis over?
Before the game, Bayern even had an internal team crisis meeting.
Joshua Kimmich said after the win in Mainz: "We didn't use our potential in the last few games." That's right and on Wednesday it looked very fluid at times from what Bayern played.
Mainz weren't a challenge, especially in the first half, Bayern's defense shook once in a while and the evaluation of chances was far from perfect.
Despite the four goals.
It remains exciting.
Tourist guide:
In the Champions League, Bayern will soon be dueling with Paris Saint-Germain.
Serge Gnabry, who recently made a trip to the Paris fashion show that was much discussed by Bavaria, now probably knows the city better than many of his colleagues.
Maybe he will soon only fly as a tour guide, against Mainz he was once again not in the starting XI and was substituted on late.
The way back into the first eleven didn't get any shorter after this game.
Outlook:
On Sunday, VfL Wolfsburg is waiting with ex-Bayern coach Niko Kovač.
Before his wolves' cup game at Union Berlin, he indirectly described the Köpenicker as a stronger opponent than Bayern.
It is possible that this statement falls on his feet.
