Nobody expected this match to turn out the way it did. Most football fans expected that Bayern Munich would have an easy task when facing Heidenheim. But, the team from the 2.Liga were a tough nut to crack. Bayern took an early lead but suffered an unanticipated setback when Niklas Süle received a straight red card after VAR review. It was a wild ride from there on out! See who stood out in our match rewards. Jersey Swap: Robert Glatzel Heidenheim’s hat-trick hero. It was a brilliant game for the best goalscorer of his team. Glatzel had a great game and deserves praise for it. Another notable performance comes from their captain — Marc Schnatterer. He also had a good game and was one of the brightest spots of Heidenheim’s team tonight. Schnatterer was spotted helping carry the team’s jerseys out of the locker room after the match. That’s staying grounded, if anything. Generally, the whole opposing team deserves some credit. Heidenheim fought bravely and nearly pulled off a massive upset. Tip of the Cap: Leon Goretzka The young midfielder had a good game. Goretzka helped the team with the first goal. His passes were important throughout the game and made with 90% pass accuracy. Goretzka was also vital for both the defense and the attack. Goretzka struggled somewhat in the chaos after Süle was sent off — as did the entire team. But in the second half, Goretzka was notably better and played a key role in Bayern’s transitional play. Golf Clap: Serge Gnabry It is good to see Gnabry in goal-scoring form for both Germany and Bayern. He started this match as a number “9” but after Süle was sent off, Gnabry switched back to the wing. In the second half he scored an easy goal, but he generally was unlucky: two fantastic shots and both hit the woodwork! But overall, Gnabry had a solid match and will hopefully continues his current form against Borussia Dortmund. Standing Ovation: Thomas Müller It was just beautiful to watch Müller’s goal and his fantastic assist. I personally can’t decide which I fancy more. Müller showed a lot of character tonight and delivered a truly captain-like performance. He constantly pushed his teammates to be aggressive and drove Bayern’s attack. His partnership with Lewandowski is truly amazing, which leads us to... Meister of the match: Robert Lewandowski Tonight he showed what he means for the Bavarians. He was the true game-changer, alongside Müller. It took Lewandowski just eight minutes to impact the game with an assist and another two minutes to score a goal of his own. In the final moments of the game, Lewy scored from the penalty spot to give Bayern an 5:4 win at Allianz Arena! He received the award for “Man of the Match” after the game, and deservedly so. He was the missing link from Bayern’s attack — a substitute practically worth two men as he lifted the team from a ten-men defeat.<doc-sep>In what turned out to be a crazy, nerve-racking yet wildly exciting game, Bayern Munich was able to outlast a pesky and game Heidenheim side. Here are some quick reactions: Niklas Sule has to be better than that. Sure, it was a somewhat sketchy call, but that put the squad in a major hole. The big man just needs a bit more seasoning to refine his game. The defensive discipline and decision-making was BRUTAL overall. The defenders may want to burn that game tape. Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller powered the squad to victory with help from Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry , and Leon Goretzka . The attacking was lethal once that grouping was together. The squad was more aggressive and fluid without James Rodriguez after halftime. The game was fast, physical and frenetic, which did not seem to suit the Colombian star today, who was hesitant a bit early on. powered the squad to victory with help from Kingsley Coman, , and . The attacking was lethal once that grouping was together. The squad was more aggressive and fluid without James Rodriguez after halftime. The game was fast, physical and frenetic, which did not seem to suit the Colombian star today, who was hesitant a bit early on. Sven Ulreich had a roller coaster game, but his huge save at about the 81st minute mark might have been the game’s most key play. had a roller coaster game, but his huge save at about the 81st minute mark might have been the game’s most key play. Whatever Niko Kovac said at halftime...it worked. At least for a while anyway. You can all exhale now and enjoy that for what it was...a whole lot of fun, even if you were nervous and looking for the nearest bottle of whiskey for the entirety. Final: Bayern Munich wins 5-4! What a game! That was completely insane. Stay tuned for a couple quick hits. 90+1’: 4 minutes of extra time have been added. 90’: This grouping of Lewandowski, Muller, Coman, Gnabry, Goretzka, and Thiago has been electric. 89’: Gnabry hits the crossbar and just missed extending the Bayern lead. 84: GOAL! Never a doubt. Robert Lewandowski converts the penalty kick and gives Bayern a 5-4 lead. 83’: This is insane. Handball in the box against Heidenheim. Lewandowski will set up for the PK. 81’: Bayern is scrambling big-time and Ulreich transforms into #SvenTheWall to prevent a total collapse! 75’: Hummels hauls down a Heidenheim player inside the box and Glatzel take the PK for Heidenheim. He converts and Bayer is stunned! The game sits at 4-4 and I am developing a drinking problem. 74’: GOAL! Heidenheim shows that aforementioned fight and adds another goal as Sven Ulreich is left sprawling on the ground after diving to his right. Glatzel gets his brace against Bayern. 72’: Much of the life and energy has been sucked from Heidenheim, but they have put up a tough fight. Thomalla is on for Theuerkauf. 69’: The story of the season for Kingsley Coman. He went down, but appears to be okay. (Every Bayern fan holds his or her breath) 65’: GOAL! Mats Hummels delivered a beautiful flick off his head from a corner that went right into the area of Serge Gnabry who deftly deposited the ball home for a 4-2 Bayern lead. 63’: Teaming up Lewandowski and Muller changed the course of the game. The insertion of Kingsley Coman did not hurt either. Seeing Muller and Lewandowski patrolling the middle of the field shows how effective the duo is on the pitch. 61’: Bayern would do well to learn from its first half shenanigans. Keep up the pressure, but be conservative with the back three. 59’: This explains everything. Here is footage of Niko Kovac’s halftime speech: 55’: GOAL! Gnabry to Muller to Lewandowski! What a combination play!! ! They call him STORMTANK! 53’: GOAL! Thomas Muller with a fantastic goal off a beautiful header feed from Lewandowski! The game is knotted at 2-2! ! 52’: Niklas Dorsch has subbed off for Heidenheim. Arne Feick has come on. 48’: Bayern’s back three consists of Hummels, Boateng, and Kimmich as Bayern is looking to try something — anything — to knot this game. SECOND HALF KICKOFF: Rafinha is off in favor of Kingsley Coman, while Lewndowski is on for James. Halftime thoughts: The red card to Sule was a complete game changer. I’m not sure it was fully warranted, but it was called and Bayern had to react. After Goretzka’s header put Bayern ahead, Bayern got a bit sloppy. The lack of discipline with the formation (when knowing they were playing with 10) was lackadaisical at best and completely negligent at worst. Bayern needs to be better than that. The offensive personnel are trying to be too pretty against a team that has no interest in trying to play a pretty game. It’s not impossible to come back from here by any means, but Heidenheim has played with a lot of pride and grit. They will not just roll over for Bayern. Halftime: Well...that was not good. Heidenheim leads 2-1. 45’+2: Not enough urgency for Bayern to be honest. Somewhere Jose Mourinho is running his hands together in a sinister way. 45’: There will be four minutes of extra time in this half or roughly enough time for me to drink this beer. 44’: Nothing really makes much sense for Bayern. Subbing in Boateng to provide stability was a good idea, but it seems like the squad completely abandoned all defensive responsibility. 39’: GOAL! Bayern now trails 2-1 as Marc Schnatterer puts Heidenheim ahead! Bayern’s defensive formation left a gaping hole that Heidenheim just completely and utterly exposed. Rafinha was MIA. This is not looking good for Bayern. 36’: Heidenheim is going to try and much this game up as much as possible. Bayern is going to have to rely on its superior athleticism to win this game. Trying to be too pretty in this one will not benefit the Bavarians. 34’: Some fantastic elusiveness from Joshua Kimmich, but his final pass went awry. 32’: Bayern seems to have recognized the urgency of the situation and has picked up its play, but it will have to be far more sharp offensively as this game goes on. 30’: This is a very precarious situation for Bayern. It is not an unwinnable situation, but it is not going to be easy. 27’: GOAL! Heidenheim evens the game on a goal from Robert Glatzel. 23’: Jerome Boateng is in for Franck Ribery to offset the loss of Niklas Sule. 17’: The free kick from just outside the box was MISSED! 16’: Niklas Sule is hit with a red card after a VAR! 12’: GOAL! Leon Goretzka heads home a corner from Joshua Kimmich! IT'S BEEN COMING! GOALRETZKA opens the scoring (12') #FCBFCH 1-0 pic.twitter.com/DVW4tLDcRh — FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) April 3, 2019 10’: Bayern has started to ratchet up its pace and execution. 8’: Nice combo work there from Bayern, but to no avail. 5’: The game is back and forth a bit without either team really establishing anything substantial. KICKOFF! — It’s on! For what it’s worth ESPN News has Muller at striker. Pregame banter: Our own John N. Dillon covered Niklas Dorsch’s take on his exit from Bayern. If you need a refresher on how that all went down, check the link below: Pregame banter: I already know my favorite player on Heidenheim —> Timo Beerman. Pregame banter: I have ESPN News up now on my TV and if I have to watch this guy take another sip of what looks like Sugar Free Red Bull I am going to lose my mind. Pregame banter: Kovac seems to have come around a bit on playing Thomas Muller and James Rodriguez together. There should be plenty of attacking ability even without Lewandowski as Leon Goretzka and Franck Ribery will no doubt be looking to press forward from their respective spots.<doc-sep>Bayern Munich overcome their own defensive incompetence to narrowly beat FC Heidenheim and advance to the 2018-19 DFB Pokal semifinals. Manager grade Niko Kovac — C+ Bayern Munich were dreadful in the first half, and that’s putting it lightly. After scoring an early goal then going down to 10 men after just 13 minutes, the Bavarians looked lifeless as they allowed FC Heidenheim to put two shock goals past them. Niko Kovac’s half-time subs — combined with whatever he said to his players in the locker room — got things back on track for the Bavarians. The Croatian’s defense still let him down at every opportunity, but he got things right offensively in the second half. Player grades GK, Sven Ulreich — C Poor Sven Ulreich can hardly be blamed for the four goals his almost non-existent defensive line allowed Heidenheim to put in the back of his net. Maybe he could have done more on the second or third goals, but there’s no question his defense completely let him down on multiple occasions. DEF, Rafinha — C When Bayern Munich went down a man, Rafinha was one of the few players who made a noticeable effort to stay back defensively. The Brazilian’s effort wasn’t enough, though, and he couldn’t stop Bayern from conceding a second goal. Hummels was so very close to being Bayern’s one central defender who actually had a decent performance, then he gave away a late penalty to allow Heidenheim to equalize for a second time. Nilkas Sule played a very, very short 13 minutes against Heidenheim. Put into an incredibly difficult position by an errant Thiago pass, Sule made a poor challenge, bringing down Robert Andrich just outside his own box. The ref initially made the correct call, giving Sule a yellow card, but after VAR consultation decided to send the big man off. DEF, Joshua Kimmich — C Joshua Kimmich was very good in attack against Heidenheim. He was effective going forward, adding a dangerous dimension to Bayern’s offense. His work at the back, however, could certainly have been better. Kimmich was caught out of position far too often, at least once contributing to a goal for the visitors. You’d hope for more tactical awareness from a full-back whose team is already down to 10 men.<doc-sep>
Bayern Munich somehow, someway survived a roller coaster ride of a DFB-Pokal match against Heidenheim. Here are some quick hitters on the game: Just a few days after many were ready to offload him for a bag of balls, Robert Lewandowski went full Storm Tank and became the force that Bayern needed. Lewandowski was excellent when he came on to start the second half and made an immediate impact for a squad that was in desperate need of a boost. went full Storm Tank and became the force that Bayern needed. Lewandowski was excellent when he came on to start the second half and made an immediate impact for a squad that was in desperate need of a boost. Thomas Müller was good yesterday in the first half, but he was even better once Lewandowski came in. Müller working behind Lewandowski is Bayern’s wining formula, but Niko Kovac has been hesitant of late to pull the trigger and use that lineup. was good yesterday in the first half, but he was even better once Lewandowski came in. Müller working behind Lewandowski is Bayern’s wining formula, but Niko Kovac has been hesitant of late to pull the trigger and use that lineup. Leon Goretzka was a menace and is proving more and more why he is the future of the Bayern midfield. was a menace and is proving more and more why he is the future of the Bayern midfield. Despite not etching his name on the score sheet, Kingsley Coman’s performance was very good. When paired with Serge Gnabry (who was snakebitten at times in the box, but very good overall) and as the squad lined up in a “back three” formation, the tracking back of Coman and Gnabry was integral to securing the victory. (who was snakebitten at times in the box, but very good overall) and as the squad lined up in a “back three” formation, the tracking back of Coman and Gnabry was integral to securing the victory. The defensive corps was brutal. All of them. From Niklas Süle’s unnecessary red card at the 13-minute mark to Mats Hummels allowing himself to be beaten inside the box on a play that resulted in a penalty kick — it was really bad. Sadly, Jerome Boateng , Joshua Kimmich , and Rafinha were not any better. Rafinha has typically been a very solid substitute, but that was one of his worst performances in years. allowing himself to be beaten inside the box on a play that resulted in a penalty kick — it was really bad. Sadly, , , and Rafinha were not any better. Rafinha has typically been a very solid substitute, but that was one of his worst performances in years. It was not the best game for Sven Ulreich , but his save in the 81st minute was vital. , but his save in the 81st minute was vital. This was tremendous: If you missed our Match Awards or Observations, give them a look: Reports out of Spain indicate that Bayern could be among the teams competing to bring in Atletico’s Rodri, a 22-year-old midfielder. A quartet of leading European clubs want to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodri and are prepared to meet his €70m release clause, say reports. The 22-year-old only joined Atleti from Villarreal in a deal worth an initial €20m plus a further €5m in add-ons, but now has been linked with a move away. Marca cite a fresh report in Onda Cero that Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Manchester City are all keen on his signature. Former Bayern midfielder Arturo Vidal has had an up-and-down season with FC Barcelona and could be on the move again. Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Napoli are allegedly ready to pounce on the opportunity to bring in the Chilean international, but Boca Juniors and Wolverhampton are also lurking about. Previously linked to a move back to Italy, with Inter Milan, AC Milan and Napoli reportedly interested, Chilean international midfielder Arturo Vidal (31), playing for Barcelona FC since last summer, has been targeted by Boca Juniors, according to Fox Sports. A market dream for Wolverhampton too, former Juventus and Bayern Munich star is currently on a deal with Barcelona, which might decide to offload him and his rich wages, under contract until June 2021. Here are Bayern’s top 10 goals against Borussia Dortmund per @FOXSoccer. In honor of the 100th #DerKlassiker this weekend, here are @FCBayernUS' Top 10 goals against Dortmund.