St. Pauli 0-1 Bayern Munich Player Ratings: Musiala’s strike makes the difference

Jamal Musiala scored the only goal of the game as Bayern Munich edged out St.Pauli 1-0 in the Bundesliga. The home side’s strategy to concede possession and defend compactly proved a nuisance to Bayern, who struggled to find a solution. However, Musiala’s belter of a strike in the 22nd minute caught St.Pauli off guard and put Bayern on front. Apart from the strike, Bayern’s dominance was hardly seen in the game as the host’s well-disciplined defence contained them for larger spells. The Bavarians had a handful of opportunities in the latter stages but the likes of Musiala, Leroy Sane and Harry Kane failed to capitalise on any of them. The victory extends their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga this season and a six-point lead at the top of the table.

St. Pauli Player Ratings vs Bayern Munich

Goalkeeper

Nikola Vasilj: 5/10 – Had no chance against Musiala’s belter. Forced a save from Sane in the second half

Defenders

Karol Mets: 6/10 – A towering presence in the defence. Squeezed the Bayern attackers for larger spells, including Harry Kane. Made a sweeping clearance against Guerreiro in the first lag

Eric Smith: 6/10 – The Swedish libero was at his usual best with his long balls and passes. Was dangerous on set-pieces and also made a vital interception against Musiala.

Hauke Wahl: 6/10 – Looked the weakest link of the back three but made in a few good defensive efforts

Midfielders

Lars Ritzka: 6/10 The left-wing back was impressive throughout the game, trying to progress the ball whenever the opportunity arose. Also did a great job on the defensive end.

Carlo Boukhalfa: 6/10 – Won 5 duels and made 4 recoveries on the defensive front.

Jackson Irvine: 6/10 – Although the Australian midfielder failed to make a big impact attacking-wise, he was hectic defensively. Involved in a game-high 11 defensive actions.

Manolis Saliakas: 5/10 – The Greek wing-back delivered 5 balls into the final third and his long balls were also perfect.

Attackers

Dapo Afolayan: 6/10 – The scorer against Hoffenheim posed a great threat to Bayern in bouts, especially on counters. Won his duel against Upamecano to thread a cross, but only to be stopped by Manuel Neuer.

Morgan Guilavogui: 5/10 – Guilavogui had to compromise with his attacking game due to Bayern’s dominance but he was defensively solid, winning 7 duels.

Johannes Eggestein: 4/10 – Eggestein’s barren run in the Bundesliga continues as he produced another whelming display. Made just 1 touch in the opposition box and it could be down to Bayern’s dominance in possession.

Substitutes

Danel Sinani: N/A

Andreas Albers: N/A

Adam Dzwigala: N/A

Robert Wagner: N/A

Manager

Alexander Blessin: 6/10 – Blessin’s deep-block and counter-attack strategy almost paid off as Bayern struggled to find a way through. Unfortunately, Musiala’s strike made the difference in the end.

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Bayern Munich Player Ratings vs St. Pauli

Goalkeeper

Manuel Neuer: 6/10 – Was barely called into action by St Pauli’s attack.

Defenders

Alphonso Davies: 6/10 A solid performance despite not being at his free-flowing best. Clocked up a passing accuracy of 91, created 1 big chance and made 9 recoveries.

Kim Min-Jae: 7/10 Although the South Korean centre-back’s passing was not up to the mark, his defensive actions stood out. Whiffed the danger most of the time and cleared it at ease. Tracked back well to negate the threat that arose.

Dayot Upamecano: 7/10 A colossus presence in the backline, winning all of his duels and making 5 recoveries.

Raphael Guerreiro: 6/10 A larger pie of Bayern’s attack flew through the Portuguese full-back’s side, who linked up well with Leroy Sane.

Midfielders

Joshua Kimmich: 5/10 – Kimmich’s passing was quite off the mark as his long balls often fizzled out. His struggles have been manifest of late.

Leon Goretzka: 5/10- Played for nearly the entire game and though he failed to make a big impact on the offensive end, he shored up defensively.

Jamal Musiala: 7/10 – Scored a belter of a goal out of nowhere, which made the difference. Could have added another one to his tally but he fluffed his effort off Kane’s through ball.

Attackers

Kingsley Coman: 6/10 – The French winger’s presence was limited in the penalty box although he completed 2 dribbles and clocked up a passing accuracy of 90. His defensive efforts were good, winning 1 tackle and making 2 recoveries.

Leroy Sane: 6/10 – Sane grew into the game as the minutes went by and posed a constant threat in transitions. Was unlucky not to find the scoresheet as his curler from the right-hand side was palmed away by Vasilj.

Harry Kane: 6/10 – A quiet display for his standards. Was kept at bay for larger spells by a disciplined St Pauli defence. The English goal-machine had the opportunity to score towards the end but he shot straight at the keeper’s chest. Provided a brilliant through-ball to Musiala, whose effort went begging eventually.

Substitutes

Serge Gnabry: N/A

Thomas Muller: N/A

Michael Olise: N/A

Konrad Laimer: N/A

Joao Palhinha: N/A

Manager

Vincent Kompany: 7/10 – Kompany will take the win even though it wasn’t plain sailing. Bayern’s attack exploded into life towards the final quarter but the lack of finishing limited their output. Defensively, Bayern were great but Kompany has a lot of work to do when facing opponents with deep-block.

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