SAN FRANCISCO, December 17, (THEWILL) – The majestic Robert Lewandowski netted his 250th Bundesliga goal plus one more as Bayern Munich recovered to take all three points in a 2-1 Wolfsburg victory at the Allianz Arena and keep the pressure on League leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Midfielder Leroy Sane was responsible for the early goal from Wolfsburg as he tried to control the ball in the box rather than clear his lines. This gave Kevin Mbabu a free cross to midfielder Maximilian Philipp, who scored in the 5th minute.
When left winger Josip Brekalo whistled a sharp shot just past the post, Bayern finally sprang to life. Lewandowski’s 17th minute close-range effort was kept out by a superb last-ditch block from centre back Maxence Lacroix before right midfielder Serge Gnabry headed over from a good position.
The visitors remained a constant threat of their own in front of goal. Philipp nearly had a brace to double their lead in the 29th minute but his volley was deflected into the side-netting.
At the stroke of half time, Bayern equalised. French left winger Kingsley Coman curled a pass into the box for Lewandowski. The unmarked goal-machine headed past keeper Koen Casteels for his landmark 250th goal.
His brace was complete early in the second half when Lacroix slipped trying to clear centre back Jerome Boateng’s long pass. It left Lewandowski clear to drill the ball into the corner of the net in the 50th minute.
Wolfsburg did not let up with Philipp the focus of their attacking play going forward. He angled an unconventional volley from just outside the box towards goal in the 63rd minute but saw it go wide.
Bayern’s keeper Manuel Neuer ensured the win with a pair of brilliant late saves. The shotstopper expertly tipped over an effort from substitute striker Bartosz Bialek and parried a blast from the same man from the corner that followed for a good game between the sticks.
Wolfsburg were unbeaten this season but that record ended as Bayern survived their late onslaught to remain a point behind leaders Leverkusen, who were 4-0 winners at Cologne in their own fixture.
Next up for Bayern is an away encounter with Leverkusen on Saturday, a mouth-watering final fixture before the mid-season break. Wolfsburg host Stuttgart the following day.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
