Bayern Munich Survives Late Drama Against Stuttgart
Bayern Munich have ended the first-half of their Bundesliga season in style with a hard-fought 1-0 win over VfB Stuttgart.
The Swabians impressive home form this season, which included a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, wasn't enough to keep Jupp Heynckes side at bay despite their spirited performance.
Robert Lewandowski had the chance to put the visitors in front in the opening minute of the game, his left-footed effort flying just wide of the post after pouncing on a mistake from former Bayern defender Holger Badstuber.
Chadrac Akolo then had two chances to put the hosts in front. After seeing one speculative effort sail over the bar, Akolo forced Sven Ulreich into a smart save with a well-placed shot that was destined for the back of the net.
Clear-cut chances were at a premium throughout the first-half, with Bayern growing frustrated at Stuttgart's solidity in defence. The hosts continued to offer a lot on the counter-attack also, with Berkay Özcan appearing to be Stuttgart's most dangerous forward.
Corentin Tolisso saw a late first-half chance well saved by Ron-Robert Zieler, with a half-hearted effort from Mats Hummels amidst a goalmouth scramble proving to be the last real sighter of goal Bayern had in the opening 45 minutes.
Stuttgart were forced to bring Polish centre-back Marcin Kamiński into the fray early after the restart, replacing their injured striker, Simon Terodde, in a like-for-like change.
James Rodríguez was unable to trouble Zieler with a set-piece from just outside the penalty area, while Kingsley Coman and Jérôme Boateng saw powerful efforts tipped over the bar by the former Manchester United goalkeeper.
Second-half substitute Thomas Müller finally found a way past Zieler with just over 10 minutes to go, allowing the visitors to breathe easier in the closing stages of the game.
The German striker was fed the ball by Coman and after taking one touch to set himself, Müller sent a left-footed effort into the bottom corner of the net.
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On-loan Arsenal striker Takuma Asano saw a wild effort deflected over the bar in the search of an equaliser, while a powerful header from Badstuber could only sting the palms of Sven Ulreich.
Stuttgart were then given an avenue back into the game when Niklas Süle was adjudged - with the assistance of VAR - to have fouled Santiago Ascacibar in the penalty area.
Chadrac Akolo was given the chance to rescue a point with the last kick of the game, however, his weak penalty was saved by Ulreich and the referee blew the final whistle once the ball was cleared.
