Bayern Munich moved closer to securing qualification for the Champions League knockout stages with a dominant 5-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday. Despite missing key players like Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies, and Harry Kane due to injury, Bayern made the short trip to Gelsenkirchen, with Shakhtar unable to play at home due to the war in Ukraine.
The match got off to a surprising start when Shakhtar took the lead after just five minutes, with Kevin finishing off a well-executed counter-attack. However, Bayern quickly responded, leveling the score in the 11th minute through Konrad Laimer.
While Bayern created several opportunities, they struggled with their final touch in the first half. Just before the break, Shakhtar had a chance to regain the lead, but Georgiy Sudakov shot wide. Instead, Bayern went ahead in stoppage time, with Thomas Müller finishing off a high-press move set up by Jamal Musiala.
The second half saw Shakhtar threaten with some corner kicks, but Bayern soon regained control. Although Jamal Musiala thought he had scored in the 65th minute, his header was ruled out for a controversial foul on the goalkeeper.
Bayern extended their lead with a penalty, also surrounded by controversy, after Alaa Ghram fouled Sacha Boey. Michael Olise stepped up in Harry Kane’s absence and converted coolly. Two late goals from Musiala and Olise sealed the 5-1 victory.
The win brings Bayern to 12 points from six games, with matches against Feyenoord and Slovan Bratislava remaining.
