As Bayern Munich secured 29th overall win away from relegation-threatened Werder Bremen and eighth consecutive Bundesliga title, Robert Lewandowski scored his season’s 31st Bundesliga goal, despite Alphonso Davies being sent off.
Title rivals of yesteryear, in the pre-Matchday 32 standings Bremen and Bayern went into the contest poles apart. To hold the title in Munich for another year, Bayern needed a victory but Bremen knew a good result would lift them into the relegation play-off spot out of the automatic drop zone. Werder fired off the first shot of note when Maximilian Eggestein fizzed a wide-ranging effort before Jerome Boateng chanced his arm with a fierce strike that Jiri Pavlenka did well in sopping conditions to hold on to.
Late in a tight first half, Boateng turned provider with an intuitive chipped pass into Lewandowski’s box. After a short VAR analysis, Bayern went in at break 1-0 to the good, the Poland striker managed his chest and fired past Pavlenka on the stretch.
Nerves settled, as Thomas Müller and Leon Goretzka threatened a second within moments of restarting Bayern went up a gear. The Green-Whites were indebted to the offside flag of the linesman, only for the goal to be ruled out in the build-up for an offside decision against Müller. Bremen’s backline did enough to ward off the danger, but in the 55th minute when Lewandowski turned in Joshua Kimmich’s cross.
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As Lewandowski failed to get into the six-yard box into contact with Müller’s come-and-get-me ball but was given a lifeline when Davies was sent off for a second yellow card, Werder sailed far too close to the wind for comfort. Including Josh Sargent and Claudio Pizarro, the hosts threw everything in the closing stages at Bayern-and may have had something out of the game but for Manuel Neuer’s flying save denying the flicked header from Yuya Osako. While Bayern champions have an unassailable 10-point lead at the top with two games to spare, the result leaves Bremen second on goal difference from the bottom.
Werder 0 – 1 Bayern Munich
Goals: 0-1 Lewandowski (43′)
Yellow card: Eggstein 56′, Langkamp 88′, Kimmich 89′
Red card: Davies (79′)
Bremen: Pavlenka – Gebre Selassie, Veljkovic (Pizarro 88′), Moisander (c), Friedl – M. Eggestein, Vogt (Langkamp 46′), Klaassen (Füllkrug 84′) – Bittencourt (Sargent 62′), Osako, Rashica (Bartels 62′)
Bayern: Neuer (c) – Pavard, Boateng, Alaba, Davies – Kimmich, Goretzka – Gnabry (Hernandez 81′), Müller, Coman – Lewandowski
