Talking points of Bayern’s 2-1 UEFA Super Cup victory over Sevilla

Bayern Munich added yet another piece of hardware to their outstanding 2020, beating Sevilla 2-1 in the UEFA Super Cup in Budapest.

After already winning three trophies this year topped off by the Champions League in August, Bayern Munich continued their dominance of Europe on Thursday, defeating Europa League winners Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup at Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary. In front of 15,000 fans, the Bundesliga giants put on an impressive display against Julen Lopetegui’s side, controlling the majority of the possession throughout this match while creating a boatload of opportunities.

Sevilla got on the scoresheet in the 13th minute when Ivan Rakitic went down in the box to give the Spaniards a spot-kick that Lucas Ocampos put away in fine fashion. Bayern continued to press, finally breaking through in the 34th minute in a fantastic build-up of play. Thomas Muller put in a crafty ball with the outside of his right boot to Robert Lewandowski, who quickly moved into position to lay-off a beautiful pass to Leon Goretzka in the box, who picked his spot with a classy volley into the left side of the net.

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Hansi Flick’s men had a total of 25 shots, but just seven found the target, with two goals from Lewandowski and Leroy Sane being disallowed.  They continued to put the pressure on Sevilla’s backline, but Bayern wasn’t able to find the back of the net again until the 104th minute of extra time off a corner. The ball was deflected out to the top of the 18-yard box, where David Alaba had a go on net. It was punched away by Sevilla keeper Bono, right to the head of substitute Javi Martinez, who finessed a beautiful header into the top left corner to give Bayern the lead for good.

Here are some talking points from this hard-fought match in Budapest.

Manuel Neuer proved to be the difference

The 34-year old Bayern Munich keeper was absolutely outstanding in this match, coming through with numerous huge saves that kept Sevilla at bay. Youssef En-Neysri had a clear-cut breakaway in the first half of extra time and it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Morrocan would bury the opportunity. But, Neuer stood his ground like a true professional and forced the Sevilla striker to right, where the German was in pole position to get down and make a crucial save.

There were a couple of mishaps from the Bayern backline, but Neuer refused to let a ball get past him on Thursday, even making a save with his heel on one occasion that deflected off the post then was cleared from danger. According to SofaScore, he completed 52 passes in the victory, while no Sevilla player completed more than 36. One of his outlet passes was a crafty long ball over the top to Lewandowski that sent the Pole on a one-on-one with the keeper, but he put it right in Bono’s hands.

Neuer is showing no signs of slowing down despite his age and continues to cover a tremendous amount of ground in the net. He’s a huge reason they were able to capture their fourth trophy of this calendar year.

Sane put in an impressive shift for his new club

There was lots of hype surrounding Leroy Sane’s move from Manchester City to Bayern, but he’s completely lived up to it so far. He was at the forefront of Flick’s attack the entire 72 minutes he was on the pitch, making countless dangerous runs down the left side thanks to his great pace. Sane also whipped in several clever balls into the box, linking up with Lewandowski at one point, but he was called offside after hammering home a disallowed goal.

Whenever Bayern was on the attack, he was involved. There’s no doubt the German international will be an important part of their squad moving forward. Having already played in the Bundesliga with Schalke as well, Sane knows exactly what to expect. This is a fantastic signing for the Bavarians.

A well-rounded attack

Although Lewandowski tends to grab most of the attention when it comes to goals, Bayern has so many attacking players who contribute on the build-up of play in the final third.

At 31-years old, Thomas Muller is still a wizard with the ball at his feet, showing exactly why he’s such a crucial part of this side. He’s the reason they scored their first goal after picking out Lewa with a nifty cross into the box, while also completing numerous key passes and through balls. Thanks to his tremendous performance, the Bayern legend was named the Man of the Match.

Lewandowski is coming off a season where he scored 55 goals across all competitions, but it wouldn’t be possible if he didn’t have the likes of Muller, Serge Gnabry, Alphonso Davies, and now Sane as well providing him with top service in the final third. Although he didn’t score in this fixture, Lewa was key in their attack, providing a wonderful assist on the first goal and creating lots of other opportunities. Also now in his 30’s, he’s still in great shape and continues to be Bayern’s most reliable finisher.

Sevilla put in a respectable performance

Although the La Liga side didn’t find the result they were looking for, Sevilla still put up a good fight against the best club in the world. Scoring chances were few and far between, but the ones they actually did have were very promising.

Their backline was being constantly hammered the entire match by a vibrant Bayern attack, but they were still able to hold the Germans to just two goals. Centre-back Jules Kounde was brilliant for the Spaniards, winning every single aerial duel and tackle that he went into.

In the final third, Suso and Ocampos were the standouts for Julen Lopetegui’s squad, both making ambitious runs into Bayern’s half, while the Argentine scored their lone goal from the spot. En-Nesyri had many chances to put his team ahead after coming on as a substitute, but he simply couldn’t beat Neuer.

This is Bayern’s first Super Cup trophy since 2013, while Sevilla has lost their last five appearances in this competition, dating back to 2007.