Thomas Müller hits hat-trick as Bayern Munich overwhelm Fenerbahce in Audi Cup semi-final
Thomas Müller scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich overwhelmed Fenerbahce 6-1 on Tuesday evening to set up a meeting with Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the Audi Cup pre-season tournament on Wednesday.
Bayern Munich 6-1 Fenerbahce
Goals: 1-0 Sanches (22'), 2-0 Goretzka (28'), 3-0 Müller (31'), 4-0 Coman (40'), 5-0 Müller (pen. 44'), 6-0 Müller (58'), 6-1 Kruse (64')
Niko Kovac fielded a strong line-up as he looks to get a settled side ahead of the start of the new season and, although Fenerbahce competed well initially, the reigning Bundesliga champions soon broke through. And after Robert Lewandowski collected Thiago's pass and teed up Renato Sanches for an easy tap-in, the floodgates opened. Leon Goretzka soon stroked in the team's second before Müller capitalised on a defensive blunder to all but kill the game off after half an hour. Kingsley Coman finished smartly as half-time approached and Müller ensured Bayern took a comfortable lead into the break by coolly finishing from the penalty spot after Lewandowski was fouled.
A one-sided match continued in the same vein in the second period, with Bayern in total control and barely allowing their visitors outside their own half. Müller completed his hat-trick just before the hour mark, superbly collecting a long ball forward before finishing into an empty net from 30 yards after Fenerbahce goalkeeper Harun Tekin had charged off his line - unsuccessfully - to close him down. Bayern took their foot off the gas after that and were made to pay when former Werder Bremen forward Max Kruse pounced on Goretzka's loose ball in midfield before holding off Javi Martinez's challenge and finishing into the bottom corner. It was too little, too late for the Turkish side, however, and Bayern now meet UEFA Champions League runners-up Tottenham in the Audi Cup final on Wednesday.
Match stats
- This is the sixth edition of the biannual Audi Cup, which has been held as a pre-season tournament at the Allianz Arena since 2009.
- Bayern have won the tournament a record three times, claiming the title every four years. They last won in 2015, beating Real Madrid 1-0 in the final.
- Bayern and Fenerbahce have never met before in a competitive fixture, but the record German champions are now unbeaten in their seven matches against Turkish opposition, winning six of them.
- Record Turkish champions Fenerbahce are without a domestic title since 2014 and have only managed one victory in nine competitive encounters with German opposition.
- Müller is the Audi Cup’s all-time top scorer with six goals.
- Fenerbahce are making their debut in the Audi Cup and are the 14th different team to compete. Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid, who contested the other semi-final, are both returning for their second appearances.
Line-ups
Bayern: Neuer (c) (Ulreich 46') – Kimmich, Süle (Davies 59'), Boateng (Pavard 61'), Alaba (Tolisso 60') - Thiago (Zaiser 74'), Sanches (Martinez 60') – Gnabry (Müller 20'), Goretzka, Coman (Singh 61') – Lewandowski (Arp 74')
Unused subs:, Früchtl
Out: Hernandez (rehabilitation)
Coach: Niko Kovac
Fenerbahce: Tekin – Isla (Saglam 46'), Sadik, Jailson, Hasan Ali (Dirar 24') – Moses (Sayyadmanesh 66'), Ozan (Kadioglu 71'), Mehmet Ekici (Reyes 46'), Rodrigues (Zajc 46') – Kruse, Murigi
Unused subs:
Out: Ersu (knee), Turp (unknown injury)
Coach: Ersun Yanal
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AS IT HAPPENED!
FULL TIME!
Bayern book their place in tomorrow's Audi Cup final against Tottenham after easing their way past Fenerbahce. The Turkish side had no response to Bayern's attacks in the first half and left themselves with a mountain to climb - one that ultimately proved far too big.
82' PACE SLOWING
Both teams know the jig is up and the tempo has dropped off considerably in the last couple of minutes, with increasing numbers of passes going astray.
78' SINGH DENIED
A brilliant break from Bayern is led by Goretzka, who outpaces his markers in midfield and gets forward to the edge of the Fenerbahce box. He spies Singh on the overlap on the left and plays him in, but the New Zealander's shot cannons off goalkeeper Harun Tekin's face and goes out for a corner.
76' SADIK GOES CLOSE
The Fenerbahce centre-back heads narrowly wide from a corner.
74' ARP AND ZAISER ON...
... Lewandowski and Thiago go off.
70' ALL BAYERN
The flurry of substitutions has disrupted the rhythm of the game somewhat, but Bayern remain the better team.
66' SUB FOR FENERBAHCE
Moses is replaced by Sayyadmanesh.
64' GOAL! KRUSE PULLS ONE BACK
Goretzka gives the ball away cheaply in midfield, passing it straight to Kruse. He instantly sprints forward, holding off the challenge of Thiago and twisting and turning past Martinez before slotting a low shot into the corner with his weaker right foot.
60' ALL CHANGE!
Bayern make several substitutions at once, with Pavard, Martinez, Singh, Tolisso and Davies all coming on for Boateng, Süle, Coman, Sanches and Alaba.
58' GOAL! MÜLLER COMPLETES HAT-TRICK
Müller beats the offside trap to collect a long ball forward from Boateng. Goalkeeper Harun Tekin charges way outside his box to try and close down the angle, but he gets nowhere near Müller, who grabs his third of the game from around 30 yards out.
54' FREE-KICK FOR THE GUESTS
A sloppy pass from Müller in midfield allows Fenerbahce to break. Muriqi gets to the edge of the box, where he is brought down by Thiago. The visitors have a free-kick in a promising position, but it's fired straight into the wall by Miha Zajc.
51' BAYERN COMFORTABLE
You'll have heard it said before that a match resembles a training exercise and, well, there isn't really a more fitting description for this game. The hosts are in complete control and are pinging one-touch passes around the pitch, never allowing Fenerbahce to get close to them.
48' ALABA GOES CLOSE
Sanches wins a free-kick a couple of yards out side the Fenerbahce penalty area. It's slightly to the right, making it a perfect position for a left-footer: Alaba duly steps up and gets his effort around the wall, but it's straight at the goalkeeper.
46' SECOND HALF!
Here we go again! Sven Ulreich has come on for Manuel Neuer at the break, but otherwise there are no new substitutions.
HALF-TIME!
Bayern go into the break with a very comfortable lead that they fully deserve. Fenerbahce competed well for the first quarter of an hour or so, but once Niko Kovac's men got into their stride, there's been no stopping them!
44' GOAL! MÜLLER FROM THE SPOT
Lewandowski is hauled down in the penalty area just as he's about to shoot and Bayern are awarded a spot-kick. Müller steps up to take it and coolly slots it home. He now has a brace and has only been on the pitch for 24 minutes!
42' CHANCE FOR MURIQI
Bayern lose the ball in midfield and it's quickly played forward to Muriqi in the right-hand side of the Bayern area. Neuer quickly narrows the angle and the Fenerbahce forward drags his shot wide of the far post.
40' GOAL! COMAN ADDS TO THE SCORELINE
This is all too easy for Bayern now. Goretzka's attempted pass to Lewandowski on the edge of the box deflects off a defender's leg and into the path of Coman, who suddenly finds himself free in front of goal. The France international makes no mistake with only the goalkeeper to beat.
38' DISALLOWED GOAL
Goretzka has the ball in the Fenerbahce net again, but it won't count as the assistant referee raises his flag and indicates that the ball went out of play before Kimmich's pass.
31' GOAL! MÜLLER MAKES IT THREE!
Lovely interplay between Sanches and Coman down the left, but the danger appears to have passes when the latter's cross into the middle is intercepted by Dirar around the penalty spot. Inexplicably, instead of clearing the danger, he takes an extra touch and gets his pocket picked by Müller, who nicks the ball off his toe and passes into the net.
28' GOAL! GORETZKA GETS HIS GOAL!
Coman skips past his marker on the left and pulls the ball back into the middle from the byline. It's met by the onrushing Goretzka, who side-foots his shot into the net from 12 yards.
27' CHANCE FOR GORETZKA!
In almost a carbon copy of his earlier chance, Goretzka rises highest to meet a Kimmich corner from the right, but his header is blocked.
22' GOAL! SANCHES GIVES BAYERN THE LEAD!
Bayern made this look very, very easy. Thiago with the key pass from the edge of the box to Lewandowski, who had peeled away from his marker. The forward spots the unmarked Sanches in the middle and tees him up for a simple tap-in.
20' MÜLLER ON FOR GNABRY
Thomas Müller replaces Gnabry, who has struggled with muscular complaints recently and looks to have tweaked something.
17' CHANCE FOR COMAN
Alaba does brilliantly to win possession in midfield and Thiago instantly releases Coman down the left. Alaba sprints forward in a decoy run to take a defender with him, allowing Coman to cut inside and bend a shot towards the far post. He doesn't get enough power behind it though, and it's a comfortable save for the goalkeeper.
15' STRENGTH FROM LEWANDOWSKI
The Polish frontman is the meat in a sandwich that is absolutely crunched - fairly, it must be said - by two defenders inside the Fenerbahce penalty area. Lewandowski is quickly back on his feet, though, and still manages to win a corner.
12' SWEEPER-KEEPER NEUER
Neuer draws a murmur of approval from the crowd as he dashes off his line to cut out a long ball over the top. He's outside his area and Moses is closing him down at pace, but Neuer reads the bounce perfectly and effortlessly chests the ball away from the attacker before clearing to safety. Classy stuff.
10' GORETZKA HEADS OVER
Kimmich bends in a vicious corner from the right and finds Goretzka, but his header from eight yards out sails well over the bar.
8' SANCHES GETS IN BEHIND
A determined run from deep by Sanches is spotted by Thiago, who slots a ball through a crowd of legs and into the Portuguese midfielder's path. His cross into the middle is cut out, but it was a positive move from the home side.
5' FIRST CHANCE FOR KRUSE!
A swift break from the Turkish side down the left ends with Rodrigues slipping the ball into the path of Kruse, but the former Werder Bremen striker smashes his shot into the side-netting under pressure from Süle.
3' BAYERN ON TOP
Bayern have had more of the ball so far and are passing it around quickly in midfield. Fenerbahce are looking solid, though, and are closing down the spaces quickly and not giving them much room to work with in the final third.
1' KICK-OFF!
Bayern, playing all in red, get the match under way!
PRE-MATCH FORMALITIES
The teams are out on the pitch now, their entrance accompanied by some suitably dramatic music. It won't be long now!
HELLO AND WELCOME!
The winner of this match will face Tottenham Hotspur in the final tomorrow, after the Premier League side beat Real Madrid 1-0 earlier today thanks to a first-half goal from Harry Kane.
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