Bayern dismantle Bochum 7-0 behind Mane's brace
Bochum supporters were hoping to see a repeat of last season’s upset over Bayern at the packed Vonovia Ruhrstadion, but this time around they were absolutely crushed by a superior Bayern side 7-0.
Trainer Julian Nagelsmann was forced to make several changes to the starting lineup due to Bayern’s injury issues. Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman were inserted into the attack, while Matthijs de Ligt’s start moved Lucas Hernandez out wide in place of Alphonso Davies.
Bayern were off and running early and often, as Sane scored the first of a barrage of goals with his right-footed swinger in just the 4th minute. It could have been a quick 2-0, but a world-class Manuel Riemann save kept out a thunderous strike by Sane.
Simon Zoller, Anthony Losilla and Philipp Hofmann had several early chances, but nothing really challenged Manuel Neuer. De Ligt then scored his first Bundesliga goal, as Riemann misjudged Joshua Kimmich’s corner. The center-back’s header was nearly overturned, but video assist revealed not enough evidence for a potential hand ball.
Through devastating Bayern attacks, Coman and Sadio Mane added a couple more goals to the scoresheet, giving Bayern a 4-0 advantage heading into halftime. It could’ve been even worse from Bochum's perspective, as another Mane goal was ruled out due to a hand ball.
In the second half, Bayern continued to put on a show and consistently sliced through Bochum’s lackluster defense. Mane secured his brace with a 60th minute penalty and Cristian Gamboa's own-goal made it 6-0 within 70 minutes. Serge Gnabry wrapped things up with a super strike into the corner, as Bayern emphasized keeping a clean sheet at the other end.
After losing several impact players in the summer window, it's clear that Bochum don't have the squad to compete with the top clubs this year. Nagelsmann's side broke so quickly throughout the game, as Bochum couldn't find any answers to stop Bayern's transitional brilliance.
Bayern shoot to the top of the table with their undefeated start, while Bochum sit bottom without a point recorded. The Bavarian club play at home to Gladbach on Matchday 4 and Bochum travel to Freiburg for a clash on Friday night.