Jamal Musiala scored an absolute screamer to hand Bayern Munich all three points against St Pauli on the road.
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Bayern beat St Pauli 1-0 away from homeMusiala's wonder-strike the differenceWin keeps visitors top despite poor Kane showingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱TELL ME MORE
Bayern's dominance in the Bundesliga this season continued but it took a bit of magic to open the scoring. After being largely frustrated by St Pauli – who could have taken the lead themselves – Musiala took things into his own hands, picking the ball up outside of the box before unleashing a thunderous effort that cannoned into the net off the bar. It was a big relief for the Bavarian side as it was beginning to look like the makings of a frustrating afternoon.
Leroy Sane in particular was having a good time out on the right wing, tormenting Manolis Saliakas with his pace. He linked up well with Musiala on a few occasions but to no avail as Vincent Kompany's side looked to really take control of the game. A few half chances came Bayern's way but St Pauli were still in the game at half-time.
The second half saw even more Bayern Munich domination. Harry Kane put a header just wide of the frame of the goal in the opening minutes, while Sane was again involved, striking the ball against a blockade of St Pauli players. As things wore on, Kompany's men did not sit deep, meaning there was space for the hosts to exploit on the counter attack. A few crucial blocks from Kim Min-Jae and Dayot Upamecano were needed to prevent St Pauli from getting back into the game and earning a point.
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Musiala has scored six goals and recorded one assist in his last five games for Bayern. He was surprisngly left out of the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d'Or, which was awarded to Manchester City midfielder Rodri last week.
THE MVP
Without a doubt, it was Musiala's day in Hamburg. The Germany international put his team on his back and got the job done when his team-mates were not at their best. Musiala has certainly been one of the Bundesliga's brightest stars again this season and at just 21, is proving he can be a big name in Europe for many more years to come.
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Kane is used to scoring on a regular basis for club and country but he had an off day for Bayern here. The England captain amassed 0.32xG against St Pauli and had just 29 touches of the ball, one less than goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. He did have a chance to score at the end of the game but hit his shot straight at the goalkeeper in an uncharacteristic moment for the 31-year-old. He is still the Bundesliga's top scorer with 11 but Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush now has an opportunity close the gap, with the Egyptian just one behind.