Bayern Munich maintained their dominance at the top of the Bundesliga with a commanding 5-1 victory over RB Leipzig on Friday, but the triumph was overshadowed by the tragic events in Magdeburg, where a deadly car attack at a Christmas market left at least two dead and over 60 injured.
The win extended Bayern’s lead to seven points over second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, who can close the gap to four points with a victory over Freiburg in Saturday’s late match.
However, the mood in Munich was sombre following the attack, and Bayern coach Vincent Kompany expressed his thoughts for the victims of Magdeburg.
As a mark of respect, Bayern’s traditional pre-Christmas ceremony was abbreviated, replaced with a quiet rendition of “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”), and a minute’s silence was held before kick-off at the Allianz Arena.
On the pitch, Bayern wasted no time in asserting their dominance. Jamal Musiala scored within 30 seconds, tapping in a cross from Michael Olise after a brilliant flick by Harry Kane, who was returning from injury.
However, Leipzig responded quickly, equalising just a minute later. Lois Openda’s skillful stepover left Bayern’s Kim Min-jae trailing, allowing him to deliver a perfect cross for Benjamin Sesko, who slotted the ball past Bayern keeper Yann Sommer.
Bayern regained the lead shortly after, with Konrad Laimer volleying past Leipzig’s Peter Gulacsi following a clever exchange with Olise. Joshua Kimmich then added a third in the 36th minute with a thunderous strike from outside the box that left Gulacsi with no chance.
Despite some second-half improvements from Leipzig, Bayern were relentless. Leroy Sane extended the lead to 4-1 in the 75th minute, calmly finishing a through pass from Alphonso Davies. Davies then rounded off the scoring in the 81st minute, heading in a Kimmich cross to make it 5-1.
After the game, both Kompany and Kane expressed condolences to the victims of the Magdeburg attack. Kane said, “Sometimes, there is a bigger picture than football. All the team and FC Bayern present their condolences to anyone who is affected by this.”
Despite the dark cloud cast over the game by the events in Magdeburg, Bayern’s performance was one of their best of the season, securing three points with ease while also demonstrating solidarity with the victims of the attack.
