Bayern Munich 3 Ingolstadt 1: Alonso and Rafinha spare unconvincing champions

Xabi Alonso and Rafinha spared Bayern Munich’s blushes as the reigning Bundesliga champions came from behind to beat Ingolstadt 3-1 in unconvincing fashion in the Bavarian derby on Saturday.

It was by no means a vintage display from Bayern, who were given plenty of problems by their visitors at the Allianz Arena before making it three wins from three in the league, but their superior quality ultimately saw them through in spite of a few nervy moments, with Rafinha’s late strike eventually killing off Ingolstadt’s chances.

The away side gave Bayern a bit of a scare when Dario Lezcano broke the deadlock early on, but Carlo Ancelotti’s men looked unfazed and restored parity shortly after through Robert Lewandowski.

Ingolstadt remained a real threat with Lezcano and Mathew Leckie in attack, but Bayern ultimately went ahead through Alonso early in the second half, just before the Australian drew a crucial stop from Manuel Neuer.

The brilliant Lezcano and Leckie inspired another glorious chance that was spurned by Lukas Hinterseer and Ingolstadt were made to rue such wastefulness, as Rafinha secured their sixth successive win in all competitions, unconvincing though it was.

Early on Bayern looked like a team playing with the confidence that comes from scoring 20 goals in their last five competitive outings, attacking Ingolstadt right from the off.

The hosts finally ended Ingolstadt’s valiant fight six minutes from time, as Rafinha stabbed into the bottom-left corner following a Ribery pass, wrapping up all three points and a win that flattered the champions.

Key Opta stats:

– Bayern have lost none of their last 19 Bundesliga matches during Oktoberfest (W16 D3). The last nine Bundesliga home matches during Oktoberfest resulted in victories.

– Franck Ribery assisted three goals in one match for the fifth time in a competitive match for Bayern.

– Bayern won the first six competitive matches of a season for the first time since 2012-13 – when they won the first nine and went on to claim a trophy treble.

– Ribery played his 327th competitive match for Bayern and pulled level with Claudio Pizarro.

Source: soccerway.com