Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig win in the last two matches of the third week of the Bundesliga. The reigning champions Bayern triumph 2-1 at the Elversberg field, a team that has just been promoted to the Bundesliga, thanks to Kane's decisive goal in the second half. RB Leipzig's reaction, which after the heavy defeat in Como in the Champions League, destroys Hamburg 5-0. In the standings, Bayern is second together with Augsburg with 7 points each, -2 from the leading pair Freiburg-Dortmund.
ELVERSBERG 1-2 BAYERN MUNICH
FC Bayern München weathered a tough Bundesliga trip to Spiesen-Elversberg with a 2-1 win, secured thanks to Harry Kane's goal after the hour mark. Lennart Karl opened the scoring for Bayern in the first half, Maurice Krattenmacher equalised for Elversberg and Kane scored the decisive goal a few minutes later.
The statistics were clearly in Bayern's favour, yet the match remained tense until the final whistle at the Ursapharm-Arena an der Kaiserlinde. Referee Sascha Stegemann officiated an open match, with few interruptions and no red cards. For full match details and minute-by-minute details, check out the match centre on Sofascore and explore more of the Bundesliga season.
Bayern's dominance, measured by the numbers
Bayern dominated possession with 72% and applied constant pressure, completing 822 passes to Elversberg's 321. The number of shots told the same story: 28-5, while the visitors also led in shots on target, 6-1. The expected goals statistics were also clear, with 2.42 xG for Bayern to 0.94 for Elversberg. In the penalty area, Bayern registered 67 touches of the ball, compared to just 10 for the home team, reflecting the long periods during which the Bavarians stayed in the final third of the pitch. Corner kicks also favored Bayern, 9-3, as the team patiently circulated their attacks.
The statistics of the advance confirmed this dominance. Bayern made 90 passes into the final third, compared to Elversberg's 27, and completed 268 of 306 passes in the area, with an accuracy of 88%. Their dribbling was also more efficient: 15 of 28, with a 54% success rate, compared to Elversberg's 7 of 22, with a 32% success rate. The visitors also won 58% of the total duels, including 57% of the aerial duels, limiting Elversberg's ability to play through pressure. Even with such dominance, the difference in score remained minimal, underlining the importance of finishing and the small moments that decide matches.
Who is Elversberg?
Elversberg, a Bundesliga debutant, faced giants Bayern Munich in the championship. Elversberg, a municipality in the south of Saarland with just 13,000 inhabitants, is the smallest town to have ever hosted a Bundesliga team. And yet, it put up a strong resistance. Founded in 1907, the club operated as an amateur team for most of the 20th century. However, the situation changed in the early 2000s, when the local pharmaceutical company Ursapharm – initially run by Frank Holzer and then, from 2011, by his son Dominik – became its main sponsor.
