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Goals in each half from Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller helped Bayern Munich register a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Freiburg in the 2020-21 Bundesliga.
Bayern Munich came into this clash on the back of defeats to Borussia Monchengladbach in the league and a shock elimination from the DFB Pokal at the hands of Holstien Kiel.
Against Freiburg, Bayern Munich were awarded a penalty by referee Christian Diongert in the fifth minute, who later rescinded his decision after consultations with the VAR.
Following that scare, it took just seven minutes for Bayern Munich to get on the scoresheet, as Lewandowski was on hand to convert a pass from Thomas Muller. However, despite dominating the rest of the first half, the Bavarian giants could not add to their solitary goal, ensuring they went into the break with just a one-goal lead.
Nils Petersen stepped off the bench to level matters for the visitors in the 62nd minute, heading home from close range after Nicolas Hoefler had won the first ball from a corner.
However, parity lasted all of six minutes, as Thomas Muller got on the scoresheet in the 74th minute after being set up by Leroy Sane.
With Bayern Munich pushing for a third goal in the final quarter of the game, Robert Lewandowski, Leroy Sane and Corentin Tolisso all forced fine saves from the Freiburg goalkeeper Florian Mueller.
Late into injury time, the hosts survived a scare when Nils Petersen missed his chance for a brace after rattling the crossbar from close range.
On that note, let us take a look at the five talking points from this fixture:
#5 Bayern Munich take advantage of slip-up by rivals
Bayern Munich came into this matchday just two points clear at the top, following their loss last weekend.
However, all three clubs with an opportunity to leapfrog Bayern Munich faltered: Bayer Leverkusen lost to Union Berlin on Friday while Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund were held to stalemates a day later.
That sequence of results gave Bayern Munich the chance to steer further clear at the top of the league table. They got the job done with a 2-1 victory that takes them four points clear.
Though the result was far from comfortable, Bayern Munich found a way to get the job done to keep them on course for a record-extending ninth consecutive Bundesliga title.
#4 Ambitious Freiburg's winning run comes to an end
After winning just one of their opening 11 Bundesliga matches to languish in the relegation zone, Freiburg hit a purple patch in the middle of December, winning five games on the trot to climb up to mid-table.
Their good form would have given them confidence against an out-of-sorts Bayern Munich, but despite giving as good as they got at the Allianz Arena, Freiburg ended on the losing side.
Up next for the Breisgau-Brasilianer is the visit of Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday, a game where they will hope to return to winning ways.
#3 Defensive frailty remains an issue for Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich's defence was cut out time and again by Freiburg, and rather worryingly for the club, this has become a recurring theme.
Petersen's goal meant that Manuel Neuer has not kept a Bundesliga clean sheet since a 5-0 hammering of Frankfurt in October, a run stretching 11 games. In this period, Bayern Munich have conceded 14 goals, which is far from ideal.
Second-division side Holstien Kiel even breached the Bayern Munich rearguard twice in their shock DFB Pokal victory. This defensive porosity has become a major cause of concern for the Bavarian giants.
Had Freiburg converted a late chance at the death, Bayern Munich would have dropped two points.
So far this season, Bayern Munich have conceded 25 goals in just 16 league matches, which is the worst defensive record in the Bundesliga's top six.
For context, 15th-placed Arminia Bielefeld have conceded fewer goals than Hansi Flick's side, while nine sides in the 18-team league have better defensive records than Bayern Munich this campaign.
These are not numbers one generally associates with Bayern Munich, so Hansi Flick will do well to find a solution for the defensive struggles afflicting his side.
#2 Nils Petersen goes from hero to zero
Nils Pedersen showed great instincts to level matters for Freiburg with a well-taken header in the 62nd minute.
The Germany international, who had been on the field for less than two minutes, had a great opportunity to level proceedings one minute into injury time when a clear chance was presented to him in front of goal.
He could, however, only direct his shot against the crossbar when a more clinical finish would have ensured his side left the Allianz Arena with a point.
#1 Unstoppable Robert Lewandwoski gets into the record books yet again
Robert Lewandowski had a record-breaking campaign last season and was the driving force in Bayern Munich's second continental treble-winning campaign.
The 32-year-old hit a career-high 55 goals in all competitions and has justifiably had a clean sweep of individual awards since then. This term, the Poland international seems eager to take his goal-scoring exploits a notch higher, as he has scored at a devastating rate.
His goal against Freiburg was his 21st Bundesliga goal of the season, and it saw him set yet another goal-scoring record.
The strike saw Lewandowski become the first player to score 21 goals in the first half of a Bundesliga season, breaking Gerd Muller's previous record of 20 that had stood for over 40 years.
With over half of the season to go, Robert Lewandowski is on course to break the legendary striker's all-time single season record of 40 goals. At this rate, it will be foolhardy to bet against him doing so.
