dfb-cup: vfb stuttgart vs fc bayern münchen...

[txorakeriak]

I just watched my first full Bayern match after several months of denial about this team's existence (you might know about this), and I must say I'm positively surprised and very content. On the last matchday of this season's first half, two injury time goals helped Stuttgart reach a draw against Bayern, so I had already prepared myself for a tough, exciting (and nerve-wracking) game. I got - more or less the opposite. But don't let the result and the amount of goals fool you, though - the game was nowhere near as spectacular as they might suggest. It started with tons of bad passes on both sides, continued with Bayern dominating Stuttgart by ball possession, and ended with pretty much helpless passing when it was clear that Stuttgart wouldn't be able to catch up anymore. However, Bayern's use of chances is absolutely impeccable, and for this alone they can easily compete with the best in Europe. They scored nearly every time they had the chance to, assisted by Stuttgart's wonky defense and surprisingly bad goalkeeper. They could even have won this 6-1 if Franck Ribéry hadn't decided to fool Lehmann and kicked his penalty right into the keeper's waiting arms. This time, there was no historical event to help Stuttgart overcome Bayern in the DFB Cup, like on the day of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, and it was justified. I'm feeling sorry for Markus Babbel, though. He's a good coach, and he certainly knows what he's doing. His team just had an incredibly bad day today.

Line-up:
VfB Stuttgart: Lehmann - Osorio, Tasci, Delpierre, Boka - Khedira, Hitzlsperger - Hilbert (Marica 46'),
Bastürk (Lanig 57'), Šimák - Gomez
FC Bayern: Rensing - Lell, Lucio,
Demichelis, Lahm - Schweinsteiger (Altintop 59'), van Bommel (Ottl 46'), Zé Roberto,
Ribéry -
Toni (Donovan 67'), Klose

Goals:
0-1 Schweinsteiger (14')
0-2 Ribéry (16')
0-3 Toni (43')
0-4 Schweinsteiger (55', pen. Lehmann vs Zé Roberto)
0-5 Zé Roberto (59')
1-5 Gomez (84')

Some more notes:

• I'm not sure if Marica's "offside goal" was actually scored from an offside position. (Not that it matters now, of course, but I thought I'd say this.)
  
• Lehmann's behaviour is annoying. I've never been a huge Lehmann fan, but what he did today, the way he yelled at Donovan and the others is just awful. I can't help feeling some schadenfreude about the 5 goals he got.
  
• Bastürk and Šimák seem overrated to me. Especially Bastürk. I don't understand what Stuttgart was hoping for when they signed him from Hertha, who had practically suspended him.
  
• I'm not fully convinced by Landon Donovan yet. He's tried to succeed in the Bundesliga twice before, why should he succeed this time? He scored a couple of goals in the winter break friendlies, but in my opinion he's not made for a rough league like ours. Let's see. When I read about the loan, my first reaction was actually, "Why couldn't we have gotten Becks?" XD Call me biased, but I think Milan made the better deal.
  
• I really don't want Bayern to sign Mario Gomez. He might score his goals in the Bundesliga, but he's unreliable in international competition. I don't get the fuss that the media are making about him and his possible transfer.
  
• I'm very much looking forward to signing Ivica Olić, though. I suppose that after his three goals against 1860 tonight, the people in Hamburg can't even hate him that much anymore... ;)
  
• Not quite sure what I should think of Ribéry at the moment. I like him, but the hassle about his contract extension is annoying, and he shouldn't have wasted his penalty. Hope fame isn't getting the best of him...
  
• If Mario Gomez isn't fit to play at the weekend, it's Lanig's fault. Shoot me for giggling like an idiot when Lanig gave him a little punch into his groin after his goal. (The scene was even shown twice on TV! *LOL*) Gomez looked very not amused.

Zé Roberto's brilliant 5-0, prepared excellently by Ribéry (on the left) and Toni (in the middle):

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And here, Gomez's goal, significantly after a corner, and Lanig's "congratulations":

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