In the 5:2 win in Darmstadt, Jamal Musiala once again underlined his current strong form. For the match-winner, that also has to do with having fun. He even received praise from both coaches after the game
FC Bayern have had a successful start to the international break. One player in particular stood out in the next high-scoring Bundesliga win in Darmstadt: Jamal Musiala scored twice himself, set up one goal and also cleverly set up another.
“We’re getting into the game better, getting into a good rhythm and creating good chances. That’s fun for everyone. When everyone is having fun on the pitch, everything is a bit easier,” the 21-year-old told ARD.
Musiala irresistible on the dribble
You could see the fun he was having in Darmstadt. The youngster was always looking to dribble, much to the chagrin of the Lilies’ defense. The bottom team had initially defended with great passion for a long time and even took the lead at one point before Musiala thundered a rather involuntary pass from Harry Kane into the corner.
More typical, however, was his second goal of the day to make it 3:1 in the 64th minute. After a throw-in from Thomas Müller, the dribbler took on several Darmstadt players on the right-hand side of the penalty area. First he let Jannik Müller off the ball, then Bartol Franjic, Thomas Isherwood, Tobias Kempe and the straddling Christoph Zimmermann had no chance on the ball on his way into the middle. It was a gift that keeper Marcel Schuhen deflected the shot with his heel into the goal instead of next to it during this great solo
It was the German international’s dribbles, driven by pace and elegance, that repeatedly tore crucial gaps in the Darmstadt defense, which had been secure for long stretches of the first half. Before making it 4:1, Musiala made another run into the box for substitute Serge Gnabry, and he set up the fifth goal with a lob to Mathys Tel.
However, not everything went Musiala’s way on this Saturday afternoon. In the 78th minute, a chip over Schuhen landed just on the crossbar. In total, Musiala dribbled 14 times against the Lilies, 79 percent of which were successful. He increased his goal tally to ten goals and also has six assists. He achieved his season best of twelve goals and 13 assists in the previous season.
“A real treat”: Lieberknecht goes into raptures
But apart from all the numbers and statistics, the best proof of a strong player is probably when he receives praise from his opponent. “If you’re not directly involved as the coach of the opposing team, it’s a real pleasure to watch the boy,” enthused Torsten Lieberknecht at the press conference – and went on to sing his praises: “Germany and the German national team can count themselves lucky that we have such a player and he will lead the team to the European Championship, if they don’t even become European champions with him. “
“We could always rely on him in the last few games “
This surprised even Thomas Tuchel, who initially only uttered a “wow”. But then the Bayern coach also emphasized how “crucial” Musiala is for the record champions’ game: “We’ve always been happy with him, his potential is outstanding, but his effectiveness this season hasn’t been what he’s used to and what he wants.”
Musiala currently feels “very comfortable, even in this position”. In addition, “the mixture of dribbling and passing”, i.e. when is it one hook too many, is right. “We’ve always been able to rely on him in the last few games,” concluded Tuchel.
And so Musiala once again contributed to Bayern’s clear win. During the international break, he will also be able to demonstrate his skills in the German national team’s important tests against France (Saturday, March 23) and the Netherlands (Tuesday, March 26).
