MX23RW : Friday, May 15 14:42:01| >> :60:1848:1848:
Mar 17, 2019 at 5pm UK at Allianz Arena (München)
Attendance: 75,000
BayernBayern Munich
6-0
Mainz 05
Lewandowski (3'), Rodriguez (33', 51', 55'), Coman (39'), Davies (70')
FT(HT: 3-0)

Kovac happy as Bayern hit the front again with big win

Kovac happy as Bayern hit the front again with big win
© Reuters
Niko Kovac and Thomas Muller were satisfied with the way Bayern bounced back from their Champions League disappointment

Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac felt his side played with "zest" and "verve" and were deserved 6-0 winners against Mainz.

There was no Champions League hangover for Bayern as they returned to the top of the Bundesliga table in emphatic style on Sunday.

James Rodriguez scored a hat-trick while Robert Lewandowski, Kingsley Coman and Alphonso Davies were also on the scoresheet for the reigning champions as they bounced back from their midweek home defeat to Liverpool.

The win, Bayern's 13th in their last 14 league games, saw Kovac's team move back above rivals Borussia Dortmund on goal difference at the summit.

"A compliment to the lads. We're pleased we're at the top again. We saw a lot of zest today, a whole lot of verve, very many good moves," Kovac told the club's official website.

"Taken altogether it was a deserved win and the right margin of victory. Now we can work calmly and with focus in the two-week international break."

Thomas Muller, one of five changes Kovac made to the side that were knocked out of the Champions League four days ago, emphasised the importance of Bayern bouncing back quickly – especially after Dortmund's injury-time win 24 hours previously.

He said: "We absolutely wanted to turn in a good display, we had ambitious plans after Wednesday. We wanted to take our chances and strike back.

"Dortmund did their homework yesterday evening. I'm glad we got into the game so well. We were clearly superior from the start. The way we played was just fun, we were flexible and exploited the space well.

"It was important to improve our goal difference in the last three matches. The table is looking better than in the first half of the season of course."

Mainz became the second successive side to lose 6-0 at the Allianz Arena in the Bundesliga, following Wolfsburg last weekend, and boss Sandro Schwarz said: "We conceded an early goal.

"We had good moves up front from the 15th to the 25th or 30th minute. Taken altogether it wasn't enough. We only escorted them for long spells, without really tackling with bite.

"That's why we suffered the same fate as a few teams have done over the last few weeks. We conceded the goals too easily."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport Staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'cead5480-cd1a-4c87-aa8e-86d547108e49');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Kovac happy as Bayern hit the front again with big win'});

ID:353783:

Click here for more stories about Niko Kovac

Click here for more stories about Bayern Munich

Share this article now:
Watford's Heurelho Gomes gestures to the fans at the end of the FA Cup match against Crystal Palace on March 16, 2019
Read Next:
Gracia prepared to keep faith with Gomes for FA Cup semi-final
>
Latest Sports Video
Did you know...?
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.

rhs 2.0
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Bayern MunichBayern25174473264755
2Borussia DortmundDortmund25156468333551
3RB Leipzig25148362263650
4Borussia MonchengladbachBorussia M'bach25154649301949
5Bayer LeverkusenB. Leverkusen25145645301547
6Schalke 04Schalke2591063336-337
7Wolfsburg259973430436
8Freiburg2510693435-136
9Hoffenheim25105103543-835
10FC Koln25102133945-632
11Union BerlinUnion Berlin2593133241-930
12Eintracht FrankfurtFrankfurt2484123841-328
13Hertha Berlin2577113248-1628
14Augsburg2576123652-1627
15Mainz 052582153453-1926
16Fortuna DusseldorfDusseldorf2557132750-2322
17Werder Bremen2446142755-2818
18SC PaderbornSC Paderborn2544173054-2416

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!