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by IANS |
Berlin, Jan 25 (IANS) Bayern Munich closed the gap on Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen after securing a narrow 1-0 victory over Union Berlin, thanks to Raphael Guerreiro's goal.
The Bavarians, now four points behind Leverkusen, nearly scored six minutes into the game as Matthijs de Ligt's close-range header tested Union goalkeeper Frederik Ronnow, who also thwarted Dayot Upamecano's follow-up shot from a tight angle, reports Xinhua.
Chances were scarce for the remainder of the first half as the Eisernen maintained a solid defense. In the closing stages, Leroy Sane's attempt from the edge of the box went wide, and Leon Goretzka couldn't beat Ronnow either.
Bayern got off to a flying start in the first minute of the second half when Harry Kane's powerful shot deflected off the left post to Guerreiro, who accurately slotted home.
Thomas Tuchel's side continued to press and nearly doubled their advantage ten minutes later, but Kane's goal was disallowed for offside by the VAR.
Union showed resilience in the 72nd minute when Jerome Roussillon forced goalkeeper Manuel Neuer into action with a sharp-angle shot following a counterattack.
It remained Union's only significant opportunity, while Bayern failed to extend their lead despite several promising chances. Kane and Thomas Muller kept Union's defense occupied in injury time, but the visitors stood their ground to prevent further goals.
"We staged a disciplined performance against a very defensively-minded opponent. We created a few chances but weren't precise enough. We missed the second goal, but it was overall a good performance," said Tuchel.
"We prevented Bayern from gaining momentum, and except for the goal, they couldn't do much damage. We waited for our chance but were unlucky not to score," admitted Union coach Nenad Bjelica.
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