Robben + Ribery = Robbery in Action : Dangerous Duo

The first incident after the restart was a scramble in the Bayern box, but Boateng blocked well and the danger was cleared. From the breakdown, FCB raced up the field and took a 51st-minute lead: Ribery, Robben and Kroos combined superbly to leave Mandzukic with the simplest of finishes. The champions had the bit between their teeth, but Müller’s effort was blocked at point-blank range, Van Buyten fired over the bar, and Müller shanked a 15-yard shot wide of the far upright.

The men in white and brown continued to press and Ribery made it two on 64 minutes, slotting home the rebound after Zieler could only push away Robben’s angled drive. Hannover heads stayed up for now and Ya Konan forced Neuer into a diving save, before Dante came on for Boateng, and Alaba drew a good stop from the alert Zieler.

Reaction to Bayern vs Hannover

Pep Guardiola: “All the teams in the Bundesliga are very, very good, as Hannover proved today. We were a little risk-averse in the first half. In the second half, we played better after the opening goal from Mario Mandzukic. Now we’re looking forward to the Champions League.”

Franck Ribéry: “We didn’t do very well in the first half. It's always difficult after an international break. It was a lot better in the second half - we had more energy, our movement was better, and we scored the goals. At the end of the day we’ve won, and that was important!”

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