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Superb Musiala inspires Bayern to blowout win over Leverkusen

Stefan Matzke - sampics / Corbis Sport / Getty

Munich, Germany, Sept 30, 2022 (AFP) - A masterclass from Jamal Musiala, as well as a first goal in five games for Sadio Mane, helped Bayern Munich thump hapless Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 at home on Friday.

Musiala scored one and set up two more, leaving the field to a rapturous reception when substituted after 81 minutes.

Asked after the game if the win removes pressure from manager Julian Nagelsmann, Musiala said simply: "The pressure was on us all."

"We (the players) are focused on ourselves. We all want to win and be number one - and we showed that today.

"The pressure is always there at Bayern. We need to deal with it."

Bayern, who had failed to win for four games in a row, got out of the blocks early, with Musiala sending a low cross directly into the path of Leroy Sane, who opened the scoring after just two minutes.

Musiala then got on the scoresheet himself after 17 minutes, combining perfectly with veteran forward Thomas Muller for his fifth goal of the season.

While the play looked spontaneous, Musiala smiled after the match when he said, "Yeah, we've been trying to do that one for a while."

Musiala turned provider again in the 39th minute, guiding a ball to Mane, who scored for the first time since Aug. 21, when Bayern last won in the Bundesliga.

Muller added a fourth in the 84th minute thanks to a howler from Leverkusen 'keeper Lukas Hradecky, who slipped while trying to pass, sending the ball directly into Muller's path.

The goal was the Bayern and Germany forward's first of the campaign.

"There was a lot written about the relationship between the team and the manager," Nagelsmann told DAZN. "I've always said that you can tell when players leave the dressing room if they respect the manager. And you can see in each game (we have played recently) that the players were fully into it."

"That was very satisfying today."

Leverkusen crisis

The loss compounds Leverkusen's misery, with the visitors having won just one game from eight attempts this campaign, in addition to an embarrassing first-round German Cup exit to third-division SV Elversberg.

Leverkusen midfielder Kerem Demirbay admitted his side keeps "losing games in a brutal fashion."

"It's very, very difficult for us at the moment," he added. "We need to stay positive. The season is long."

Leverkusen have now conceded 16 goals this season - the second most in the Bundesliga - heaping pressure on Swiss manager Gerardo Seoane.

Seoane said after the game "it's a question of will."

The win sees Bayern go second in the table, with the rest of the weekend's games to play.

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