Every week for the remainder of the season, Sportsnet will choose a top play from the Bundesliga and break it down in depth to highlight its magnificence.
Like the rest of the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich had a quick turnaround from the weekend due to a mid-week matchday.
However, before Bayern defeated Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker on Tuesday, the Bavarians had to take down Eintracht Frankfurt in the late match on Saturday. Any slip-up would’ve been extra motivation for Dortmund, who was trailing the league leaders by four points entering the game.
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Down 3-0 early in the second half, Eintracht stunned Bayern with two goals in three minutes to cut the deficit to 3-2.
But then Canadian Alphonso Davies stepped up.
Six minutes after Eintracht’s second goal, the left-back weaved his way through the final third – confusing the Eintracht defence in the process – before finishing calmly past goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.
That goal eventually sealed a 5-2 win for Bayern. It wasn’t pretty, but it took incredible composure and control for Davies to create the opportunity for himself in the first place.
Here’s a complete breakdown of Davies’ goal.
Creating the lane
When Davies receives this pass, he only has one option for a pass, which is to Ivan Perisic directly in front of him. Sebastian Rode is marking Joshua Kimmich to prevent a give-and-go between Kimmich and Davies, which is a regular theme whenever Thiago starts. Danny da Costa, meanwhile, was meant to stick tightly to the Canadian.
Da Costa didn’t follow Davies when he passed to Perisic, allowing the full-back to burst freely through Eintracht’s right half-space when he received the ball again.
Rode tracked back briefly before letting up once he saw there were several Frankfurt players offering defensive cover.
Fortune favours the brave
At this point, Kingsley Coman is making a run through the centre between Martin Hinteregger and Timothy Chandler. Robert Lewandowski, who was marked by Hinteregger, calls for the ball as Davies sprints inside.
Lewandowski pulls back to create separation from Hinteregger. Davies, who is about to be challenged by Stefan Ilsanker, sees this and passes to Lewandowski.
However, neither player detected Gelson Fernandes tracking back, and he eventually played a pivotal role in Davies’ goal.
Fernandes intercepted the pass as he was running into the box. He knew Davies was behind him and saw Coman in front, so Fernandes passed it to his right with the thought that Hinteregger or Chandler will take over from there.
But the ball is behind Chandler and Hinteregger, with both players’ momentum carrying them forward.
The finish
From there, Davies pounced onto the loose ball. That wouldn’t happen if he didn’t follow his pass, which many players neglect. The teenager’s tenacity and speed enabled him to recover what appeared to be a broken play.
Goalkeeper Trapp had to rush off his line to close down the angle when Davies latched onto the loose ball. Fernandes also attempted to intervene.
Davies, with the perfect placement and power, fired his shot over Trapp, through Fernandes’s legs and into the bottom left corner in one swift movement.
It seemed like a sloppy goal due to Fernandes’s carelessness, but Davies created this havoc on his own. That’s why opposing defenders can never relax when he’s lurking around the box.
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