Thomas Müller equalled his great namesake Gerd Müller’s tally of 427 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern Munich in style, making his mark in a vital 4-2 victory over VfL Wolfsburg that revived his side’s hopes of an eleventh straight league title.
Wolfsburg were looking for a fourth successive home victory, but cherished memories of 5-0 and 6-0 wins soon dissipated in the face of a vicious Bayern attack.
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In fact, the visitors didn’t even need a clear opportunity to grab an early lead, doing so with just nine minutes gone, when Kingsley Coman cut inside and bent an inswinging cross into the vicinity of Thomas Müller.
Despite enduring a preceding run of three straight 1-1 draws in the Bundesliga, Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann could surely sense some of his side’s old magic coming to the fore, as he sought a maiden victory as a visiting coach at this venue.
Those feelings projected onto the pitch too, and just as Die Wölfe searched for a reply, Bundesliga debutant and January signing João Cancelo swung in a fantastic cross to Coman, who took the ball on full-volley and steered it into the net to double Bayern’s lead.
The former world champion’s execution left Casteels with no chance, making his landmark appearance for the Bavarians all the more memorable and almost certainly sealing a quick victory.
Wolfsburg were dominant with the numerical advantage, but Bayern made it 4-1 with 20 minutes remaining, when Jamal Musiala showed his outstanding quality to duck and dive through the defence before finishing emphatically past Casteels.
