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Player Ratings: Bayern Munich 1-0 Maccabi Haifa

Bayern kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage with a 1-0 victory over Maccabi Haifa.

Nov 25, 2009 10:40:00 PM

Champions League: Bayern Munich - Maccabi Haifa, Ivica Olic - Eyal Meshumar (Getty Images/Bongarts)

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Champions League: Bayern Munich - Maccabi Haifa, Ivica Olic - Eyal Meshumar (Getty Images/Bongarts)

Teams

BAYERN MUNICH

Butt 6 - 'N/A' would also apply, but he gets credit for being on the pitch. Technically made two 'saves', but both were routine stops. Really, he could have set up a lawn chair and relaxed over the final half hour. Or he could have pulled a Luca Toni and left the stadium...

Lahm: 6.5 - Touched the ball a lot and played well in defence, but he just isn't the same on the right side as he has been on the left. He needs to learn how to play offensively on the right side, because his left foot just isn't as dangerous as his right. With his skill set, he could take a lesson from Dani Alves.

Demichelis: 6 - Slipped and almost conceded possession deep in his own half, but otherwise played a solid game. Nullified any danger that came his way, and did well to pick out his opponents with long balls.

Van Buyten: 6.5 - All the notes I have are the following: he fouled once, was outrun once, outran once, and aptly dealt with what few challenges he had.

Badstuber: 7 - He's really beginning to make a name for himself as a left-back. Physically imposing in defence, yet confident with the ball at his feet, Badstuber completely dominated his flank.

Van Bommel: 8 - A candidate for man of the match. Although he is a generally defensive-minded midfielder, Van Bommel went forward and should have scored a goal. He's used to having to pass out wide, but Haifa's defence parted like the Red Sea, and he picked out Gomez to set up the winner.

Mueller: 5.5 - Almost scored a spectacular goal from distance, but this wasn't his best match. He much prefers playing more narrowly in a 4-3-3 setup. Won several free kicks, however.

Schweinsteiger: 6 - As usual, there were flashes of brilliance, and spurts of utter incompetence. He'd play an inch-perfect 40-yard pass, then fail to field a simple through ball a minute later.

Pranjic: 6 - Possibly his best performance in a Bayern shirt. The position in which he played today was reminiscent of the one in which he line up in at Heerenveen, and it showed in his confidence. Lacked precision in his attacking moves, but played well overall.

Gomez: 7 - May not have scored, but it was an excellent performance by the German striker. Held the ball well, worked hard, found his team-mates, and played a great role in the goal. His confidence is growing day by day.

Olic: 7.5 - Industrious as always. Nearly took off Davidovitch's head in the first half, and probably should have done better with his header just before the break. Was in position to tap in a deserved winner.

Substitutes

Ottl: 4 - Came on to provide defensive cover. Haifa didn't score, so perhaps Ottl did his job aptly. But did he even touch the ball?

Tymoshchuk: N/A - Played for nine minutes and had very little to do. Nothing to assess, really.

MACCABI HAIFA

Davidovich: 5 - Generally good decision-making from the man known as 'The Octopus'. Did well to save the shots from Olic (33') and Gomez (62'). Could have controlled the Gomez shot a bit better, though, rather than leaving the rebound for Olic to pounce upon.

Meshumar: 4 - Didn't know how to deal with both Pranjic and Badstuber on the right side. Had little support and essentially had two men to play at once, so it's unwise to put very much blame on him.

Maymon: 6 - Among his team's best players. Maymon played very well in defence, although he was beaten as Olic scored his goal. Still, you can't blame him for being beaten in a foot race by one of Europe's fastest players.

Keinan: 6.5 - An excellent performance from the Israeli international. He won his challenges and made life difficult for Gomez and Olic. Before the goal, he may have been a bit too far off Gomez, which allowed the German enough space to move and shoot on goal.

Masilela: 4 - Simply could not get forward. Also, was beaten by Olic in the 33rd minute. Not a good night for the South African defender.

Kayal: 3.5 - Did better than his central midfield partner, but not by much. Bayern were dominant in possession and Kayal could do very little in response.

Jairo: 3 - Comprehensively lost the midfield battle, and had to resort to fouling to do anything to stop Bayern in the middle of the park. Left far too much space between himself and the back four.

Ottman: 2 - Provided absolutely nothing on the right side.

Ghadir: 6 - His team's best midfield player by far. Picked out Katan for his team's best chance of the day, and had great control of the ball, but was outplayed overall.

Dvalishvili: 2 - Utterly anonymous.

Katan: 6 - His team's most dangerous figure on the day. Great ball control and precise passing, but he missed his two best chances. Could have done much better with his half-volley in the 50th minute, and his 68th minute free kick was close, but missed.

Substitutes

Golasa: 4 - It would have been really fitting if he scored a goal, but instead, he misfired his one attempt. Other than that, he wasn't able to penetrate Bayern's defence to any effect.

Rafaelov: 4 - Came on for Jairo with 20 minutes to go, and continued to lose the midfield battle by a landslide.

Arbeitman: 3 - Only has a higher rating than Dvashvili because he had more time to play. As a substitute meant to put pressure on Bayern's defence, he did nothing noteworthy.

Clark Whitney, Goal.com

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