Cancelo helps Bayern put Mainz to rout
BERLIN: New Bayern Munich signing Joao Cancelo set up a first-half goal to help his side secure a first win of 2023 with a 4-0 triumph at 10-man Mainz in the German Cup on Wednesday.
Cancelo, who joined the German champions on loan from Man City on Tuesday, made an immediate impact, floating in a lofted cross to Cameroon striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who hammered home from close range.
Winless in their first three league games of 2023, Bayern entered the game under significant pressure to advance to the German Cup quarter-finals for the first time in three seasons.
Choupo-Moting’s 17th-minute strike settled the visitors’ nerves and they had a second on the 30-minute mark when Thomas Mueller found teenage forward Jamal Musiala, who slammed the ball across the face of goal to make it 2-0.
Winger Leroy Sane scored the third goal with one minute of the first half remaining, sliding in a looped assist from former Mainz forward ChoupoMoting. Canadian wing-back Alphonso Davies, who came on for Cancelo with 20 minutes to go, added a fourth late in the game, heading in a floated assist from Dutch centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.
In Tuesday’s early game, former Chelsea striker Timo Werner scored late to help German Cup holders RB Leipzig beat Hoffenheim 3-1.
Werner latched onto a pass from Danish striker Yussuf Poulsen and driving the ball past Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann to seal his side’s win in the 83rd minute.
Leipzig, who are unbeaten at home in the league this season, struck after just eight minutes, with Swedish forward Emil Forsberg catching Baumann napping to squeeze in a long-range shot at the near post.
Leipzig doubled their lead before half-time, with Konrad Laimer collecting the ball on the turn before unleashing a fierce left-foot shot into the far corner of the net.
Kasper Dolberg headed in a sublime cross from former Leipzig wing-back Angelino in the 77th minute to cause some nerves for the home side in the closing stages.
However, Werner scored his fourth goal of the cup campaign with just over five minutes remaining.
RESULTS
Round of 16
RB Leipzig 3 Hoffenheim 1; Mainz 0 Bayern Munich 4