Robert Lewandowski scores. Manuel Neuer makes a big save at a critical stage. Bayern Munich win.
It's the recipe for most Bayern Munich wins over the past few years and, on the day when Bayern Munich played their 1,935th Bundesliga game — the most of all-time — it was also the reason that Union Berlin lost.
This season, Julian Nagelsmann's team has overcome COVID-19 outbreaks, injuries, and in-game patches of uncharacteristically poor form to put themselves in position to win both the Bundesliga and the Champions League — again.
They have scored 81 goals in the league, conceding just 28. In Europe, they won every game in the group stage, scoring 22 in the process.
Just when it looked like Red Bull Salzburg might cause them problems after a hard-fought first leg, they came back to Munich and scored seven.
Now, with two months of the season remaining, the only team that can stop Bayern Munich — at least domestically — is Bayern Munich.
Defensive concerns
Bayern's defense has been shakier than usual, with errant passes and momentary lapses in concentration a far too regular occurrence.
New signing Dayot Upamecano has often been the culprit in this regard, and how Nagelsmann and Bayern manage the Frenchman in the run-in will play a huge role in the outcome of the season.
In the Bundesliga, Bayern's defensive errors regularly go unpunished, as Union Berlin demonstrated when they missed a good chance to take the lead and then, after pushing for an equalizer, conceded a second.
Borussia Dortmund will be hoping to do a better job when the two sides meet on April 23 — indeed, they'll have no choice but to win — but, with Augsburg, Bielefeld, Mainz, Stuttgart and Wolfsburg the other teams on Bayern's fixture list between now and the end of the season, it would take a spectacular collapse for the title to even have a chance of ending up in someone else's hands.
In Europe, however, defensive lapses could be Bayern Munich's undoing.
Again though, there is a strong case to be made that they have found themselves with a preferable opponent and on the more favorable side of the draw.
Villarreal have nothing to lose and, having just dumped out Juventus, arrive with a warning, but, with respect, Bayern Munich will believe that this is a team they should beat. Then it's the semifinals and anything is possible.
Of course, injury to Manuel Neuer or Lewandowski would change everything. If Lewandowski's contract situation continues to make headlines then that might unsettle the team. But this is little more than speculation.
The reality is only their own performances can stop Bayern now. Lewandowski has just scored 30 Bundesliga goals in a season for the fifth time, Manuel Neuer's wrists are still made of something stronger than most human beings and Bayern are winning again.
Let's be honest, it's mid-March. This is the part of the season Bayern Munich players play for.
Edited by: Matt Ford