Bayern Munich vs. Freiburg: Winners and Losers from Bundesliga Game

Bayern Munich opened a 12-point lead in the Bundesliga on Tuesday as they downed Freiburg in the penultimate match of their fall campaign. The German record champions have only Mainz to face on Friday before they are able to take a long-awaited and well-deserved winter break.

The visitors, meanwhile, slumped to 17th in the league table.

Goals from Arjen Robben and Thomas Muller shortly before and after the half-time break ensured a rather comfortable win for Bayern. But not all was rosy for the winners, who were forced to make several substitutions due to injuries. And not all was sorrow and misery for Freiburg, who in Roman Burki had a real stalwart in goal.

Following Tuesday's match, B/R picks out the winners and losers from the action on hand. Click "Begin Slideshow" for a closer look.

Bayern used all three of their allotted substitutions within an hour, each having been made due to an injury. Mehdi Benatia was forced off with an apparent groin strain on 39 minutes, Robert Lewandowski didn't return after the half-time break and Xabi Alonso went straight down the tunnel after appearing to pick up a muscular injury.

It's been a challenging and long fall campaign, and there is perhaps no doubt that Lewandowski and Alonso (especially due to his age) sustained muscular injuries, considering the number of minutes they've played since August. The good news for Bayern is that they just have one more game before the winter break. Come January, Lewandowski, Alonso and Benatia will probably be fit. Their odds of being able to face Mainz on Friday, however, are less favorable.

Roman Burki joined Freiburg with some big shoes to fill after Oliver Baumann's summer departure. By all accounts, he's done quite well. And although his side lost on Tuesday, the goalkeeper at least did well to stymie Juan Bernat.

The Bayern left-back seemed intent to score his first Bundesliga goal on Tuesday, taking five shots over the course of the game—including two close calls as the game entered its final quarter. Roman Burki made a marvelous save from the Spaniard, who was unable (and unlucky not) to score on the night, just as he made many other classy stops over course of the 90 minutes.

Oliver Sorg's stock has taken a sharp rise in 2014, with the 24-year-old having even made his debut for the senior German national team in May. On Tuesday, however, his confidence and esteem took a big hit as he had an absolute nightmare in defense.

Tasked with the duty of marking Franck Ribery, Sorg crumbled under pressure and was completely unable to cope with the Frenchman. And although Ribery was unable to capitalize on his chances for most of the first half, he broke through to assist Arjen Robben's opener shortly before the interval.

At half-time, Sorg was replaced. He still has some distance to go if he is to become a mainstay in Joachim Low's Germany squad.

Juan Bernat has been a regular starter for Bayern throughout the fall campaign, and as of late he has come closer and closer to opening his scoring account for the Bavarian giants.

Tuesday marked perhaps the Spaniard's best match since his summer transfer from Valencia, one in which he had little defending to do and made the best of his opportunities to move forward.

He came agonizingly close to finally scoring, twice being denied by the woodwork and otherwise facing a brick wall in the form of Burki. Even so, one Bernat shot that hit the bar fell perfectly to Thomas Muller to double Bayern's lead and seal the result.

Competing against several players with significantly greater technical ability and more propensity to turn games on their own, Thomas Muller faces a difficult challenge in his day-to-day career at Bayern. Yet performances like the one he gave on Tuesday are a reminder that the 25-year-old can absolutely stand his own against the likes of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Mario Gotze.

Muller was arguably Bayern's best player on Tuesday, and although it was not he who scored or assisted the opener, he was rewarded for his efforts with a goal after the break. The German international created chance after chance, either through his exquisite passing or his intelligent movement off the ball. After being denied by the woodwork in the first half, he completely deserved his goal.

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