‘Full-time’ Kim Min-jae, 7.0 → Solid defense…Munich concedes theater PK goal to draw 2-2 with Leverkusen → ‘First goal’ Kane, 7.6
Despite a solid defensive performance from Kim Min-jae, Bayern Munich could not come away with a win.
The Bavarians drew 2-2 with Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the fourth round of the 2023-24 German Bundesliga at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on Saturday (Sept. 16). Kim Min-jae started and played the full game. After taking the lead through Harry Kane, Munich equalized through Grimaldo, but took the lead through Leon Goretzka just before halftime. However, Alfonso Davies gave Leverkusen a penalty in stoppage time, which Palacio converted.
After the game, soccer stats site Footmob gave Kim a rating of 7.0. He played a solid defense. He had two interceptions and five clearances. He had one interception and a 50 percent ball-winning percentage. His partner, Upamecano, had a similar score of 7.3.
The highest rating of the match went to the equalizer, Grimaldo, who split the Munich goal in the 23rd minute with a sharp left-footed free kick. It was a fantastic goal, curling into the corner beyond the reach of Ulreich. Grimaldo earns an 8.5 rating.
Kane, who scored the opening goal, is rated 7.6. He gave Munich the lead not long after the start of the game, but was often isolated afterward and had one big missed chance. With the score tied at 1-1, he had a one-on-one chance with Hradecki in the 12th minute of the second half, but was denied a second goal by a good save.
The lowest rated player was Ulreich. The Footmob gave him a rating of 6.0. Ulreich conceded two goals and made some poor passes that led to crucial chances for Leverkusen. But other than that, he made a number of outstanding saves to save the day for Munich.
The home team came out with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Kane was up front, with Serge Gnabry, Thomas Muller, and Leroy Sane in the second line. The third line was a combination of Goretzka and Yoja Kimmich. The back four consisted of Davies, Kim Min-jae, Dayo Upamecano, and Konrad Reimer. Sven Ulreich wore the goalkeeping gloves.
Leverkusen lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Victor Oko Boniface started up front. Just below him were Florian Wirz and Jonas Hoffmann. The four midfielders were Grimaldo, Granit Xhaka, Robert Andrić, and Jeremy Frimpong, from left to right. The three backs were Edmond Topsova, Jonathan Tah, and Odilon Kosunu. Lukas Hradecky was in goal.
Munich went on the offensive right from the start. In the third minute, Zane picked up the ball on the right flank and played a heel kick pass to the onrushing Reimer. Reimer connected with a direct shot, but it was headed straight at Hratecki.
It didn’t take long for the first goal to come. In the seventh minute of the first half, Munich earned a corner kick. Zane’s attempted kick was deflected backwards against the defense, and a free Kane couldn’t miss it and found the back of the net. All the Leverkusen defenses lost sight of Kane for a moment. It was his fourth goal since joining Munich.
Kim Min-jae played a solid defense. After the first goal, he shut down Boniface. In the ninth minute, he won an aerial ball against Boniface in the midfield.
Munich’s offense continued. In the 11th minute, you picked up a loose ball near the center of the box. After stripping one defender, Zane fired a powerful shot that sailed high over the goal.
Leverkusen also tried to attack, but they were blocked by Kim Min-jae. Minjae made a quick save to deny Hoffmann on the flank and then blocked a powerful cross from Frimpong. In the 17th minute, he delivered an accurate long pass. However, you missed a touch and gave the ball away. You apologized to Kim Min-jae. Kim then made a good interception on a penetrating pass to Boniface.
In the 22nd minute, Boniface received the ball in the box and attempted a powerful shot, but was blocked by Kim Min-jae’s physical defense. Gradually, the momentum shifted to Leverkusen. In the 23rd minute, a foul on Muller gave Leverkusen a free kick in a good position.
The free kick was taken by Grimaldo, who had a sharp left-footed kick. Grimaldo’s left-footed free-kick was curled into the corner beyond the reach of Ulreich. Leverkusen managed to grab a valuable equalizer away from Munich.
Kim Min-jae made a bad pass in the 20th minute. He tried to play the ball to Gnabry in the center of the box, but he was blocked. Leverkusen immediately had a chance to attack, but Kimmich made a good save. It was a breath of fresh air for Kim.
Having equalized, Leverkusen pushed Munich hard. In the 30th minute, Boniface had a shot on target, and two minutes later, Xhaka tried a surprise mid-range effort. Boniface had another powerful effort, but it was off target.
In the 33rd minute, Munich had a big breakthrough. Boniface found himself one-on-one with Ulreich after a penetrating pass, and he slotted the ball past Ulreich, but the assistant referee ruled him offside. Leverkusen’s goal was disallowed and Munich breathed a sigh of relief. Then, once again, Kim Min-jae blocked Boniface. After leaving three Munich defenders unmarked, Boniface attempted a powerful shot that was again blocked by Kim Min-jae’s physical defense.
In the 43rd minute, Munich finally had a chance to attack. A corner kick was won, and Zane took it. The ball found its way into the box, creating a scramble in the box. Kim Min-jae stayed focused, collected the ball, and tried to turn and shoot, but Leverkusen’s defense was too much. A minute later, Goretzka got on the end of a sharp cross, but his header was saved by Hradecki.
In the 45th minute, Kim Min-jae provided Gnabry with a crucial chance, delivering a precise long pass to Gnabry as he broke into the box. However, his subsequent shot was blocked by Hradecki. Kim could have recorded an assist, but he had to swallow his disappointment. The two teams ended the first half at 1-1.
Kim Min-jae made a quick interception at the start of the second half. Munich immediately counter-attacked, but Leverkusen managed to clear the ball again.
Six minutes into the second half, Boniface threatened Munich’s goal from long range. Ulreich was open and made a sensational save, but the ball landed on top of the post.
Six minutes later, Ulreich made a mistake with a pass. Leverkusen attacked quickly, and Frimpong had a one-on-one chance, but was denied by Ulreich. He covered his mistake well.
This time, Munich had the decisive chance. Muller’s touch on Davies’ pass was a little long, but it found Kane. One-on-one, Kane struck low and precise, but Ulreich made a super save.
Munich pushed forward in search of a second goal. They took off Muller and Kimmich and brought on Jamal Moussaoui and Mazrouei. Kimmich had a puzzled reaction to the substitution. Tuchel then brought on Mathis Teller in the 25th minute for Gnabry, whose presence was minimal.
In the 32nd minute, Leverkusen had a crucial chance. Birz beat the entire defense for a moment before unleashing a powerful left-footed shot, but the ball hit the post. Birz swallowed his disappointment. Two minutes later, Musiala used his speed to create a lone chance. In the process, Topsova made a quick cover to deny Musiala the chance.
Both teams continued to push forward in search of another goal. Boniface had a one-on-one chance with Ulreich after getting past Kim Min-jae, but he was saved. The goalkeepers of both teams continued to make their presence felt.
Then, finally, the goal came. The hero was Munich’s Goretzga. In the 40th minute, Tell picked up the ball on the flank, shook the defense, and sent in a ground ball cross. The ball found its way to the onrushing Goretzka, who took advantage of a no-mark opportunity to slot home a left-footed shot into the back of the net. Munich took a 2-1 lead.
Leverkusen, now urgent, attacked through Boniface. A cross from the right flank was sent in by Hoffmann to Boniface in the center. Boniface tried a direct shot, but the ball sailed high.
It looked like Munich would hold on for all three points, but there was a major twist in stoppage time. Davies brought down Hoffmann in the box with an overzealous challenge. The referee checked the video assistant referee (VAR) and awarded Leverkusen a penalty. Palacio stepped up to the spot kick and split the goal with a powerful shot. Ulreich anticipated the direction, but the shot was too powerful.
After conceding the equalizer, Munich looked to regain the lead with a theatrical goal from Upamecano just before the end of the match. However, Upamecano was ruled offside and the goal was disallowed. The game ended 2-2 and the two teams shared a point. After the game, the Munich coach was sent off for protesting the referee. The Munich players didn’t stop protesting either. However, the result of the match remained unchanged.
Despite the loss, Munich remained unbeaten in the league, but failed to take the lead. They’re not exactly the Bundesliga’s top dog this season. Although they’re still undefeated with three wins and a draw, their form is far from satisfactory. Munich struggled last season. They were in a back-and-forth battle at the top of the table with Dortmund. They were in the lead until the last round of the league. However, Dortmund lost to Mainz 05 in the final game, and Munich took advantage and won the Bundesliga title for the 11th consecutive year. Nevertheless, they were clearly not as dominant as they once were.
Sensing a crisis, Munich bolstered their squad this summer with the signings of Kane and Kim Min-jae. Kane was arguably the best striker in the Premier League. Throughout his career, he was the Premier League’s top scorer three times, a feat that rarely happens. He is also the second most prolific goalscorer in league history. Munich succeeded in signing Kane after a tug-of-war with Tottenham.
Earlier in the day, they also managed to sign Kim Min-jae. Kim joined Napoli ahead of last season. It was his debut in the European big leagues, but he quickly made his way into the starting lineup and impressed. At the end of the season, he was named the best defender in the Italian Serie A. Napoli won their first title in 33 years thanks to Kim’s performance.
The likes of Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were soon after him, but it was Munich who ultimately won out, with Kim joining Upamecano to form a solid defense. However, the Bavarians tasted bitterness when they lost 0-3 to Leipzig in the German Super Cup before the league season began. They then went on to go unbeaten in the league, but today’s draw puts them back in trouble. 굿모닝토토
Leverkusen, meanwhile, remained at the top of the table. Leverkusen have been on the rise under the tactical brilliance of Xabi Alonso, who took over midway through last season. Leverkusen’s last official loss was a 1-2 defeat to Cologne in May last season. Leverkusen, who have been on a massive upswing, looked unfazed in Munich, especially with Boniface, who has developed into one of the best strikers in the league this season. Although he didn’t score on the day, he threatened Munich’s goal on several occasions. The Footmob gave Boniface a rating of 7.2 on the day. That’s a decent rating.
After the disappointing draw, Munich will host Manchester United in the first leg of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage on March 21. The two teams have been drawn in a group with Copenhagen (Denmark) and Galatasaray (Turkiye) and are considered the two best teams in the competition. This means that whoever wins the head-to-head will have a shot at topping the group. Munich have a big game coming up, but this draw puts a bit of a damper on their momentum.
