'10th Consecutive Full-time' Kim Min-jae + 'hat-trick' Kane...Munich Thrashes Darmstadt 8-0 To 'regain Lead' In League
Back To Blogs List
Bayern Munich blitzed Darmstadt with a full-time brace from Kim Min-jae and a tremendous attacking display from the forward line.
Bayern Munich cruised to an 8-0 victory over Darmstadt in the ninth round of the 2023/24 Bundesliga at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on Monday (Sept. 28).
With the win, Munich (23 points) returned to the top of the league standings, ahead of Leverkusen (22 points), who have yet to play a Round 9 match, and Stuttgart, who lost in Round 9. Darmstadt (7 points), on the other hand, dropped to 14th in the league with a heavy loss to Munich.
The hosts lined up in a 4-2-3-1. Manuel Neuer got the goalkeeping gloves, while Alfonso Davies, Kim Min-Jae, Matthias Dürich, and Nusair Mazrouei formed the back four. Jozua Kimmich and Konrad Reimer guarded the back three, while Kingsley Coman, Jamal Moussaouiallah, and Leroy Zane made up the back two. Harry Kane started up front.
Darmstadt lined up in a 3-1-4-2. Marcel Schuchen is in goal, while Matej Maglica, Klaus Zasula, and Christoph Klur form the back three. In midfield, Fabian Nurnberger, Fabian Schnellhardt, Matthias Bader, and Tobias Kempe in the back three and Marvin Mechlem in the second. Tim Skrtke and Luca Pfeiffer were in goal for Munich.
The game started with Munich on the front foot. Munich immediately got the ball to Neuer, who used a long pass to send the ball into the attacking third. They then sent the ball back to Kim Min-jae to set up an attack that included Kim, Kimmich, and Coman, who sent the ball into the penalty box. 안전토토사이트
However, a miscommunication between Neuer and Kimmich put Munich in trouble early on. In the fifth minute, Kimmich lost possession in front of the Munich arc under pressure from Neuer's pass, and as he tried to regain control of the ball, his opponent was brought down just outside the penalty box and a foul was called. The referee then showed Kimmich a straight red card and sent him off. Tuchel was also cautioned for protesting the sending off.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, however, Munich immediately hit back. In the sixth minute, Sane finished off an attack from Musalla with a mid-range shot that was blocked by Schürrle.
Kim Min-jae's passing also shone. In the eighth minute, Kim played a sharp long pass straight to Sane in the box, who immediately tried to attack, but his shot went wide of the post.
Sane and Davis' breakthrough ability shone through. In the 13th minute, Sane drove the ball directly from the halfway line and advanced to the near post. Sane released Davies, who cut in from the left, and Davies immediately followed up his breakthrough with a shot that was saved.
Kane's shooting and link-up play also stood out. On a corner kick in the 14th minute, Kane did some acrobatic maneuvering in the penalty box to find the bottom corner of the net. On the ensuing attack, Kane showed off his passing ability as he withstood pressure from the center line and delivered a precise long pass to Davies, who got behind the defense.
Darmstadt also used their numerical advantage to put Munich under intense pressure. In the 17th minute, Nurnberger broke through in the space between Davies and Kim Min-jae, but was unable to get a shot away. Reimer then came close when he lost the ball again in midfield, and in the 18th minute, Davies threatened when he made a mistake in the buildup but was denied by the defense.
Munich had a crucial chance on the counter-attack. In the 19th minute, Sane broke free on the right side of the pitch and quickly advanced to the Darmstadt penalty area. Sane immediately played a pass to Reimer, who was brought down in the box by Zasula as he entered the penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick.
However, after the penalty was awarded, the referee's video assistant referee (VAR) changed the decision to a free kick and showed Zasula a red card, meaning Darmstadt lost their numerical advantage after just 15 minutes. However, the hosts were unable to capitalize as Sane, who stepped up to take the free kick, squandered the opportunity with a ridiculous shot.
After rebalancing the numbers, Munich pushed Darmstadt forward. In the 26th minute, Komang's free kick was flicked on by Reimer in front of the Darmstadt goal, and an unmarked Der Licht was on hand to head home, but his effort was underpowered and straight at Schuchen.
Neuer was also called into action. In the 27th minute, Kim Min-jae narrowed the angle of a Schalke breakaway with a dogged run, and then Schalke's right-footed effort was pushed away by Neuer with a quick hand.
Coman missed a golden opportunity. In the 30th minute, Musiala's penetrating pass found Coman in space behind the defense, who broke through and found himself in front of the Darmstadt goal, but his left-footed shot hit the side netting.
Neuer made a tremendous save to deny his team the lead. In the 37th minute, Munich broke on the counter-attack when Musalla's dribble was broken up in an attacking situation, and with Der Licht and Kim Min-jae advancing, the space behind the defense was exposed and Melem had a one-on-one opportunity. However, Neuer kept his composure to deny Skaerke's shot and continued his solid, impenetrable form from the restart.
Darmstadt once again committed a dangerous foul in their own half, which resulted in a second booking. In the 41st minute, Kane almost got his chance when Reimer's pass allowed him to get in behind the defense, but Maglika blocked it and caught Kane's leg just outside the penalty box. The referee immediately showed Maglica a red card, Darmstadt's second booking. Kane took the resulting free kick himself, only to see it hit the wall of the defense.
Sane was the first to rattle the net for Munich. In first-half stoppage time, Moussa Allah played a pass through the defense to Sane, who found a gap between the Darmstadt goal and the keeper with a powerful left-footed shot. However, the goal was disallowed for offside. The first half ended 0-0 with neither team scoring.
Munich started the second half with Sane breaking through and earning a free kick. In the first minute of the second half, Sane broke in from the right outside the penalty area and was tackled, and the referee awarded a free kick. Kane stepped up to take it, but was caught by the defense. Kane then picked up the ball again and sent a cross into the box, but it was cleared off the line.
Darmstadt's physical defense shut down Munich's chances. In the fourth minute of the second half, Moussa Allah's pass to the center of the penalty area found Kane in the middle of the box, but his shot was blocked by the defense. In the fifth minute of the second half, a free kick situation resulted in a header from Der Licht in front of goal that was caught in the stomach by Schürrle.
Kane was the man to solve the problem for Munich. In the sixth minute of the second half, Musalla broke away from the defense and played a pass to Mazrawi on the right. Mazrawi calmly crossed for the onrushing Kane to slide in a diving header that rattled the Darmstadt net. The goal was Kane's 10th in the league.
Having taken the lead, Munich pushed harder in search of a second goal. In the ninth minute of the second half, Coman's shot from the right side of the Darmstadt penalty box was deflected into the side netting.
Soon after, Munich widened the gap. In the 11th minute of the second half, Kane dropped down the middle and laid the ball off to Musalla, who immediately found Reimer deep in the right side of the box. Reimer sent a low, quick cross into the box, where Sane dived in front of the goal and slotted it home with his feet for his second goal of the game.
Kim Min-jae's defense also shined. In the 13th minute of the second half, on a counter-attack, he calmly prevented the ball from slipping behind the defense with his legs to stop the attack. On the ensuing Munich counter-attack, Kane set up Musa for a one-on-one opportunity, but Musa's shot went wide of the post.
Munich's attack broke Darmstadt down. In the 16th minute of the second half, on a free-kick opportunity on the left side of the opponent's penalty box arc, Kane opted to pass to Moussa Allah in front of the arc instead of shooting, and Moussa Allah made up for his missed opportunity earlier in the game with a low, quick shot into the left corner of the Darmstadt goal.
Sane scored a fantastic goal. In the 20th minute, Sane received a pass from Coman just inside the arc of the penalty box, and he immediately curled his left foot into the narrow gap between the goalkeeper and the post for Munich's fourth goal.
Kim Min-jae was also steady on the counterattack. In the 22nd minute of the second half, he cut off a counterattack that would have been allowed after a mistimed pass, cutting the ball off at the halfway line to help his team keep the clean sheet.
Kane made it a multi-goal game with a kick reminiscent of David Beckham's goals in the past. In the 24th minute of the second half, Kane found himself behind the halfway line, with opposing goalkeeper Schuchen just outside the penalty box, and unleashed a tremendous long-range shot. Schuchen immediately raced back into the box, but Kane's ball crossed the line first and landed in the Darmstadt goal. Kane's goal was so spectacular that even Kim Min-jae, who was in the defense, ran over to celebrate.
Substitute Muller added to the scoring spree. In the 26th minute, Mazurawi's cross from the right side of the penalty box was met by Muller, who penetrated into the center of the box and slid a light touch into the gap beyond the reach of Schürrle.
Munich had no intention of stopping. In the 31st minute, Musiala broke down the defense with a two-on-one pass with Muller, and the midfielder slotted a direct right-footed shot into the near post for his second goal of the game.
With a 7-0 lead, Tuchel showed his faith in Kim Min-jae at the back by keeping him on the bench, even as he substituted Der Licht, Reimer, and Musiala. Kim was given the full-time nod after the substitution, marking his 10th consecutive game of full-time action.
Kane eventually completed his hat-trick before the end of the game. In the 44th minute, Sane made a direct run down the right side of the pitch to the front of the penalty box arc and played a pinpoint pass to Kane between the defenses. Kane finished with precision, even with a defender's leg in the way, for his third goal of the match. It was Kane's second hat-trick of the season after his last against Bochum.
Neither Darmstadt nor Munich could find the back of the net in stoppage time, and the match ended with an 8-0 victory for the Bavarians.
Prior to this game, Kim Min-jae had been an integral part of Munich's defense since joining the club and was not left out of the squad against Darmstadt.
Since his arrival in the third round against Mönchengladbach, he has played every game in the league except for the League Cup, and he has been in tremendous form. In addition to playing a lot of games, he has shown off his defensive and passing abilities.
He started and played the full match against Mönchengladbach, an opponent Munich hadn't won away from home in four years, and showed off his passing ability as well as his aerial dominance and pace to cover the back four.
Since then, Kim has been the team's top passer for four consecutive matches, starting with the Leverkusen game and ending with the Freiburg game, with virtually every pass from the back of the Munich defense going through him. His 171 passes in Freiburg were the most since Aleksandar Dragovic attempted 178 passes against Leverkusen and Düsseldorf in 2019, according to football statistics provider Opta.
In the previous league game, against Mainz, Kim also kept the opposition at bay, and later in the match he celebrated with Dürricht after denying them a crucial chance. Just three days earlier, he was equally impressive against Galatasaray in the third leg of the UEFA Champions League group stage. In 90 minutes, he completed 90% of his passes, made seven recoveries, two interceptions, two clearances, and four successful ball contests.
His performances for the Bavarians have been met with mixed reviews, with Munich legend Lothar Matthäus saying of him before the last game against Freiburg: "He is not yet close to what we expected from him, and he is a source of anxiety for Munich. He needs to get used to the Bundesliga. I'm not against him, but considering what he's done in Italy, he hasn't lived up to the expectations I have for him yet."
However, Kim refuted Mateusz's criticism with his performance in the next match. After his performance against Freiburg, German media outlets wrote: "Kim Min-jae has established himself as a reliable defender for Munich. In the last game against Freiburg, he not only showed his defensive prowess, but also shone in his ability to set up the game correctly."
"His role in Munich's buildup is very important. He is not known for his long transition passes, but he builds the game with precise passes. He has the ability to read the game and make passes that put his teammates in good positions. This makes him a key player in Thomas Tuchel's system," he said.
After the Mainz game, German outlet Aventurer Zeitung wrote: "Kim Min-jae has made two appearances in his homeland recently. However, he didn't have much to show for it against Mainz. Except for a few moments, he was solid in central defense and made neat passes from the back. He's one of the best players in Munich."
His partner, Der Licht, also played alongside him for the third consecutive game. In September, local German media outlets reported that Der Licht was frustrated after being repeatedly denied a starting spot before the match against Bochum.Speaking about Neuer's return in the pre-match press conference, Tuchel said, "He's looking forward to his return, and so are we. He is quickly getting into a rhythm," Tuchel said, adding, "No one can predict how he will perform. Of course, I don't think he's nervous. It's just my opinion, but I think he wants to show everyone what he can do again."
As for Ulreich returning to the bench, "The team structure has always been the same. Ulreich was a friend and a competitor for Neuer. His performance was great. But Ulreich knows the structure of this team, and he's going to the bench." "In the long run, I hope Daniel Peretz will take his steps and become a real challenger. Maybe even become Neuer's successor. Tomorrow both players will have a chance to sit on the bench," he said, making it clear that Neuer is Munich's number one goalkeeper.
While Ulreich has been good in goal, it's hard to compare him to the weight of Neuer, who is also heavily involved in the buildup. Bayern Munich fans are also looking forward to the synergy between Neuer and Kim Min-jae. Neuer's greatest strength is his ability to distribute the ball, using his feet and hands to deliver precise passes to his teammates in front of him, sometimes leaving himself open to the goal and getting up high to join in the passing play, which has led to him being described as "the most modern goalkeeper".
In order for Neuer to be able to get up high enough to distribute the ball, the defenders in front of him need to be just as good, and with Kim Min-jae, one of the best defenders in the world, on a roll lately, it was expected that the two would have a good synergy to stabilize the defense and strengthen the buildup at the back.
"Der Licht's absence from the starting lineup was understandable at the beginning of the season as he was recovering from injury, but now that he is fit again, he is still not starting. This has become frustrating for him.
Comments