Ito Hiroki (26, Munich) could never fill the void left by Kim Min-jae (29, Munich).
Bayern Munich drew 1-1 against the home team Union Berlin in a lackluster match during the '2024-25 Bundesliga Round 26' held in Berlin, Germany, on the 16th. With 62 points, Munich maintained its lead.
A major setback occurred before the game when Kim Min-jae got injured. Head coach Vincent Kompany of Munich noted during a press conference on the 14th, "Kim Min-jae is injured. I hope it doesn't take a long time for recovery, but he will not be able to play for at least a few weeks."
Munich was put on high alert because Kim Min-jae is an irreplaceable player. Munich felt the importance of Kim Min-jae again after suffering a shocking 2-3 loss against Bochum on the 8th, during which Kim Min-jae was absent. Since Kim Min-jae's Achilles tendon was not good, he was given a rest for one game, and the difference was immediately noticeable.
Eric Dier started in place of Kim Min-jae. Munich adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation. Harry Kane was the lone striker supported by Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala, and Michael Olise in the attacking midfield. Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka coordinated the defense and offense. The back four consisted of Alphonso Davies, Eric Dier, Dayot Upamecano, and Josip Stanisic, with goalkeeper Jonas Urbig.
There were speculations from Japanese media that Japanese defender Ito Hiroki could start due to Kim Min-jae's injury. However, even without Kim Min-jae, Ito was pushed to the bench. Ito came on as a substitute in the 36th minute of the second half and played for about 10 minutes, but did not have an impressive performance.
On this day, Munich dominated with 80% possession and unleashed an overwhelming attack but failed to convert it into a goal. The number of shots was an astounding 18 to 7. The first half ended without any goals. Harry Kane also missed a critical scoring opportunity and did not live up to his reputation.
After struggling, Munich finally scored its first goal. In the 30th minute of the second half, Stanisic broke down the right side and delivered a sharp low cross. Sane, charging in, finished it off to record the first goal. Munich succeeded in scoring on its 15th shot.
Munich brought Ito Hiroki on for Olise in the 37th minute of the second half in an attempt to solidify the lead. However, the defensive approach ironically became the cause of conceding a goal.
In the 38th minute of the second half, Hollerbach scored a dramatic equalizer. Ito was marking another player man-to-man, and there was no one to cover the relatively open space. Taking advantage of that gap, Hollerbach unleashed a powerful shot that found the back of the net. Despite having many defenders, there was no communication among them.
Desperate, Munich launched a total offensive in the remaining time, but ultimately could not score a decisive goal. Ironically, in the match where Kim Min-jae played the full time, they achieved a clean sheet victory. However, as soon as Kim Min-jae got injured, Munich conceded and could not win.
After the match, 'Footmob' awarded Upamecano the highest rating of 8.2. He excelled defensively with two clearances and three interceptions. Dier, who replaced Kim Min-jae, only received a rating of 7.4. Dier displayed an unstable performance, failing in three challenges for the ball.
Ito played for 8 minutes and did not perform impressively. Among his 14 touches, he had one failure in a ball contest. He seemed to be somewhat flustered in dangerous areas, failing to properly position himself.
As soon as Kim Min-jae was absent, Munich revealed gaps in defense and failed to secure victory. Already, Kim Min-jae is missed. However, he needs to be out for 2-3 weeks.
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