'Monster' Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) struggled, but failed to prevent the team's defeat.
Bayern lost 1-2 in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the European Champions League (UCL) in 2024-2025 season against Inter Milan at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on the 9th (Korea time). Bayern, which suffered a shock defeat at home, had a red light on its way to the semifinals of the UCL. The second leg will be held at Milan San Siro, Italy, home to Inter Milan on the 17th.
Kim Min-jae was listed in the starting lineup as expected. Kim Min-jae played full time in an away game against Augsburg on the 5th. He is in his worst physical condition due to the overlapping Achilles, colds, and back pain, but the team leader was forced to play. Bayern's defense completely collapsed with Kim Min-jae's partner Dayo Upamecano, Alfonso Davis, Ito Hiroki and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer collapsing.
It was the same day. Kim Min-jae, who kept his center position with Eric Dier, did his part even though he was not in normal condition. Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thurang, two of Europe's best two-tops, were not pushed back. Hakan Chalhanoglu's cutback in the 11th minute of the first half, the scene that blocked Martinez who dug in behind the defense in the 34th minute of the first half, and winning the 1-1 fight against Thuram in the 7th minute of the second half were the highlight. Coach Bang Sang Kompany opened the game with a modified three-back using Leon Goretzka or Jojua Kimmich, two Sumi-type midfielders and side defender Josip Stanisic, and Kim Min-jae went back and forth between left and right, serving as a focal point for defense.
Kim Min-jae recorded three successful aerial ball contests, three recoveries, two clearings, one interception, and a 90% pass success rate. Kim Min-jae finished his mission in the 29th minute of the second half by replacing fullback Sasha Boy. Bayern, which was trailing 0-1 by giving Martinez the first goal in the 34th minute of the first half, tried to change to an aggressive tactic, excluding Kim Min-jae, who was in poor physical condition, and put in an aggressive boy. This choice led to Thomas Muller's equalizer in the 40th minute of the second half, but it eventually led to a defensive void. In the 43rd minute, Carlos Augustu scored the winning goal, which made Dier's positioning ambiguous.
In fact, the evaluation was poor even though he defended the defense alone. After scoring mechanical ratings, ScoredCOM gave Bayern the fourth-lowest score of 6.4. Foot mob also gave 6.6 points, the lowest among center backs on both teams. It was more difficult to exert influence in attack than usual.
The German media's assessment of the qualitative evaluation was different. Germany's TZ gave a team-high rating of three points. Germany gives a rating of 1-5 points, but the lower the score, the better. TZ says 'Kim Min-jae has been suffering from Achilles tendinitis for months and has caught a cold in the last week, so he is not in normal condition. Nevertheless, Kompany said, `We couldn't have even played without this fast Korean player,' adding, `Kim Min-jae blocked both Chalhanol Glue's threatening shots. He also made a great save against Martinez, who was given a brilliant pass by Varella' was well received. Bild, who was critical of Kim Min-jae, also scored three points.
Not all German media were like that. There were quite a few places that gave Dyer a higher score. Both Sporot and Sporx gave Dyer three points and Kim Min-jae 3.5 points. On Kim Min-jae, Shport said 'I don't think he's completely comfortable on a rebuilt defensive line. There were repeated errors in judgment when defending himself. He criticized Dier for being more stable after half-time, but praised Dier for being the best defender in Bayern.
Meanwhile, Bayern's offense was under fire rather than its defense. 'Ace' Jamal Musiala was also ruled out for injury, showing the worst attack and receiving the worst evaluation. In particular, criticism was focused on Harry Kane, who missed a decisive chance in the 26th minute of the first half. Kane had a low of five points from TZ. Rafael Geheiro, who was put in the 10th position instead of Musiala, and Leroy Zane, on the side, were also criticized with five points.
Reporter Park Chan-joon vanbasten@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
