Bayern Munich earned its first league win of the season with a Harry Kane-led victory over Werder Bremen.토스카지노
The Bavarians cruised to a 4-0 victory over Werder Bremen in their 2023/24 Bundesliga opener at the Weserstadion in Bremen, Germany, on Monday (Sept. 19) behind multi-goal performances from Leroy Sane, who scored a brace, Kane, who had a goal and an assist, and Mathis Thiel, who scored once.
After a dramatic title win over rivals Borussia Dortmund last season, the Bavarians head into Bremen on a quest for a 12th consecutive league title.
The Bavarians have made solid additions in both defense and offense this season. Free agent signings Raphael Guerreiro and Konrad Reimer bolstered the flanks and midfield. At center back, they lost the injury-prone Luca Hernandez to Paris Saint-Germain and brought in Kim Min-Jae from Napoli. The front line, which had become less destructive after the departure of Robert Lewandowski, was also bolstered by the arrival of Harry Kane.
However, the season started with a loss. On September 13, the team suffered a heavy 0-3 defeat in the DFL-Supercup against Leipzig. A hat-trick from opposing midfielder Dani Olmo led to the collapse. Kim Min-jae and Kane came on as substitutes but were unable to turn the tide.
After starting their first official match of the season with a loss, Munich fielded their best team against Bremen and opened the league with a win.
The hosts lined up in a 3-5-2, with goalkeeper Irzi Pavlenka, Marco Friedl, Milosi Velkovic, and Amos Pfeiffer forming the defense. Anthony Jung, Jens Staage, Leonardo Wittencourt, Sennes Linen, and Mitchell Weiser combined in the midfield. Marvin Duchesne and Niklas Fulkruk were up front looking to score.
The visitors lined up in a 4-2-3-1. Sven Ulreich was in goal, while Nusair Mazrouei, Kim Min-Jae, Dayo Upamecano, and Alfonso Davies formed the back four. Jozua Kimmich and Leon Goretzga lined up in midfield, while Leroy Sane, Jamal Moussaoui, and Kingsley Coman supported Harry Kane, who started as the frontline striker in the second line.
Kane got the start, as Munich coach Thomas Tuchel had previously predicted. “It won’t be the first time in his career that Kane has felt this kind of pressure,” Tuchel said. He has already learned to turn pressure into performance. I’m not worried about him,” Tuchel said, adding, “If everything goes well, he’ll start against Bremen.”
He also spoke about Kim Min-Jae. “I think Benjamin Pavard and all three center backs are very high quality players, especially Kim Min-jae, who just came back from military service. He has to adapt to a new country and a new language. But he can be a leader. He speaks new German every day and does a lot of coaching in English,” Tuchel said, praising Kim as having the qualities to be the new leader of the defense.
Tuchel named Kane and Kim to the starting lineup against Bremen. It was Kane’s first start since joining Munich.
The game started with Munich in the lead. The first goal of the game came from the head of Kim Min-jae. In the third minute of the first half, Kim cleared a ball out of the defense with his head and immediately launched a counterattack. Sane played a one-two with Kane to break down the Bremen defense. After receiving Kane’s pass, Sane drove the ball forward and found himself one-on-one. He calmly slotted the ball into the corner of the net with his right foot.
Immediately after the goal, Moussa Allah drove the ball forward quickly to create a second chance, but this time his pass didn’t connect. Instead of Sane breaking forward, he saw a player on the other side of the field and tried to pass, only to be cut off by the Bremen defense.
Bremen equalized. In the ninth minute, from a free kick, Fulkruk found the back of the Munich net with a header. But the referee raised his hand. He was slightly ahead of the defense. VAR also ruled him offside, disallowing the goal.
Kane took the free kick. His teammate slid the ball to him and he took a non-stop shot. However, his shot hit a defender and the chance was wasted. In the 14th minute, after linking up with his teammates, he tried to put a penetrating pass into the box, but there were no receivers.
In the 19th minute, after receiving a pass from Kim Min-jae, Musiala drove the ball forward and attempted a right-footed mid-range shot. The ball, which was laid low and flew quickly, unfortunately went just wide of the side of the goal. Kim Min-jae could have scored the first offensive point of the game, but it was a disappointing moment.
Bremen received their first warning. Duchesne struck Upamecano with the sole of his foot during a ball contest, and the referee immediately produced a yellow card.
Munich then went on the counterattack once again. Coman shook down the left flank before crossing to Mazrawi on the other side. Mazrawi found himself with a shooting angle and tried his luck with a right-footed mid-range shot, which this time went just wide of the post. In the 23rd minute, Duchesne’s direct free kick found the arms of Ulreich.
In the 33rd minute, Bremen tried to counterattack, but Kim Min-jae made a well-timed header to deny them. In the ensuing possession, Munich tried to find the back of the net with a mid-range shot from Goretzka that was saved by Pavlenka. Once again, Bremen went on the counterattack, but Kim Min-jae made a good save with his head before crossing for Kimmich.
In the 38th minute, Sane, Mkhitaryan, and Kane combined for a shot on goal. Sane slid the ball to Moussa Allah, who gave it straight to Kane. Kane took the pass and tried to shoot, but the defense rushed in and blocked it with their feet. After receiving a pass from Kim Min-jae, Musiala dribbled forward again and fired a mid-range shot. This time, he was caught by a defender’s foot and couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity.
In the final minute of the first half, Kim Min-jae headed in a corner kick from Kim Mihi, but he was unable to score his debut goal as he headed straight at the keeper. Three minutes of extra time were awarded. The first half ended scoreless at 1-0.
In the second half, Bremen had the best chance. After harassing Munich with flanking attacks, Bremen threatened the goal with a mid-range shot from Weiser, before Pilkruk beat Upamecano to the ball. In the third minute of the second half, Pflugkrueck tried his luck again after receiving a pass from Kim Min-jae, but his shot was deflected over the bar. Luckily, Munich escaped without conceding a goal.
Six minutes into the second half, Munich advanced in front of the Bremen goal. Mazurawi crossed into the center of the box and found the onrushing Goretzka. However, Goretzka’s first touch was a little long. She was unable to follow through with her shot, and the ball went over the goal line. This was followed by a good defense from Kim Min-jae. Despite being flagged offside, Kim followed through and denied Bremen a one-on-one opportunity.
In the 10th minute of the second half, Kim was cautioned. A Bremen pass from the back was played straight into the box, where Kim was pushed down in a shoulder tussle with Pilkruk. The referee immediately produced a yellow card. Soon after, Moussaouiallah flashed. Picking up the ball near the halfway line, Musiala dribbled his way through the Bremen midfield. At the end, he drew a foul on his opponent to earn a caution.
In the 13th minute of the second half, Coman missed a great chance. After receiving a pass from Davies, Coman drove into the center and curled a left-footed shot that hit the post. Shortly after, Bremen made their first substitution. They brought off Weiser and brought on Oliver Burke.
Munich continued to push forward. This time, Davies broke down the left flank and cut back into the center. Goretzka, waiting in the center, rushed forward and struck a powerful shot. However, the ball hit a defender’s body and the chance was nullified. In the 15th minute, Kane had his first shot on target in a long time. He found the corner of the goal and fired a hard shot that was saved by the goalkeeper.
Bremen fought back. In the 18th minute, Kim Min-jae lost a battle for an aerial ball with Pilkruk. The ball didn’t go far, and Bremen midfielder Staage caught it and hit a shot. The ball grazed the side of the goal. Munich responded with a mid-range shot from Kimmich.
Kim Min-jae’s Bundesliga debut was over in the 68th minute. Tuchel took Kim off and brought on Matthijs Duricht. Bremen also dropped Lin and Bitengkur in favor of Christian Gross and Romano Schmidt.
Kane had another chance, but this time he couldn’t capitalize. Coman played a pinpoint pass to Kane on the left flank, but Kane couldn’t get his shot away from the defense.
Kane’s debut goal came. In the 29th minute, Kane received a pass from Davies and this time he finished it off. After weaving his way through the defense, Kane found himself one-on-one with the keeper and finished accurately with his right foot. The defense pounced and the ball hit a defender’s leg, but it didn’t affect the direction of the shot. After Kane’s goal, Tuchel’s grim expression lifted and he was all smiles.
In the 34th minute, Bremen made two more substitutions. They took off Jung and Staage and brought on David Kovnacki and Leon Opitz. Munich brought on Konrad Reimer for Goretzka.
Kane went down. There was no apparent collision, but he lay on the ground. Munich immediately brought on Thomas Muller, Mathis Thiel, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to rest Kane, Mkhitaryan, and Coman.
In second-half stoppage time, Munich drove a wedge into the game. A three-way pass between Muller, Choupo-Moting, and Sane shone through. Muller exchanged one-twos with Choupo-Moting to get into the box, where he found Sane. Sane, who was in the no-mark position, slotted it home to complete his multi-goal haul. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Mathis Thiel scored the fourth goal with a powerful right-footed finish after receiving a pass from Davies.
In the end, Munich ran out 4-0 winners and ended their opening day on a high note.
Photo by EPA, DPA/Yonhap, Munich, Bremen on social media
Article courtesy of XportsNews
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