The fears were realized. Manchester United were eliminated at the bottom of the group. Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) crushed United’s faint hopes with a tough defense.
Manchester United lost their 2023-24 UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage final 0-1 to Bayern Munich at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, at 5 a.m. ET on Wednesday. Kingsley Coman’s late goal was the difference between the two sides.
With one win, one draw, and three losses, United were bottom of the group heading into Munich. They needed to beat the Germans and have Copenhagen (Denmark) and Galatasaray (Turkey) draw at the same time to advance to the round of 16.
But Munich’s walls were high. Unable to get past Munich at home, United ended their UCL journey in the group stage in last place. They didn’t even qualify for the UEFA Europa League, which is awarded to the top three teams in the group.
Munich, who had already secured a spot in the round of 16, finished the group stage perfectly. With the win over United, the Bavarians extended their unbeaten record in the group stage to 40 games (36 wins and four draws). The Bavarians have not lost a UCL group stage match since September 2017.
Paired with Dayot Upamecano, Kim started and played the full game. His defense froze Old Trafford, the home of United, in its tracks. It was a complete shutdown of United’s few chances.
There were a few standout defensive stops, but the highlight was his denial of United frontman Rasmus Höyelun. In the 44th minute of the first half, United were on the counterattack and Höyrun picked up the ball in the Munich half. Upamecano stops him from advancing, and Kim Min-jae rushes in from the United half to steal the ball. He won the physical battle with the 1.91-meter taller Hoi Lun perfectly, calmly stole the ball and connected perfectly. Hoi Lun, a €75 million ($106.3 million) striker who joined the club this summer, was stuck in front of Kim Min-jae.
Overall, it was an uneventful game. Munich dominated possession on this day, and Kim was the sparkplug from the back. Along with Upamecano, Kim made the most passes on the team (88) and had the second-highest passing success rate (94.3%) among the starters. It was a flawless performance.
The “disaster” of four days earlier was completely forgotten. On Sept. 9, Munich suffered a 1-5 defeat away to Frankfurt in the 14th round of the German Bundesliga. Kim Min-jae, who was in charge of Munich’s defense at the time, did not escape criticism.
Bild Germany gave the entire defense a 6, the lowest possible score. Bild’s ratings range from 1 to 6, with the higher the number, the worse the performance. This is the first time Kim Min-jae has received the lowest score of 6 in a Munich shirt.
“He’s got great individual skills, but he’s not a team player,” former Germany international defender Thomas Helmer told Bild TV. “He’s incredibly fast, he won some battles, but he also made quite a few mistakes. We are experienced, but we were scared. When Frankfurt pressed a few times, she lost the ball,” he publicly criticized.
But just four days later, he was at the center of the victory against Man United. The victory was not only for Kim, but also for the team, which had been depressed by the tragedy.
British outlet 90MIN gave Kim an 8, the highest rating for both teams, calling it “a stunning performance from the South Korean international who showed what United missed out on when they failed to sign him in the summer.”
Kim Min-Jae was strongly linked with United just half a year ago. The Red Devils were in need of defensive reinforcements and jumped into the race for Kim early on. Reports surfaced that Kim would prefer to play in the English Premier League (EPL), and a move to United seemed likely. However, the tide quickly turned when Munich swooped in, and the Red Devils lost out on Kim. However, the tide turned and United lost out on Kim Min-jae.
Desperate to get back on track, United went with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Rasmus Hojelin up front, Alejandro Garnacho, Bruno Fernandez, and Anthony in the second line. Sophien Amrabat and Scott McTominay in the defensive midfield. Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, and Diogo Dalot formed the back line, with Andre Onana in goal.
With the result largely irrelevant, Munich didn’t let up. Harry Kane led the way, with Leroy Sane, Jamal Moussaoui, and Coman supporting him. Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich formed the back three. Alfonso Davies, Kim Min-jae, Dayot Upamecano, and Nusair Mazrouei formed the back line, with Manuel Neuer in goal.
Munich dominated possession and controlled the game. United didn’t create many chances in the first half. In the 25th minute, sparks flew between United’s Garnacho and Coman. Players from both teams huddled together for a moment, but there was no sign of nerves.
The first half was lackluster. Munich’s finishing was poor up front, and United’s counterattacks were repeatedly thwarted. Upamecano and Kim Min-jae were both highly focused and didn’t leave any gaps.
The second half was not much different from the first. Munich broke the 0-0 deadlock in the 26th minute. Kane’s one-touch pass from outside the penalty box, with his back to the United goal, was finished by Coman with his right foot.
United didn’t create any more chances after that. In the end, the Red Devils had to accept a humiliating group stage exit at home.
After the match, United manager Eric ten Haag said: “Both teams had few chances, but the intensity of the game was good. On our side, we took Bayern out of their rhythm and our defensive organization was good, if not great. Especially at the beginning of the second half, I think we won the ball back high up the pitch and had some good chances for Bruno.” “Sometimes it’s not one player, but several players who make mistakes and give the opponent chances. It’s disappointing. We should have done better.”
The team did not qualify for the UEFA Europa League, which is awarded for third place in a group, let alone the UCL. “There are still a lot of games left, and now we can focus on the EPL, of course. Next year we have to be back in the UCL because I think (we are) at a level where we can play in the UCL. Of course, there is also the FA Cup, but we have to give everything to finish in the top four (in the league),” he concluded.
“We are in the round of 16 as group leaders and all the focus is on going one step at a time,” Munich coach Thomas Tuchel said after the game.
Tuchel was quick to praise Kane: “Harry is a player who always makes a difference. With his character, calmness, and quality, the team knows that anything can happen with him. He is one of the best leaders in the group,” he said, giving a thumbs-up.
Kane, who has led Munich’s European cruise, said after the match: “I felt like we controlled the game and had the better chances. We were calm and knew we could threaten them with quick transitions. It’s always hard after you’re already on top (of the group), but we had good motivation. It was good to win today.” 랭크카지노
It was a good first step on the road to the title. “Everyone has been amazing since I arrived at Bayern,” Kane said. I think there’s more to come. I feel like I’m learning more about what the coach wants. This place suits me,” he smiled.
“We have enough quality to go far in this competition. “It’s going to be a tough test, but we have to keep improving, and that’s the ambition to win the UCL. I think there is another level we can achieve,” he concluded.
