“Director’s best masterpiece”.
Bayern Munich won 1-0 against Benfica in the fourth home game of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) phase of the 2024-2025 season at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, at 5:15 a.m. on the 7th (Korea time).
Kim Min-jae, who has been trusted by Coach Bang Sang Kompany this season, started as center back with Dayo Upamecano. Munich desperately needed a win in this match due to its loss at Aston Villa and crushing defeat at Barcelona. After losing two consecutive games, the team had one win and two losses (three points) to fall to 25th place. With the team falling behind 24th place, the team could be on the verge of elimination from the preliminary round if it failed to secure a win against Benfica.
Munich took the lead from the beginning of the game. Benfica defended well to block Munich’s attacks and attempted counterattacks. Munich continued to operate aggressively by forming a high line.
Munich had chances to score several times, but failed to finish the game. Kane’s shot was blocked by goalkeeper Truvin in the 32nd minute of the first half, and Gnabry’s shot from a chaotic situation in the 38th minute was also blocked by Truvin. The first half ended 0-0 without scoring a goal.
Munich’s offensive intensified in the second half. In the 13th minute of the second half, Reimer had a decisive shot opportunity in front of the goal, but it went off the post. Leroy Sané attempted a left-footed shot in the ensuing chance, but again, it was caught by Truvin’s hand. Kim Min-jae showed remarkable defense. In the 20th minute of the second half, Benfica cut off Munich’s attack and launched a counterattack, causing a one-on-one situation between Kim Min-jae and Vangelis Pavlidis, but Kim Min-jae cleared the ball with an accurate tackle to overcome the crisis.
Munich scored the winning goal in the 22nd minute of the second half. Kane received a cross from Sané. Musiala, who finally received the ball, finished with a header and shook the opponent’s net. Munich dominated the game afterwards. Benfica also fought back for the equalizer, but failed to penetrate the Munich defense led by Kim Min-jae.
Munich scored the finishing goal to end the match with a 1-0 victory. Football gave Kim Min-jae and Harry Kane an 8.4, the highest rating in the team, compared to Musiala (7.9) who scored “one goal.” Kim was recognized for his consistent performance even by Germany’s Bild, who used to hide himself. He literally supported the rocking team in the European leagues. 토토사이트
Kim Min-jae’s defense was literally tight on the day. He displayed stable performance by blocking all counterattacks from Benfiga. According to the statistics firm Footmob, Kim touched the ball 125 times for 90 minutes excluding extra time, and posted good records including 100 percent pass success rate (113 times/113), 100 percent long pass success rate (4 times/four times), 14 passes to offensive areas, 0 balls taken away, 3 saves, 2 headers cleared, 1 interception, 10 defensive actions, and 100 percent ground ball competition rate (6 times/6 times).
In particular, his concentration stood out in defense enough to score 100% in the ground ball competition. It was literally a performance of military discipline in Munich. It is especially noteworthy that Eric Dier is performing below expectations at the Kompany Bowl and Hiroki Ito’s injury is prolonged and he is playing a difficult schedule.
Kim Min-jae, who recently gained a new nickname “Tight Choom-jae” due to his complete change from last season. Attention is focusing on how far Kim Min-jae’s performance, which returned to the dense steel wall from mocking last season’s hole wall, can continue.
“Under Coach Kompany, Bayern’s defense has stabilized,” Germany’s RAN said. “Kim Min-jae and Upamecano are showing crazy defense from the back by actively pressing the opponent,” he said. “Although it was a few games sluggish, it has stabilized because of the quality.”
“The combination of Kim Min-jae and Uphamecano met an outstanding striker in the course of their teamwork. Considering that it is only the beginning, we can improve further,” the Korean media said. “Coach Kompany is completing the team properly through stable defense control.”
“Of course, good performance in this game does not mean that Kim Min-jae and Upamecano are the best defenders in the world. However, we must not forget how harsh they were to the two players just for one game. If Kompany maintains this pace, his greatest masterpiece will be the defense of Kim Min-jae and Upamecano,” he stressed.
