Bayern Munich continued their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga with a dramatic late 3-2 win against Freiburg. The Bavarian club came from 2-0 behind to take all three points on Saturday. Courtesy of this victory, Bayern went 12 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga as Borussia Dortmund play later in the evening.
With one eye on the Champions League game against Real Madrid on Tuesday, Vincent Kompany made several changes in the starting XI. Raphael Guerreiro started in the number ten role, while Michael Olise started on the bench. Tom Bischof started in the left-back position.
Bayern had a calm start to the game as they dominated the possession but couldn’t create significant chances. The hosts looked more dangerous with minimal possession as they came close to scoring in the 14th minute. Jan-Nikal Beste played a delightful pass in the box from the left flank to find Philipp Treu on the other flank. The full-back had a lot of time to take the perfect shot, but he still failed to hit the target.
Freiburg got better as the game passed, while Die Roten looked toothless despite having the lion’s share of possession. Manuel Neuer had to pull off a brilliant save in the 27th minute to deny Lucas Holer. It looked like a certain goal through Holer’s scuffed attempt, but the 40-year-old showed great reflexes to palm the ball away from the goal.
Bayern had a couple of chances at the end of the first half in one move. Lennart Karl tested the goalkeeper with a powerful shot, but Noah Atubolu parried away the shot. Luis Diaz tried an ambitious acrobatic attempt to score on a rebound, only to miss the target altogether.
Goals galore in the second half
Freiburg were the better team in the first half. The hosts got the reward for their efforts early in the first half. Johan Manzambi picked up the ball in the midfield and carried it towards Bayern’s goal. The young Austrian midfielder unleashed a powerful and precise attempt from 25 yards to beat Neuer and give Freiburg a deserving lead in the 46th minute.
Holer had a golden opportunity to double Freiburg’s lead in the 53rd minute. However, his attempt had narrowly missed the target after beating a couple of Bayern defenders with a nice bit of footwork.
Vincent Kompany made several changes after the hour mark as he tried to get Bayern back in the game. Despite the changes, Bayern failed to create substantial chances. Freiburg defended well, but Die Roten lacked composure in the final third.
The hosts eventually doubled their lead in the 71st minute through a set piece. Manuel Neuer tried to punch the ball delivered from the corner. The German goalkeeper could only push it to Holer in front of the goal. Holer showed great composure to find the back of the net amidst a crowded Bayern defense in front of him.
Michael Olise came agonisingly close in the 77th minute to give Bayern a chance to get back in the game. His curling and powerful attempt from the right flank was tipped over the bar by Atubolu.
The final 15 minutes of the game were an unbelievable experience for Bayern fans. Tom Bischof scored his first Bundesliga goal for Bayern by unleashing a shot from the outside of the box in the 81st minute. To everyone’s surprise, Bischof scored a similar goal but with his left foot to equalize for Bayern in the 91st minute.
Bayern started to dream about a brilliant comeback. It was fitting that Lennart Karl ended up scoring the winner. The young forward looked lively throughout the game. He looked full of confidence after making his debut for Germany’s senior team during the international break. Joshua Kimmich played a precise through ball to release Alphonso Davies on the left flank. The Canadian played the ball across the goal to find the run of Karl. The youngster timed his run to perfection to meet this cross and calmly put the ball past Atubolu.
The win against Freiburg should give Bayern players and Kompany a lot of belief and confidence for the rest of the season. It was the type of win Die Roten needed before a trip to Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League.