FC Bayern 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen: Player grades from DFB-Pokal defeat

FC Bayern faced Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal Round of 16 on Tuesday, and in this article I will give my player grades for Vincent Kompany's side.

FC Bayern Munich v Bayer 04 Leverkusen - DFB Cup: Round of 16
FC Bayern Munich v Bayer 04 Leverkusen - DFB Cup: Round of 16 | Daniel Kopatsch/GettyImages
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Joshua Kimmich: A+

I honestly can't name a mistake that this incredibly underrated player made the entire game. Not only was Joshua Kimmich calm under pressure (even when he was faced towards the goalkeeper in his own box), he was also able to control the tempo of the game without seeming to break a sweat. He had some very good, very intelligent and incisive passing that would break the lines of the Bayer Leverkusen pressure and find the wingers so they could carry the ball forward. As always, he worked hard to get on the ball and relieve pressure for the goalie and the other midfielders, took some good corners that led to serious opportunities, and made an incredible defensive tackle in his own box against Wirtz in the 87th minute to prevent FC Bayern going down by two goals. If Bayern won, he would be up there with Jamal Musiala for man of the match with this stellar performance.

Leon Goretzka: C

Although he looked good for the most part in the first half, he wasn't the normal Leon Goretzka that we expect from him. Some positives that you could take was that he wasn't afraid to drop deep to receive the ball and he took up good positions for flow of ball movement. He had some periods of good link up play with Kimmich and Musiala to break pressure, and he worked hard off the ball for stretches of the game to make sure Bayern weren't out of shape defensively. His header in the 42nd minute forced a good save, but besides that he wasn't too much of a threat going forward. He was also struggling to contain Wirtz, which led him to make some poor challenges and even earned himself a yellow card in the 52nd minute.