Kim Min-jae received rave reviews from the German media as he contributed to the scoreless first game of the season.
Bayern Munich won 4-0 against Ulm in the second division in the first round of the German Football Association (DFB) Pokal in the 2024-25 season at 4:30 a.m. on the 17th (Korea time).
In the early hours, Munich scored the first goal. Joshua Kimmich shot in the penalty box in the 12th minute of the first half, but was blocked by the goalkeeper. Thomas Muller shook the net with a shot again.
Soon after, Munich scored additional points. In the 14th minute of the first half, Kim Min-jae connected to Serge Gnabry with a fantastic pass. Gnabry scored a low cross from the right side and Müller pushed it in. The first half ended with Munich leading 2-0.
Munich took the lead in the second half as well. Munich scored the decisive goal. In the 34th minute of the second half, Michael Olise sent a ground ball cross from the right side, and Kingsley Coman penetrated into the net.
Munich ended the match. Three minutes into second-half stoppage time, Muller crossed from the right side and Harry Kane scored with his head. In the end, the match ended with a 4-0 victory for Munich.
Kim played full time to lead Munich to a scoreless victory. According to Sofa Score, a soccer statistics media outlet, Kim played full time and recorded three kicks, two interceptions, one tackle, one ground contest (one attempt), five aerial contests (six attempts), 116 ball touches, an 88 percent pass success rate (94 successful out of 107 attempts), six long balls (10 attempts), and one shot away. His score was the highest among the defense with a score of 7.5.
He also praised his performance in Germany. “The monster is back. He got a chance to play in the first game under Vincent Kompany. In the middle of the second half, he rushed near the half-line to clear the ball. Kim displayed brisk performance in many competitions across the stadium,” said German media outlet Babarian Football Works.
Kim Min-jae wore the uniform for Munich last season. Back then, it was hard to guarantee a solid starting position. As De Ligt and Dayo Upamecano were also good defenders, he would likely stage fierce competition to become a starting member.
Kim Min-jae did not play much time during the pre-season. It was consideration for joining Munich immediately after completing basic military training. As the season began, Kim Min-jae immediately started. He appeared as a starter from the opening game of the Bundesliga and showed stable defense.
Since then, he has played as the main center back, firmly maintaining Munich’s rear. Even when Upamecano and The Licht were injured and were away, Kim Min-jae continued to play full-time. Munich, feeling the need to reinforce its center back, hired Dyer on loan through the winter transfer market. Kim Min-jae’s position remained unchanged.
However, things changed in the second half of the year. Things changed as Kim Min-jae went to the Asian Cup. Munich had Eric Dier on loan through the winter transfer market. It seemed that Kim’s position would remain the same even after Dier joined the team. However, Tuchel began to send Dier and De Ligt as main players.
Kim spent more time sitting on the bench and lost sense of play. Kim failed to display performance despite a small number of chances. Notably, he made two fatal mistakes in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal match against Real Madrid, providing an excuse for his loss of two runs. Since then, Kim has even been listed on the release list.
Fortunately, with Tuchel’s departure and Kompany’s new appointment, Kim Min-jae had an opportunity. Kompany prefers aggressive players. In fact, Kompany gave Kim a positive evaluation. Even in the pre-season, Kompany continued to use Kim Min-jae. Kim Min-jae also started in Munich’s first game and boasted a tremendous defense capability. He is establishing himself as a starting center back for Munich this season. 먹튀검증