- Bayern win with Kimmich in the centre: "Good options"
On their farewell lap around the packed stadium, the Munich winners, led by the cheered local hero Minjae Kim, waved to the audience. In the humid evening heat of Seoul, FC Bayern successfully crowned the sporting highlight of their grueling South Korea trip with a 2:1 (1:0) victory against Tottenham Hotspur.
The 63,496 spectators at the World Cup Stadium and the very active coach Vincent Kompany on the sidelines witnessed an entertaining, sometimes wild football match, in which the Munich players showed playing joy and often pressed aggressively and well up front.
Goretzka and Vidović score
"The most important thing today was that the entire squad was ready to suffer under the difficult conditions," commented the Belgian: "You can't expect a perfect performance in this phase of preparation." But the work ethic of all the players pleased Kompany. "I would like to thank you for the warm welcome in South Korea," said Kompany, who received applause from the local reporters at the end of the press conference for these words.
The 20-year-old young striker Gabriel Vidović (4th minute) and the substitute Leon Goretzka (56th), who played in the offensive midfield, scored the Munich goals, each after energetic pursuit. Nevertheless, the finishing was a certain weakness.
Pedro Porro reduced for the Premier League club with a powerful distance shot against the birthday boy Sven Ulreich (36), who came on at half-time for captain Manuel Neuer.
Kimmich next to Pavlovic - debut of Palhinha
Especially loud it became in the 2002 World Cup stadium whenever Bayern's South Korean Kim and his countryman Heung-Min Son were in action for the Spurs. But the most remarkable thing about the Bayern was that Kompany fielded national player Joshua Kimmich centrally in midfield alongside Aleksandar Pavlovic in the first 45 minutes. Kimmich had recently played as a right-back under Thomas Tuchel and also at the home EM.
In the course of the second half, there was a lot of substitution. Also, new signing João Palhinha made his debut as a defensive midfielder, standing out with aggression in tackles. When asked if he plans to keep Kimmich permanently in the center, Kompany dodged the question in the press conference: "We have many good players in the position, we have good options in midfield."
In contrast to the substitute Moroccan Noussair Mazraoui, who is said to be on the verge of a move to Manchester, EM participant Jamal Musiala was still spared.
In the early hours of Monday, the Bayern squad will fly back to Munich. Next Saturday, there will be the second test match duel between both teams, then in London. Then, the former Bayern player Harry Kane could also be in action against his ex-club after his EM break.
The victorious Munich team, including local hero Minjae Kim from South Korea, received gratitude from coach Vincent Kompany for the warm welcome in South Korea following their win against Tottenham Hotspur in the United Kingdom. During the match, Kompany commended the squad's work ethic, particularly mentioning the performances of Joshua Kimmich and new signing João Palhinha.
Despite the 2:1 victory, FC Bayern's finishing was identified as a certain weakness, with Gabriel Vidović and Leon Goretzka scoring the goals for the team in The United Kingdom.
