Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) led the Bavarians to a clean sheet in their biggest rivalry der Klassiker despite a string of controversies.
Bayern Munich won 4-0 in a der Klassiker against Dortmund in the 10th round of the 2023-24 German Bundesliga at the Ziegener Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany, on Friday (May 5).
The win keeps Bayern Munich in second place with eight wins and two draws (26 points), two points behind Leverkusen (28).
Home team Dortmund lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Niklas Fühlkrug lined up up front, with Donny Marlon, Julian Brandt, and Marco Reus in the second line. The defensive midfield was Marcel Zabitser-Sali Özcan, the back four was Julian Luegersson-Nico Schlotterbeck-Mats Hummels-Marius Wolf, and Gregor Kovel was in goal.
Bayern also lined up in a 4-2-3-1. Harry Kane started up top, with Leroy Sane, Jamal Moussaoui, and Kingsley Coman in the second line. Leon Goretzka-Konrad Reimer in the third, Alfonso Davies-Kim Min-jae-Dayo Upamecano-Nusair Mazhrawi in the back, and Manuel Neuer in goal.
It was a close game with 50%-50% possession and 13-14 shots on goal, but the difference between the two teams was in goal and defensive stability. With Kane up front and Kim Min-jae at the back, the Bavarians had a huge advantage over Dortmund.
Bayern Munich opened the scoring in the fourth minute of the first half. Upamecano headed home a corner kick from Zane.
In the ninth minute, Kane was the solution. On a quick counter-attack from the defense, Goretzka slipped a through ball to Zane on the left. Zane’s cutback was met by Kane, who rattled the net.레모나토토 도메인
With a two-goal advantage, Bayern Munich pushed Dortmund hard. In the 32nd minute, Kane’s shot ricocheted off the post, and in the 37th minute, Goretzka’s bicycle kick from a Coman pass went just wide.
Dortmund made a defensive change at the start of the second half, bringing on Niklas Zuerle for Wolf. In the 11th minute of the second half, Neuer made a super save from a Reus shot. Two minutes later, Zane’s shot from a Moussaoui pass was saved by Kovel. In the 19th minute of the second half, Moussaoui was again denied a chance to add to the lead as his shot was blocked.
Bayern Munich’s offense remained sharp in the second half. It was in the 27th minute that they drove a wedge into the game. Once again, it was Kane. A one-two pass from Coman and Mkhitaryan on the right flank broke down the opposition flank. Kane then neutralized Kovel with a right-footed shot.
In the 34th minute, Dortmund made a change up front, bringing on Sebastien Alli for Fulkruk, but it was not enough to shake the Bayern Munich defense.
Kane completed his hat-trick in the 48th minute of stoppage time with a neat finish off a pass from Pavlovic. Bayern Munich ran out comfortable four-goal winners at the Iduna Park on Sunday.
Bayern Munich suffered a shock defeat to third division Saarbrücken in the second round of the Pokal in midweek. The Bavarians’ lack of depth in defense was the biggest problem. The Bavarians signed Kim Min-jae this summer to form a three-center back line with Matthias Der Licht and Dayot Upamecano. The problem was that two of them were injured at different times.
As a result, Kim Min-jae has been playing most of the games without rest since his arrival. Normally, in cup competitions against lower leagues, the main players are rested. However, Bayern Munich’s center back options have been virtually wiped out.
An exhausted Kim Min-jae started the last game against Saarbrücken, but it was clear that he was struggling. Eventually, it happened. An uncharacteristically poor pass from Kim provided the opening for the goal.
To make matters worse, Der Licht missed the der Klassiker after tearing a knee ligament in the previous match. This meant that Upamecano, who had just recovered from injury, was forced to play.
However, even at his worst, Kim Min-jae put in one of his best performances. In what was arguably the most important game of the season for Bayern Munich, the Bavarians kept a clean sheet in the der Klassiker against Dortmund.
Working alongside Upamecano, Kim made five interceptions, two successful tackles, three ground ball wins (75% success rate), and two air ball wins (100% success rate) in 90 minutes. Dortmund’s main striker, Pilkruk, was held scoreless as he was locked down by Kim Min-jae and Upamecano.
Up front, Kane was on fire. He scored a hat-trick for the second consecutive game, first against Darmstadt on March 29. Kane’s goal-scoring form is at an all-time high, and with his 15th goal of the season, he has moved to the top of the Bundesliga scoring charts.