· 2 min readIn this Osnabrück vs Bayern match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
Osnabrück hosted Bayern in the first round of the DFB Pokal with that strange mix of bad luck and good luck. Bad luck because facing Bayern is practically the worst thing that could happen in a cup competition, but good luck because it meant a full stadium, television coverage and the attention of the entire country. The newly promoted second-division side had an almost impossible mission.
And, against all expectations, they started dreaming. In the 4th minute, a long ball from the center-backs found Robin Meißner, who won it in the air, let the ball drop and unleashed a powerful volley from outside the box. What a goal. 1-0. Urbig was poorly positioned and Meißner took advantage. It looked like a dream for Osnabrück.
Bayern had 81% possession after ten minutes and found an Osnabrück side sitting very deep, first in a 5-3-2 and then in a 5-4-1, waiting for the counter-attack. Olise was the player appearing most often for Bayern, while Luis Díaz was barely involved. Still, the quality eventually showed.
In the 18th minute, Kimmich sent Kane in behind the defense. A center-back tried to clear with his head, but the ball fell perfectly for the Englishman to shoot without letting it drop. 1-1 and Kane’s first goal of the season. Shortly afterwards, Bayern turned the game around. Olise received inside, found Luis Díaz, who forced a good save from Krumrey. The ball stayed alive and Bischof got there first to fire it into the corner. 1-2.
Bayern were in control, but they weren’t exactly running Osnabrück over. The home side defended well and still managed to break forward a few times, while Bayern had 70% possession and nine shots at half-time. The score was favorable, but the performance was far from perfect.
In the second half, the tempo dropped slightly. Bayern looked comfortable, but they were missing that third goal that would definitively end any possibility of an upset. It arrived in the 73rd minute. A mistake from Müller left Kimmich with the ball, and he looked for Olise. The defense managed to get a touch, but the ball went up, Olise saw Krumrey coming off his line and, with incredible calm, chipped it over the goalkeeper. 1-3. The class of someone who knows exactly what to do.
Osnabrück managed just one shot in the second half, from a long way out and even that was blocked. For Bayern, Kane, interestingly, wasn’t touching the ball very often, but he continued to be decisive.
In the 85th minute, Pavlovic was fouled inside the box and Kane took responsibility. He placed it brilliantly, Krumrey got a hand to it, but couldn’t keep it out. 1-4 and a brace for the striker.
Post-match
Bayern advance in the DFB Pokal without too many problems. Osnabrück had their dream moment, scored first and even caused some surprise, but the difference in quality eventually showed. It wasn’t the humiliation that could have been imagined before the game, but it was a very controlled victory.
