Bayern Munich made the game unnecessarily difficult for themselves by giving up two cheap goals and missing a boatload of chances, but eventually came out 3-2 victors in their Bundesliga clash against VfL Wolfsburg. Here are the match awards:
Jersey Swap: Mohamed El Amine Amoura
When an opposition player scores two goals, it is difficult to pick anybody else. Mohamed El Amine Amoura was already in good form heading into Wolfsburg’s fixture against Bayern, bagging four goals and one assist in the previous six matches, so it was hardly a surprise to see him do well today. His intelligent movement saw him work himself into the little pockets of space Bayern had left open and his cool finishing led to the rest. Well done, Amoura.
Der Kaiser: Kim Min-jae
Up until Wolfsburg’s second goal, Dayot Upamecano had a shout to win the award, but the previously utterly dominant Frenchman was left looking a little silly after Amoura easily ghosted past him to reduce the arrears to one goal late on. Kim Min-jae alongside him, however, was just as dominant. The South Korean consistently won his duels and made the lives of Wolfsburg’s attackers a living hell by putting unbelievable amounts of pressure on them. He has even really gotten used to playing in the left center back role and made some outstanding passes with his weaker left foot.
Fußballgott: Leon Goretzka
Dropped in midweek for the 5-0 shellacking of TSG Hoffenheim, Leon Goretzka was back in the lineup and promptly ended the match as the match winner. As the offense in front of him struggled to put the ball in the back of the net, Goretzka decided to take care of things himself by not only breaking the deadlock with a beautifully struck shot from outside the area but also scoring the match winner with an expertly placed header into the far corner. He also provided Bayern with crucial solidity against Wolfsburg’s in form attack, who had scored at least three goals in five of their last seven appearances. That solidity did slip a little late on, however, as Tiago Tomás danced around him with ease to set up Wolfsburg’s late second goal.
Der Bomber: Michael Olise
Head and shoulders above the rest today, Michael Olise continues to go from gear to gear at Bayern Munich. He did not start off the game too well, showing minimal effort to cover Amoura for Wolfsburg’s first goal, but redeemed himself with a deceptively well struck shot that regained the lead for Bayern. His creativity and awareness of the entire field was constantly on display today. The way he understood how every jink, every movement, every pass led to different spaces opening up elsewhere and took advantage of that space was a thrilling watch. Olise was let down by his teammates today, setting up so many chances only to see Bayern’s attackers demonstrate how wasteful they can be. He did, however, get an assist by putting in a brilliant cross for Goretzka’s match winner.
Meister of the Match: Joshua Kimmich
How is he so good every match? Joshua Kimmich’s incredible performances make the idea that team’s No. 6 could leave in a few months’ time a terrifying possibility. In the absence of Pavlović, Kimmich was again given more of a burden to take the playmaking burden in midfield and he did so with consummate ease. He won five of his seven duels, completed 94% of his passes, made five key passes and even should have scored, with his goal just before half time controversially ruled out for a tight hand ball decision. While there were others more crucial to contributing to Bayern’s goal scoring, Kimmich was the one who ran the entire match.
