Bayern Munich scuffled its way to a 3-3 Champions League league phase draw with Viking FK in a match that will not leave many fans feeling good about much.
For the second consecutive game, Bayern Munich put itself in an early hole. While not quite 8.4 seconds into the match like against FC Augsburg, Viking defender Gianni Stensness skied over Jonathan Tah and Kim Min-jae to get his head on the end of a corner from Zlatko Tripić to make it 1-0 in favor of the home side just over a minute into the match.
It was heavily referenced in pregame scouting reports that Bayern Munich needed to be wary of Viking’s set pieces, but the Bavarians still somehow looked as if they were caught off-guard. It would not get much better for Bayern Munich, who—again—wasted several key scoring chances.
In the 38th minute, Peter Christiansen took advantage of a turnover by the Bavarians as he sprinted away from an unsuspecting Nathaniel Brown on a long run. Erik Botheim’s long pass was perfectly weighted and found Christiansen in stride. Brown, who had no help from the team’s center-backs on the play, had no angle to stop the Dane, who easily made it 2-0.
After an absolutely brutal first half, Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany had seen enough. The Belgian manager yanked Lennart Karl, Brown, and Tah off the pitch after a miserable performance, bringing on Ismael Saibari, Alphonso Davies, and Dayot Upamecano. Karl was a total non-factor, while his other ousted colleagues had big mistakes attached to them.
Bayern Munich would catch a break after Viking got a little too brazen with its fouls and brought down Konrad Laimer for a foul in the box. Harry Kane would put home the penalty attempt to make it 2-1 at the 54-minute mark.
That moment would give Bayern Munich the momentum it needed to mount a comeback.
Six minutes later, Joshua Kimmich sent in a cross that found Kane’s head, and the Englishman made sure to put this attempt away as well to knot the game at 2-2. It looked like Luis Díaz instantly made it 3-2 after Kane’s goal, but his bad-luck streak continued as he was whistled for an offside call.
Finally, in the 71st minute, Kane propelled Bayern Munich to its third goal. Kane lofted a perfect diagonal cross to a cutting Laimer, who pushed the ball to Díaz for a goal that the Colombian desperately needed.
Of course, Bayern Munich had to make things interesting as Michael Olise was sent off with a red card after picking up his second yellow card on a very selfish play, where he tossed the ball at Tripić and hit him in the face.
That would prove to be a death knell for Bayern Munich’s hopes to retain the lead.
In the final minute of regulation, Bayern Munich was dispossessed twice (and maybe fouled) in their own end as Konrad Laimer and Kane both lost the ball, which led to Tripić hitting Herman Johan Haugen with a perfect cross. The right-back rose up over Davies and headed the ball in to tie the game at 3-3 in one of the most dramatic Champions League finishes in a very long time.
In the end, artificial turf did not matter. Bayern Munich’s talent and depth did not matter. Only the fight and energy of a Viking side that will never forget this monumental night mattered.
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