Bayern Munich’s third competitve match of the season may have been against a VfL Osnabrück outfit in Germany’s second division but Vincent Kompany took no risks, starting nearly his entire first team. It turns out the Belgian manager was right not to underestimate the West German side — it only took them five minutes to take the lead.
Bayern shook off the shock, growing into the game with every minute that passed. It took twenty, but eventually Harry Kane found the back of the net after Joshua Kimmich’s
probing pass fell kindly to the Englishman’s feet. Just six minutes later, Tom Bischof produced a composed finish to give his side a 2-1 lead going into halftime.
Osnabrück made a routine game on paper uncomfortable for Die Rekordmeister, constantly asking counter-attacking questions of Kim Min-jae and Jonathan Tah. But the 2.Bundesliga side’s fairytale fixture wasn’t to be. A combination of tired legs and Bayern quality proved to be a hurdle too high for Osnabrück to jump, despite a valiant effort.
Here are the standout performers from Bayern’s 4-1 victory.
Jersey Swap: Robin Meißner
Bayern came into the game prepared for a cakewalk, but after five minutes, Robin Meißner left the Bavarians with cake on their face.
The 26-year-old took a speculative, long-range volley after a hopeful long-ball fired from Osnabrück’s defensive third bounced perfectly in his path. It was the type of attempt that goes in once out of one hundred times — but this just so happened to be the one hundredth time. The ball catapulted off Meißner’s boot, swerving and dipping into the top-right corner of Jonas Urbig’s goal. In layman’s terms: it was a cracker!
In the end, the striker’s goal was only a consolation, but it turned the heat up in the Bremer Brücke, putting Bayern’s resolve to the test.
Der Kaiser: Josip Stanišić
If there was one department that was not firing on all cylinders against Osnabrück, it was the defense. Kim Min-jae’s superb run of form faltered, Jonathan Tah continues to shake off post-World Cup rust, while Nathaniel Brown simply struggled to stamp his mark on the game. However, there was one bright spark: Josip Stanišić.
The Croatian international’s marauding runs and interplay with Michael Olise on the right flank caused Osnabrück conundrums all night long. Stanišić defended well, got himself into good positions in the attacking third, and crucially, was impressive in his decision making.
Stanišić is no stranger to a strong performance — consistency has always been the issue. Let’s hope this game is the start of a long run of consistent form for the Bayern full-back.
Fußballgott: Tom Bischof
If Joshua Kimmich was a scalpel, carving out holes in the Osnabrück defense with precision passing, then Tom Bischof was a hammer, smashing through with sheer force and determination — both effective tools, but against the Lila-Weißen’s stubborn wall, hammer beats scalpel.
Bayern’s second goal was perfect example of Bischof’s combativeness. Commentators were right to praise Michael Olise’s sleek dribbling and clever offload to send Luis Díaz one-on-one with Jonas Krumrey — but back up to what created that opportunity in the first place. Osnabrück attempted to counter attack using Ismail Badje’s pace on the wing. However, Bischof executed Kompany’s counter-press to perfection, sniffing out the danger and dispossessing Badje. Shortly after, Díaz fluffed his shot but the rebound fell to Bayern’s number eight who made no mistake slotting the ball home with a calm finish on his weaker right foot.
The 21-year-old’s physicality was crucial. Combined with Kimmich’s incisive passing, the German duo controlled the game from the middle of the pitch.
Der Bomber: Harry Kane
Despite scoring a brace, it wasn’t a trademark Harry Kane performance — but when you score two goals, what does it matter anyway?
The 33-year-old’s 18th-minute equalizer and 86th-minute penalty marked his seventh consecutive match with a goal in the DFB-Pokal, leveling Bayern’s record held by Thomas and Gerd Müller. Kane’s consistency in Germany’s domestic cup competition has been nothing short of stellar; it serves as a reminder not just of his form, but his class. After all, form is temporary, class is permanent, and Kane is eternal.
France Football, give this man the Ballon d’Or already!
Meister of the Match: Michael Olise
Forget a headache — this guy is a full-blown migraine for opposing defenses, and similarly, he’s not going away any time soon.
We are fast approaching a point where we seriously need to start acknowledging Michael Olise as the best footballer in the world. It isn’t a fluke, it isn’t hype, it is fact; the Frenchman is proving it every time he steps onto a football pitch.
Olise may have only scored one goal, but he was Bayern’s most dangerous player by far. Whether it be his knee-buckling dribbling, incisive passing, or fluid movement, the 24-year-old attacker was a problem for Osnabrück every time he touched the ball.
€150m is starting to look like a measly price-tag for football’s most outrageous talent.
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