Bayern Munich probably should’ve come away from the Mewa Arena with a more comfortable win than they did against Mainz, but they secured a 2–1 victory to head into the international break still on top of the Bundesliga table and unbeaten across all competitions so far this season.
A first-half finish from Joshua Kimmich (14′) and a second-half finish from Lennart Karl secured the win for the German Rekordmeister, but they really should’ve done more with their seven shots on target before Philipp Tietz
made things a little nervy with his headed goal in stoppage time. Thankfully, it was too little, too late for Mainz, but Bayern suffered yet another injury blow in the winning effort when Manuel Neuer had to come off just before halftime, replaced by Jonas Urbig. It was the foot that’s been troubling Neuer all season that required his substitution, but hopefully the veteran keeper now has enough time to rest and recover during the international break.
It was Kimmich who was officially voted Man of the Match via the Bundesliga app, as the Bayern midfielder received 49% of the votes (via @iMiaSanMia) in what was his third match back after taking time off due to the unfortunate passing of his father.
In addition to his goal in the first half, Kimmich recorded three shots, 114 touches (the second most in the game), a 92% pass success rate, 90 accurate passes, two key passes, two successful tackles, and three successful clearances. His stats reflect a true midfielder’s performance in what was a solid display alongside Aleksandar Pavlović.
In Kimmich’s short-term absence, Tom Bischof had stood firm in his place in the double pivot, but Kimmich showed today just how good he can be at his best and why he’s the true heartbeat of the team in the middle of the park.
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