Die Folgen: Bayern’s 5-1 win over FC Köln (Bavarian Football Works)
Bayern Munich closed out its Bundesliga championship season by throttling FC Köln 5-1 in a wild, up-and-down affair.
The Bavarians were dominant from the outset and looked extremely fresh after being given three days off earlier this week. Meanwhile, FC Köln looked shellshocked for stretches by just how overwhelming Bayern Munich was on the day. Let’s get into it, here are some quick hitters on the match:
- As always, let’s begin with a look at the staring XI:
- As expected, Kompany went heavy with his regulars. The outliers were Leon Goretzka (last Bundesliga game with Bayern Munich), Lennart Karl (giving Michael Olise a break), and Tom Bischof (giving Josip Stanišić some downtime). The good news is that Bischof’s honest (yet frowned upon to do in public) assessment of the squad did not result in a punishment, maybe just a little reminder to keep those observations in-house.
- Bayern Munich had some jump in its step early on. It looked like the days off paid dividends for the squad. Kane fired a shot over the crossbar in the 3rd minute, but it was clear that the Bavarians were going to be the aggressor.
- In the 10th minute, Karl and Kimmich did some nice work before Karl whipped in a cross, which Kane beautifully volleyed in for a goal. The cross actually barely skimmed Kimmich’s melon, so the midfielder got credit for the assist and not Karl (who deserved it).
- Three minutes later, Bayern Munich set up for a free kick and Kane drilled it after a training ground setup from Kimmich. That quickly, it was 2-0!
- Honestly, Bayern Munich looked great and was cruising, but the Billy Goats would respond.
- In the 18th minute, Jamal Musiala got a ball caught up in his feet and Said El Mala stripped it away and — somehow — sprinted by everyone. Seriously, he smoked Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah and cruised in for a goal. That was a very impressive play by the youngster. It should also be noted that Laimer took an absolutely awful angle to try and stop the speedy El Mala. “Hey….take a route Magellan!”
- In the 22nd minute, Bayern Munich had a big response as Karl was at it again. Bursting down the right side, the youngster sent in a cutback cross, which found Bischof, who calmly hit a low shot toward the far post for another goal. This game was wild!
- Karl…damn, that kid has potential. As for Bischof…#FreeTom! Hopefully, there is more playing time for Bischof next season.
- Karl had a great chance in the 28th minute, but airmailed it badly. Yeah, the kid is not perfect, but he is good.
- In the 43rd minute, Luis Díaz perfectly timed a run, but just could not get off a good enough attempt. A minute later, Musiala fired one off the crossbar. Bayern Munich was a threat on every possession.
- Stanišić stepped in for Laimer at halftime.
- Jonas Urbig and Michael Olise came in for Manuel Neuer and Karl in the 60th minute. It was a fitting exit for Neuer, who just inked his contract extension on Friday. Afterward, it was revealed that Neuer experienced some discomfort in his calf.
- Díaz was doing everything to score a goal except putting the ball into the net.
- In the 69th minute, Goretzka morphed back into his early career form and aggressively drove up the field with pace and flipped a little pass over to Kane, who unleashed a rocket for another goal and a 4-1 lead. Whoa…what a strike!
- That drive by Goretzka was reminiscent of the 2017 Confederations Cup, which feels like it was forever ago.
- In the 70th minute, Raphaël Guerreiro made his last Bundesliga appearance with Bayern Munich as he entered the match for Bayern Munich.
- It was awesome to see the ovation that Goretzka received and the reaction from his teammates when he exited the game in favor of Nicolas Jackson in the 83rd minute. Funny enough, Jackson immediately scored after a nice entry pass from Olise and a deft, little touch from Díaz.
- In added time, Díaz perfectly set up Olise, who just lifted far over the cross in a very rare easy miss for the Frenchman.
- Overall, Bayern Munich was exciting and reminded fans of how great this season has been. The end result of the match really did not matter, but Bayern Munich went after the win and got it anyway. The icing on the cake for the match was how fun it was to watch Bayern Munich play in this match and for the season. It was almost as if it was a “Fan Appreciation Day” of sorts. Regardless, it was another good win and great performance for the Bavarians.
If you missed our Initial Analysis, Match Awards, Observations, or Postgame Podcast, give them a look or a listen:
Araújo not on Bayern’s list (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk)
Despite rumors to the contrary, Sport Bild journalist Christian Falk says the club does not have Benfica’s Tomás Araújo on its transfer list:
❌ It is NOT TRUE: Bayern have Tomás Araújo down as a Plan B in case they can’t sign Givairo Read. They have the first line of the defence with Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah, and then Kim Min-jae and Hiroki Ito (Stanišić can also play this position). They don’t have so many players they can still sell, as the squad isn’t particularly big! Ito and Min-jae are two players who could be sold if there is a good offer. I can imagine there will be talks after that to determine if there will be some exits. But at the moment, no one has been sold, so they’ll have to wait.
Sørloth to Milan? (Corriere dello Sport via ESPN)
Atlético Madrid striker Alexander Sørloth has put himself on AC Milan’s shortlist of potential center-forward options:
AC Milan have added Atletico Madrid striker Alexander Sorloth to their shortlist.
Palhinha to Sporting Lisbon? (The Spurs Web)
Bayern Munich loanee João Palhinha has an uncertain future at the moment and there has been no commitment from Tottenham Hotspur to taking him on full-time. Enter Sporting CP:
Sources suggest that Sporting Lisbon are keen to take the 30-year-old back to the club and are ready to challenge Tottenham in their transfer pursuit.
In fact, some reports claim that Spurs are already looking for alternative central midfield options due to fears that they will miss out on the Bayern Munich-owned player.
A new report in Record (as relayed by Sport Witness) has now claimed that Sporting are cooling their interest in Real Betis midfielder Sergi Altimira and are ready to focus their efforts on Palhinha.
The feeling at the Portuguese club is that the former Fulham man is increasingly attainable, as there is still no clarity from Spurs regarding the midfielder.
This could be important news for Bayern Munich. With Tottenham Hotspur not really committing to anything regarding Palhinha, Sporting CP could provide a good landing spot for the midfielder, who might want a permanent solution for his situation.
Laimer’s focus is on staying with Bayern (Sport Bild’s Christian Falk)
After weeks of hearing that Konrad Laimer wanted a big raise, the most recent reports indicate that he is looking for a more modest increase and a longer stay in Bavaria:
There was a lot of silence last month! The last meeting was in December 2025, but now there has been another meeting to discuss Konrad Laimer’s contract. Now, the Austrian has shown that perhaps he won’t be looking for so much money as he was in the first round of talks. For him, it would be nice and important to stay at Bayern Munich. The midfielder-turned-right-back’s family isn’t far away; they live in Salzburg. He has a house in Salzburg that’s about an hour and a half to two hours away from Munich. So, he would like to stay at Bayern Munich. To make that happen, he’d be happy with a salary that isn’t as high as what was discussed in the first round of talks. That said, Laimer is still looking for more money than what he’s currently on. So, the talks will go on. But today, it doesn’t seem as impossible for Bayern to keep him.
Inking Laimer to an extension as something near his current rate would be an astute move. The right-back market is not great and Laimer is well-versed on Vincent Kompany’s expectations for the position. With his energy and fight, it just makes sense to bring the Austrian back if the price truly is right.
PSG wants Álvarez (ESPN)
Some reports say Paris Saint-Germain wants Robert Lewandowski, but this one has PSG chasing Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez:
Paris Saint-Germain have made Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez one of their main targets for next season, sources have told ESPN. Álvarez has also attracted interest from Barcelona and Arsenal.
PSG do not have an established No. 9 and are open to offers for Gonçalo Ramos, with the funds raised from his departure used to try and sign Argentina international Álvarez. However, Álvarez is contracted with Atlético until 2030 and the club are not inclined to let him leave.
Sources have told ESPN that PSG plan to make an initial offer to test the intentions of a Atletico, who paid around €95 million ($112m) to Manchester City two summers ago.
Hoffenheim bring back Lemperle (Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg)
Hoffenheim is closing in on a contract extension with striker Tim Lemperle:
🚨💥 EXCLUSIVE | Tim Lemperle new contract – DONE DEAL ✔️
Final details are now being clarified. The 24 y/o top striker (8G/2A this season) is extending his contract by two years until 2031, including a salary adjustment. Signing soon.
Lemperle and Hoffenheim turned down many clubs. A strong statement. TSG will fight for qualification for the Champions League on Saturday in Mönchengladbach. @SkySportDE
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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