Despite the oppressive dominance, FC Bayern Munich conceded their first loss of a point on the 4th match day of the Bundesliga. Against feared opponents Borussia Mönchengladbach, the team of coach Julian Nagelsmann did not get more than 1: 1 (0: 1).
FC Bayern Munich – Borussia Mönchengladbach: The analysis
At FC Bayern there was a change in the starting XI compared to 7-0 in Bochum: Nagelsmann surprisingly did without Matthjis de Ligt. The central defense consisting of Lucas Hernandez and Dayot Upamecano did a good job even without the Dutch star newcomer and concentrated on defending Gladbach’s isolated counterattacks.
When the opponents had possession of the ball, the guests withdrew far, sometimes with all players up to their own penalty area. FC Bayern dominated from the start and had their first good chance in the first minute: Joshua Kimmich cornered, Upamecano header. A few more dangerous Kimmich standards followed, but there weren’t any real chances from the game at first, despite good playful approaches.
That changed after about half an hour: Bayern became more and more compelling, mainly thanks to Leroy Sané and Kingsley Coman who were now spinning. Two Mané goals were disallowed for offside in this phase before Thuram Gladbach gave his team the lead with his first shot after a capital Upamecano error.
The dominance of the hosts became even clearer in the second half: Gladbach defended, Bayern pushed vehemently for the equalizer, whipped up by a heated atmosphere. After a number of missed opportunities, Sané provided redemption.
FC Bayern Munich – Borussia Mönchengladbach: The line-ups
FC Bayern: Neuer – Pavard, Upamecano, Hernandez, Davies – Kimmich, Sabitzer (67th Musiala) – Coman, Leroy Sane (85th de Ligt) – Thomas Müller, Mane (68th Gnabry).
FC Bayern Munich – Borussia Mönchengladbach: The data
Gates: 0-1 Thuram (43′), 1-1 Sane (83′)
The star of the game: Yann Sommer (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
With a total of 18 saves, some of which were very strong, Gladbach keeper Sommer kept his team in the lead for a long time. He was powerless when Sané equalized.
The flop of the match: Alassane Pléa (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Gladbach’s left winger was rarely on the ball, never finished and won just under 14 percent of his duels. In the 52nd he was the first Gladbach player to be substituted.
The referee: Daniel Schlager
At the end of the first half, Schlager denied two Mané hits due to offside positions. With the second the matter was clear, with the first it was quite controversial. Sané was just offside when Mané finished and probably restricted the view of Gladbach keeper Yann Sommer, even if he turned away from the shot. After the break, Schlager enraged the Munich audience by whistling some controversial scenes for Gladbach and also not stopping the guests from playing time.
