FC Bayern took an important step towards the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday evening with a 3-1 home win against Sporting Lisbon. One player stood out in particular: Lennart Karl. The 17-year-old not only scored a decisive goal, but was also named Man of the Match by UEFA. His statements after the game show how mature and reflective the Bayern youngster is already handling this attention.
Three goals in four Champions League games – Lennart Karl continues his impressive run on European soccer’s biggest stage. The youngster also played a key role in the win against Sporting Lisbon. After falling behind to an unfortunate own goal from Joshua Kimmich in the 54th minute, Vincent Kompany’s team showed morale and turned the game around within a short space of time.
Karl scored the all-important goal in the 69th minute to make it 2:1 and once again write CL history. No player at this age has ever scored in three consecutive Champions League matches. The 17-year-old has long been more than just a talent for the German record champions – he is a key player.
After the game, Karl expressed his relief at the turnaround: „It was an intense game. We created a lot of chances and then luckily scored three goals in the end. We could have scored two or three goals in the first half, but we didn’t reward ourselves that much. That’s why the second half was very, very good,“ he said on DAZN. His words make it clear that the youngster can clearly understand the course of the game and remains down to earth despite his successes.
„Everything was right tonight“
The composure with which Karl described the deficit was particularly impressive. Bayern didn’t get nervous, explained the attacking player: „We simply showed patience, played a lot of catch-up and eventually found the gap.“ This sums up coach Vincent Kompany’s game idea, which relies on structure, ball control and targeted attacking of open spaces.
Karl became emotional when it came to his personal development: „Playing in the Champions League at the age of 17 is something very, very special for me. I’m very, very proud of myself, of the team, and that’s why everything fell into place today.“ The sentence doesn’t come across as arrogant or naive, but shows how aware the youngster is of his situation.
His goal with his right foot was no coincidence either. Karl explained that he had been working intensively on his weaker foot recently: „I’ve been training my right foot a lot recently and that’s why it paid off.“ The fact that this finish of all things led to the important opening goal underlines his training ethic and his desire to constantly improve.
Lennart Karl is currently growing from game to game – and Bayern is growing with him. His performance against Sporting Lisbon was not only historic, but also further proof that the future of FC Bayern has perhaps already begun.