FC Bayern played an away game against SC Freiburg on Sunday in the Bundesliga’s top match. The record champions went into this matchup with some personnel concerns.
Freiburg had gotten off to a good start to the season but had lost their last two games. Bayern, for their part, had won only one of their last four games, with three of those ending in draws.
It was a thrilling match in Freiburg, which the record champions ultimately won 3–1.
Bayern Rewarded for Strong First Half
Right at the start, the game was interrupted for an extended period because smoke from pyrotechnics wouldn’t clear. After a brief delay, play resumed, and the match was intense from the very beginning. Freiburg tried to close down the spaces and prevent Bayern from playing their game. There weren’t any major scoring chances in the early going, but every tackle was contested with determination.
After 16 minutes, Dayot Upamecano made his big entrance. He initiated Bayern’s attack; the ball came back to the surging defender via Michael Olise, and he outran everyone before remaining ice-cold in a one-on-one with Mio Backhaus to put the FCB up 1–0. Bayern continued to create good counterattacks, but an Olise shot in the 24th minute was off target. Shortly afterward, Lennart Karl took a shot on the turn, but the ball sailed over the goal.
Bayern played fast and straightforward, and had their next good chance in the 33rd minute through Nathaniel Brown, who was denied by Backhaus. It was clear that the team coached by Aaron Danks was exceptionally well-prepared and had an absolute determination to win here. Shortly before halftime, the visitors put together another excellent attacking sequence. Karl started it off, Brown set up Serge Gnabry, who slotted the ball into the net from close range! The score remained 2–0 at halftime.
Freiburg stepped it up in the closing minutes
Freiburg came out of the locker room playing a bit more aggressively, pressing higher up the field and at times forcing Bayern to play long balls. It took a while for Bayern to create their first dangerous chance; in the 56th minute, Kane headed the ball over the goal. In the 59th minute, substitute Igor Matanović tested Urbig once, but the Bayern goalkeeper had no trouble with the shot.
At the one-hour mark, Aaron Danks made substitutions, bringing on Ismael Saibari and Sacha Boey. Saibari immediately had a promising chance but was denied by Backhaus. Overall, SCF had more of the play than in the first half. Saibari had another good chance a quarter of an hour before the end, but his shot from a tight angle was stopped by Backhaus.
Bayern now squandered a few opportunities. At the 80-minute mark, Kane and Saibari were denied by Backhaus. Shortly afterward, Tom Bischof scored an unfortunate own goal following a cross from the left side. The Bayern midfielder intended to clear the ball but deflected it into his own net. Freiburg kept up the pressure and had another good chance through Cyriaque Irie.
Bayern were now in deep trouble. Freiburg sent many dangerous crosses into the penalty area. In stoppage time, Urbig made an outstanding save on a header by Ginter. Things were heating up in the penalty area, but in the 95th minute, Michael Olise capitalized on a major mistake by the Freiburg defense to make it 3–1. That was also the final score.