'Shock' Kim Min-jae's defeat in Munich Pokal Round of 16 was the main cause of the early exit defeat
Dec 04, 2024
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Munich lost 1-0 to Leverkusen in the round of 16 of 2024-2025 Pokal at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on the 4th (Korea time).
Munich, which was considered a strong favorite for Pokal this season, was eliminated from the tournament early, creating an unexpected event.
The game was decided in the 17th minute of the first half.
Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was sent off directly when he blocked Leverkusen's Jeremy Frimpong's breakthrough with his body. This marks Neuer's first exit in his football career.
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Kim Min-jae was busy running around on both sides of the offense and defense despite his numerical inferiority, energizing the team. He recorded a 93% pass success rate, three successful aerial ball competitions, two clearings and two header clearings.
Munich continued to attack even under unfavorable conditions, pressuring Leverkusen all the time and showing a high ball possession. However, Nathan Tella headed a cross from Leverkusen's Grimaldo from the left side of the 68th minute to cut Munich's goal.
Munich, which scored with the end of the game shortly before the end, went on a general offensive with Serge Gnabry, Shasha Boy, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Matistel, but failed to turn the game around.
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As a result, Munich suffered a defeat about a month and a half after the match against Barcelona on October 24. Leverkusen continued its unbeaten streak following its unbeaten Pokal victory last season.
After the game, the local community pointed out Neuer as the main cause of the defeat.
Germany's TZ commented that "Noyer, despite having a defender on the same team, ran away from the goal and did a body check on the opponent" and "did harm to the team by being sent off." TZ gave Neuer a low rating of six points. The media divides the rating into 1-6 points, and the lower the number, the better.
Kim Min-jae was also not highly evaluated as he was involved in the loss. "The accurate long pass helped the build-up, but the positioning was not good under the circumstances of losing points," TZ said. Kim Min-jae got a rating of three.
kwj1222@sportschosun.com
