Kim Min-jae, who held Manchester United’s offensive line tight. Contributed to Munich’s 1-0 win. AFP = Yonhap News
German professional soccer team Bayern Munich defeated Manchester United (Manchester United, England) thanks to Kim Min-jae’s impeccable defense and continued its undefeated streak in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.
Munich defeated Manchester United 1-0 in the final 6th away game of Group A of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League group stage held at Old Trafford in Manchester, England on the 13th (Korean time). Bayern Munich (16 points), who had early on secured first place in the group and advanced to the round of 16, finished the group stage with 5 wins and 1 draw. Munich continued its record of going undefeated (36 wins, 4 draws) in 40 consecutive Champions League group stage games. With this victory, Munich escaped the shock of the 1-5 defeat against Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on the 9th.
Manchester United (4 points) was eliminated at the bottom of the group (4th place). In the same group, Copenhagen (8 points, Denmark) beat Galatasaray (5 points, Türkiye) to take second place in the group and advance to the round of 16. Third-place Galatasaray was relegated to the Europa League. For Bayern, Kingsley Coman, assisted by Harry Kane, scored the winning goal in the 25th minute of the second half. Even though it was an away game, Munich played a dominant game, recording 60% of the ball. They led by 10-5 in number of shots and 3-1 in effective shots.
The defense team led by Kim Min-jae maintained the lead without conceding a goal. Kim Min-jae, who took about two weeks of rest due to hip pain in the 5th match of the Champions League group stage (0-0 draw) against Copenhagen on the 30th of last month, played full time as a central defender along with Dayot Upamecano. Kim Min-jae contributed to the victory with a play that quickly cut off the opponent’s pass, which was a skill, and a forward pass. In particular, he was evaluated as having tightly tied down Manchester United’s offensive line, including Rasmus Höirund and Anthony.
According to European soccer statistics WhoScored.com, Kim Min-jae recorded a pass success rate of 94.3% and touched the ball 95 times. In defense, he reliably kept Bayern Munich at the back with one tackle, one interception, two clearances, and one foul. As a result, Kim Min-jae escaped controversy over his performance. He recently received criticism for his performance from local media. Meanwhile, Kim Min-jae’s former team Napoli defeated Braga (Portugal) and advanced to the round of 16, increasing the possibility of a ‘Kim Min-jae derby’.
Reporter Pi Joo-young akapj@joongang.co.kr
2023-12-13 03:29:11
#Kim #Minjaes #performance #Munich #remains #undefeated #games #Champions #League #group #stage.. #win #Manchester #United #JoongAng #Ilbo
