Kim Min-jae (29, Bayern Munich) received harsh criticism from local German media after being substituted following a defensive error.
Bayern drew 2-2 against Borussia Dortmund in a home match of the 29th round of the 2024-2025 Bundesliga, held at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on the 13th (Korea time).
On that day, Bayern added 1 point to record 21 wins, 6 draws, and 2 losses (69 points). The gap with second-placed Bayer Leverkusen (63 points) remains 6 points. Leverkusen also drew with Union Berlin without scoring.
On that day, Kim Min-jae started as a center-back alongside Eric Dier. In the early stages of the first half, he made proactive defensive plays to stop the opponent's attacks. However, he made a critical mistake in the 39th minute of the first half, failing to properly handle the ball and losing it to Julian Ryerson. He quickly recovered with a tackle, overcoming the crisis and also laying the groundwork for a counterattack.
However, his defensive concentration wavered in the second half. In the 3rd minute of the second half, Kim Min-jae was in a favorable position but missed Bayer's movement when a goal was conceded. Bayer connected with a cross from the right side, shaking the net with a header.
Ultimately, Kim Min-jae was substituted in the 9th minute of the second half, 6 minutes after conceding a goal, for Raphaël Guerreiro. As he walked off the bench, Kim Min-jae lowered his head, unable to hide his disappointment.
Bayern balanced the match with Guerreiro's equalizer in the 20th minute of the second half. Guerreiro, who received a pass from Thomas Müller, shook the net with a right-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area. Four minutes later, Serge Gnabry broke through the left side and scored another goal with a right-footed shot.
However, Bayern could not secure the victory. In the 30th minute of the second half, they conceded an equalizer from Waldemar Anton in a chaotic situation, finishing the match 2-2.
After the match, Kim Min-jae received criticism from local German media.
German media 'TZ' gave Kim Min-jae a rating of 5, noting that "there was no impressive performance from Kim Min-jae, who was struggling with a cold and Achilles tendon pain. He made several positioning errors and failed to mark Bayer during the conceding goal." In the German rating system, 1 point is the highest and 5 points is the lowest, meaning a higher number indicates a poorer performance.
According to European football statistics site 'Footmob', Kim Min-jae played for 54 minutes, had 58 ball touches, a passing accuracy of 94% (44 successful out of 47 attempted), created 1 chance, made 1 mistake leading to a goal, completed 4 passes in the attacking area, had a long pass success rate of 33% (1 successful out of 3 attempted), made 4 clearances, had 2 headed clearances, recorded 4 interceptions, made 9 defensive actions, and allowed 0 dribble penetrations.
Bayern will face Inter Milan (Italy) in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-finals on the 17th. Having lost the first leg at home 1-2, a reorganization of the defense, including Kim Min-jae, is urgently needed. Attention is focused on whether Kim Min-jae can bounce back from his mistakes.
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