"The fluctuations occur on a seasonal basis."

Bayern Munich drew 2-2 with Borussia Dortmund in the 29th round of the 2024-2025 Bundesliga home match held at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on the 13th (Korean time).

On this day, Bayern added 1 point, recording 21 wins, 6 draws, and 2 losses (69 points). The gap with second-place Bayer Leverkusen (63 points) remains at 6 points. Bayer Leverkusen also drew with Union Berlin without scoring.

On this day, Kim Min-jae started as a central defender alongside Eric Dier. In the early part of the first half, he made proactive defensive plays to block 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 allowing Julian Ryerson to steal it. He immediately recovered from the error with a tackle and also set the stage for a counter-attack.

However, in the second half, his defensive concentration wavered. Three minutes into the second half, Kim Min-jae was in a favorable position but missed Bayer's movement, allowing them to score the first goal with a header from a cross coming from the right side.

Eventually, Kim Min-jae was substituted out in the 9th minute of the second half for Raphael Guerreiro, just 6 minutes after the goal conceded. As he left the bench, Kim lowered his head, unable to hide his disappointment.

Munich equalized in the 20th minute of the second half with Guerreiro's goal. Receiving a pass from Thomas Müller, Guerreiro 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, they could not hold on to the victory. Munich conceded an equalizer to Waldemar Anton in a chaotic situation in the 30th minute of the second half, finishing the match in a 2-2 draw.

According to European football statistics website 'Footmob', Kim Min-jae played for 54 minutes, recorded 58 touches, a pass success rate of 94% (44 successful out of 47 attempts), created 1 chance, made 1 mistake leading to a goal, passed 4 times in the attacking area, achieved a long pass success rate of 33% (1 successful out of 3 attempts), cleared the ball 4 times, made 2 headed clearances, intercepted 4 passes, made 9 defensive actions, and allowed 0 dribbles.

Munich will face Inter Milan (Italy) in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals on the 17th. Having lost 1-2 in the first leg at home, a reorganization of the defense, including Kim Min-jae, is crucial. It will be interesting to see if Kim can bounce back from his mistakes.

After the match, Kim Min-jae received criticism from local German media. The German rating system uses 1 as the highest score and 5 as the lowest, meaning a higher number indicates poorer performance.

German media 'TZ' assigned Kim Min-jae a score of 5, stating, "Kim Min-jae, who was struggling with a cold and Achilles pain, did not have an impressive performance. He made several positioning mistakes and missed Bayer during the goal-conceding moments."

Kicker also joined the criticism. Kicker stated about Kim Min-jae, "He has played for Bayern for 1 year and 6 months but still shows fluctuations. The difference between his good and bad performances is too great," and noted, "In this match as well, he adapted well and showed good form several times, but he made a momentary critical mistake."

The media added, "Throughout the first half, Kim Min-jae supported the team with forward defense and consistent performance. He even recovered from his personal mistake in the 40th minute with a strong tackle." However, they noted, "Immediately at the start of the second half, he seemed to lose focus and especially allowing a header to Bayer was unfathomable."

Kicker, which rated Kim Min-jae at 4.5, remarked, "Right after the foolish goal conceded to Bayer, he was substituted out. However, we must consider that he was not in his best condition following the Achilles issue. It may be clear to anyone that he needs more rest."

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