Kim Min-jae celebrates Bundesliga title victory with Bayern Munich

Kim Min-jae (29) has lifted the Serie A and now the Bundesliga trophies. Harry Kane (31, Bayern Munich) also beamed with happiness as he enjoyed his first career victory.

Bayern defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-0 during the home match of the 33rd round of the 2024-2025 Bundesliga held at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on the 11th (Korean time).

Having already secured the league title, Bayern recorded 79 points (24 wins, 7 draws, 2 losses) with this victory. Additionally, they continued their unbeaten streak of 8 matches (5 wins, 3 draws).

Most notably, winning in the last home match of the season and celebrating the 33rd title with the fans was particularly meaningful. Bayern succeeded in reclaiming the 'Meisterschale (Bundesliga trophy)' which they had lost to Bayer Leverkusen, who achieved an unbeaten championship last season, after being at the top of the league since the first season of Manager Vincent Kompany.

Bayern, under Manager Kompany, started with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Harry Kane, Kingsley Coman, Thomas Müller, Michael Olise, Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, Raphael Guerreiro, Eric Dier, Josip Stanišić, Konrad Laimer, and Manuel Neuer were all in the starting lineup. Müller and Dier, leaving the team at the end of this season, along with the returning captain Neuer from injury, all started together.

Borussia Mönchengladbach lined up with a 4-1-4-1 formation. Tim Klein-Dienst, Robin Hack, Philipp Sander, Rocco Liner, Frank Onora, Julian Weigl, Lukas Ulrich, Fabio Chiarodia, Nico Elvedi, Stefan Liner, and Jonas Omlin were named in the starting roster.

Bayern sighed in relief. In the 22nd minute of the first half, Klein-Dienst hit the ball with his head from a corner kick. The ball was deflected towards the goal, hitting Kane, who was in front of the goal, almost resulting in an own goal. However, Neuer quickly reacted and cleared it away to prevent a goal.

After overcoming the crisis, Bayern scored the opening goal. In the 31st minute of the first half, Olise cut inside from the right and took a left-footed shot from long range. Kane redirected the shot with his head, and the ball shook the net. The first half ended with Bayern leading 1-0.

Borussia Mönchengladbach faced another disappointment. In the 9th minute of the second half, Klein-Dienst broke free from the defense and attempted a left-footed shot. However, Dier tracked back and made a tackle to thwart the attempt.

Neuer once again did not allow a goal. In the 33rd minute of the second half, during a counterattack opportunity for Borussia Mönchengladbach, Tomáš Čvančara found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. However, Neuer accurately blocked Čvančara's right-footed shot, preserving the one-goal lead.

'Living legend' Müller played his last home match for Bayern. Manager Kompany replaced Müller, who is parting ways with Bayern after his contract expires this summer, with Serge Gnabry in the 39th minute of the second half, giving him a chance to be send off by the home fans. Bayern fans gave a warm standing ovation.

Bayern sealed the game. In the 45th minute of the second half, Sané drove in from the right and provided a pass into the box. Olise finished it off, bringing down Borussia Mönchengladbach. The match concluded with Bayern winning 2-0.

After the final whistle, the celebration began in earnest. Bayern's victory ceremony took place. Manager Kompany and the players took turns lifting the trophy and roaring before the watching fans. They also didn’t forget to pour beer on each other.

The most eye-catching figure was undoubtedly Kane. He is universally recognized as a world-class striker, yet he had been devoid of championships. He recorded six runner-up finishes, including with the England national team. It had been 14 years since he debuted on the professional stage with Tottenham in 2011 without a single title.

In fact, Kane was unable to fulfill his wish to find a trophy during the last season when he left Tottenham. Bayern went trophyless for 12 years as soon as he joined. Prior to Kane's arrival, Bayern was on an 11-year winning streak in the Bundesliga, but they could only watch as Bayer Leverkusen achieved the first unbeaten championship in Bundesliga history.

Finally, Kane has lifted the burden. He made significant contributions to Bayern’s championship by scoring 25 goals and providing 7 assists in 30 league matches this season. Kane, who realized his dream, kissed the championship trophy in delight and created memories with family members invited to the stadium. Even drenched in beer from his teammates, he wore a very happy expression.

South Korea national team center-back 'monster' Kim Min-jae has also added a major league championship to his career. He contributed to Napoli’s return to the top of the league after 33 years in the 2022-2023 season by lifting the Serie A trophy. Now, just two years after transferring to Bayern, he has also captured the Meisterschale, making him the first Korean player to conquer two of Europe's top five leagues.

On that day, Kim Min-jae was excluded from the lineup for the management of his Achilles injury. However, he did not miss the victory ceremony that took place after the match. He smiled broadly after draping the victory medal around his neck among his teammates.

Kim Min-jae raised the trophy high and roared. Kane and Dier were seen nudging him to step forward. Kim Min-jae also took a commemorative photo with Müller and Japan national team defender Hiroki Ito.

Meanwhile, it is highly likely that Kim Min-jae will end the season in this manner. Since he has been struggling with an Achilles injury since October last year, he plans to rest for the remaining league matches. Although transfer rumors are circulating this summer, if he does not leave Bayern, it seems he will start playing again from the Club World Cup in June.

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