Kim Min-jae makes UCL debut as Munich center-back

Kim Min-jae (27) played his first UEFA Champions League game wearing the jersey of Bayern Munich (Germany) and played the full time contributing to the team's victory.

On Thursday, Bayern Munich won a high-scoring match against Manchester United (England, Man U) with a score of 4-3 in their first match of the 2023-2024 Champions League group stage, Group A, played at their home ground. Kim Min-jae, starting as a center-back, displayed an outstanding performance among Bayern Munich's four defenders. Kim received a rating of 6.8 points from the football statistics specialist 'SofaScore' and 6.7 points from 'FootMob.' He had the highest rating among Bayern Munich's four defenders. The South Korean recorded 6 clearances, the most by any player on the field, and his 118 touches were the most on the team. His passing success rate was 92%.

Wearing the Bayern Munich uniform, Harry Kane also made his Champions League debut, contributing significantly to the team's victory with one goal and one assist. Kane assisted Leroy Sané's opening goal in the 28th minute of the first half and converted a spot kick in the 8th minute of the second half, making it 3-1. SofaScore gave Kane the highest rating of 8.5 points, which was the highest rating for any player on both teams.

With this victory, Bayern Munich extended their unbeaten streak in the Champions League group stage to 35 matches. During these 35 matches, Bayern Munich recorded 32 wins and three draws, including their most recent 14 consecutive wins. The last time Bayern Munich suffered a defeat in the Champions League group stage was in September 2017 against Paris Saint-Germain (France), where they lost 0-3.

Manchester United, who faced tough competition from Bayern Munich in the summer transfer market for player acquisitions, continued their streak of losses, following their previous setback in the transfer market. They tried to secure Kim Min-jae, who was previously with Napoli (Italy), before Bayern Munich. Similarly, they approached Kane first, who was with Tottenham Hotspur (England). However, neither player joined Manchester United.


hun@donga.com