‘Monster’ Kim Min-jae now has ‘Emperor’ title…”Overwhelming Japanese defenders + it was just a wall”

‘Monster defender’ Kim Min-jae (27, Bayern Munich) has a new title: ‘Emperor’. A head-to-head penalty shootout win against Japan international defender Ko Itakura (26, Mönchengladbach) was a bonus.

Munich came from behind to beat Mönchengladbach 2-1 in the third round of the 2023-2024 German Bundesliga at Borussia Park Mönchengladbach at 1:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday. With their opening three-game winning streak, the Bavarians remain at the top of the league with nine points 스포츠토토.

In doing so, the Bavarians broke a long-standing jinx. It was the first time since March 2019 (5-1) that the Bavarians had won away to Mönchengladbach in four and a half years. It also ended a run of five consecutive draws against the Bavarians and earned them three points for the first time in a long time.

Munich fell behind in the first half, conceding a goal to Itakura from a corner in the 30th minute. However, Leroy Sane equalized 13 minutes into the second half and Mathis Tell pulled one back in the 43rd minute.

Kim Min-jae also made his third consecutive start over a minor injury to help his side to victory. He anchored the Munich defense alongside Dayo Upamecano, who was not 100% fit after suffering a muscle cramp in his calf, but was named in the starting lineup anyway.

Kim Min-jae anchored the Mönchengladbach offense for the full 90 minutes. He showed flashes of his Napoli days with his blistering pace and aggressive defense. Thomas Tuchel also showed his faith in him by not substituting him midway through the game for the first time this season.

He was in wall mode. Kim Min-jae showed great judgment and speed to pick off all of the passes into the backfield, and was never outmuscled by the opposing striker. Not to mention his quick interceptions, solid one-on-one defense, and clever fouls to break up counterattack opportunities.

They were especially dominant in aerial battles. His high batting average allowed him to win header battles, and he was also a threat on set pieces, leaping high to flick the ball away with his head. According to soccer statistics outlet Footmob, Kim won the most aerial battles for both teams (11 attempts, 8 wins).

He also completely shut down Tomasi Tsubanchara, a long striker who stands at 6-foot-3. After losing a header contest, Tsubanchara didn’t even get a shot off and was subbed off in the 14th minute of the second half. The barrier of Serie A’s best defender, Kim Min-jae, was too high for the 2000-born striker, who had just arrived in the Bundesliga.

Germany’s Bavarian Football was also impressed with Kim’s performance. Calling him the “kaiser,” they wrote, “Today the ‘monster’ came up big in Munich. He told Itakura, ‘What you can do, I can do better.’ He was just a wall at the back. Kim Min-jae was just a wall behind him,” he said to applause.

Bavarian Football also praised Itakura for his goal: “He did a tremendous job in the backline, not only scoring the goal that gave the team the lead, but also giving the Munich attackers a hard time.” However, they also praised Kim Min-jae, saying he was even better than Itakura.

Football stats site Footmob also gave Kim high marks. They gave him a rating of 7.7, fourth best on the team, for 101 touches of the ball, a 91% passing success rate (85/93), two walk-offs, two interceptions, eight recoveries, and a 73% win rate in aerial battles. His partner Upamecano was rated 7.3.

Kim will now leave Munich for a short time and travel to England, where he will join the national team for two September A matches against Wales and Saudi Arabia. After two draws and two losses in their previous four matches, Klinsmann’s men will be looking for their first win.