There were just 13 minutes left on the clock when the iconic moment of the match arrived. Serge Gnabry delivered a deft cross into the box, where Luis Díaz, left unmarked, rose into the Swabian night sky. The new signing from Liverpool met the cross with his shoulder, his head, somehow both – and from there it flew, watched by 60,000 astonished pairs of eyes at the MHP Arena, into the net to make it 2-0 to Bayern.
First goal for new club
The Colombian’s first goal for his new club sealed this final, named the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup for the first time in honour of Germany’s greatest ever footballer. The header not only opened the door to the first title of the season in the very first competitive game, which Harry Kane had already tentatively opened with the opening goal after 18 minutes. It knocked it off its hinges. Stuttgart's reply in the third minute of stoppage time was not just late, but too late. “We had the chance to start out with a title, that was our goal,” declared FCB head coach Vincent Kompany.
Up to that point, the Reds played out a fierce, intensive and passionate battle with the defending DFB Cup winners. One full of challenges in the air and on the ground, full of running duels, with goalscoring opportunities at both ends. Against an aggressive VfB Stuttgart side, who grew into the contest as the game went on. “It’s never easy in Stuttgart, but we came here and delivered,” commented Kompany afterwards. But he also had his amazing goalkeeper to thank. In his 11th Supercup, Manuel Neuer made the difference with a number of stunning saves, including one just before the decisive second goal, when Jamie Leweling’s powerful shot from 18 metres took a deflection off Dayot Upamecano that changed its direction, producing an incredible reflex from Neuer with his outstretched left arm. Already in the first half, the Bayern captain had proven his outstanding quality on two occasions, first denying Deniz Undav at close range and then seconds later Nick Woltemade, a constant nuisance in the Stuttgart attack.
Determined, dynamic, focused
“I want to help the team and enjoy success,” said a modest Neuer. “We did that today. It was a final, Stuttgart are a tough team to play against.” The hosts initially struggled to contain the wave of Bavarian attacks. The Bundesliga champions looked more determined, dynamic and focused. The Munich attackers repeatedly bore down on the VfB goal but only managed to find the target once in this period: Michael Olise’s pass from midway inside the opposition half was unluckily intercepted by Luca Jaquez into the feet of his opponent Kane, and the Englishman clinically buried it into the corner to give Bayern a deserved lead.
Shackles off
Somewhat surprisingly, the opener woke Stuttgart up. They threw off the shackles of respect for the champions and began to attack with more bravery and determination. For the first time they combined well up front, particularly through German international Chris Führich, and the result of the sudden attacking drive was the first two big chances, which Neuer superbly foiled.
Stuttgart sensed that Bayern were vulnerable just 17 days after starting their pre-season preparations. In turn, Kompany’s men failed to extend their lead during a strong first half. Konrad Laimer with a lob and Olise with a header both missed the target. And it heated up even more when Neuer played a good ball over the top for Laimer, who had to be stopped by Stuttgart in rather rough fashion to possibly prevent the next goal.
Foul sparks hectic period
The foul sparked chaos and drama, and added fuel to the fire that was already burning brightly in the final, as if someone had poured a load of oil on it. “Today was about winning a title,but also about showing that we’re here,” commented Joshua Kimmich. “We did that well.” The match became even more competitive. At the centre of it all were the ‘towers’ Woltemade and his outstanding marker Upamecano. Whenever the Frenchman was beaten, Jonathan Tah stepped into the breach for him. VfB's attack came up against the visitors' well-organised defence. Bayern, meanwhile, failed to double their lead when Kane shot from a tight angle at Fabian Bredlow in the VfB goal.
‘Will always be special’
And so the narrow but deserved lead remained on shaky ground. It shook most when Leweling fired and Neuer’s arm prevented the equaliser. It only stopped shaking when Gnabry’s delicate cross found the header – and shoulder – of Díaz. “The title is extra important because it’s the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup – that’ll always be special for Bayern,” concluded Kompany.
All the reaction the Supercup in Stuttgart:
Topics of this article