Bayern's mentality key to late equaliser in Köpenick

The biggest question was about the freshness after the battle in Paris with 10 men for 45 minutes. Just four days after the 2-1 triumph against the holders in the Champions League, it was off to another capital city, the German one, to Union Berlin – an awkward assignment at an intimidating stadium, where FC Bayern only managed a 1-1 draw last year. And once again this time, there was no victory for the Bavarians in Köpenick. It was only thanks to an equaliser in the third minute of stoppage time that they managed to earn a 2-2 draw.

‘A point gained’

“In the context of the match, it’s a point gained,” commented sporting director Christoph Freund. “We knew it would be a difficult match with a lot of challenges and set-piece situations. Union did a very good job, they were very aggressive.”

It was almost like head coach Vincent Kompany had seen it coming in the build-up to Saturday afternoon: Union weren’t daunted, but rather fired up and roared on by an impressive atmosphere at the Stadion an der Alten Försterei. The tenth-placed team had no intention of bowing down to the league leaders, who were chasing a 17th win in 17 competitive games and a 10th win in the 10th Bundesliga match of this season. No, the Berliners fought for every centimetre on the pitch, which was cut up in patches – without using unfair methods. “Luckily I prepared my players for this match for three days,” said Kompany. “I expected this, I wasn’t surprised at all. We weren’t in the game in the first half, that wasn’t good enough from us.”

The expected slog

It was clear that, after their much-praised win over PSG, Bayern found it difficult to flick the switch and play another two halves of workmanlike football instead of putting on a show. Union were more alert, quicker to react and, it seemed, fully prepared for the German record champions. The Berliners offered barely any space in defence, closed down the midfield almost entirely – and didn’t just work hard but also played attacking football. Ilyas Ansah headed in from the hosts’ second corner on his 21st birthday – luckily for Bayern, he was just offside when he received the ball in the ninth minute.

836 minutes without being behind

That scare alone wasn’t enough to awaken a lethargic-looking Bayern, though. On the contrary: Union found the net again, and this time it counted. Danilho Doelki’s shot squeezed through the crowd of bodies in the penalty area and Bayern were behind for the first time in the Bundesliga this season. It was also the first time in any competition this term that the Reds trailed at half-time. And this wasn’t undeserved when you look at the statistics: up to this point Union had registered 5-0 shots on goal, 68 percent possession, 3-0 corners and 8-2 crosses. Bayern fans must have been rubbing their eyes!

But now the visitors took the fight to die Eisernen more and more, pushing Union back into their own half and finally having the long periods of possession they wanted. The champions finally had their first effort on goal in the 33rd minute through Harry Kane – the longest it’s taken them to register an attempt this season. But with space still hard to come by in the Berlin defence, it needed a moment of brilliance. Luis Díaz provided it, sliding to keep an overhit pass from Josip Stanišić in play and then firing the ball from a near-impossible angle over the head of Union keeper Frederik Rönnow and under the crossbar to level the score. That’s now six goals and four assists for the Colombian in the league – only Kane (20) and Miroslav Klose (13) have previously bettered that number of goal involvements for Bayern in the first 10 Bundesliga matches for the club.

Pitch prevents Bayern lead

And Diaz had a huge chance for goal number 12 in all competitions this season, but after a brilliant ball by Kane, the attacking ace got caught in the turf on his way to goal and his shot flew wide of the post. Bayern were now finally in the game, Union were teetering – and even fell. After Rönnow saved Michael Olise’s powerful shot, the ball bounced out to Dayot Upamecano, whose probably off-target first-time finish was turned in by Kane, albeit from an offside position.

Nevertheless, the scales had now tipped in favour of the favourites: passages of play, tackles, combinations, pressure, effectiveness, aggression – Kompany’s men showed it all, but Union, relentlessly spurred on by their vocal supporters, had long dug their heels in. 75 percent possession for the visitors, 231-75 passes played, 87%-57% pass completion – everything was increasingly pointing towards a lead for the Munich side. But the Berliners not only ran a total of five kilometres more, they also kept things tight at the back. And they earned some luck: after a free-kick cross, Kane tried to clear the ball in his own penalty area but unfortunately headed it onto the knee of Doekhi, who didn't hesitate to score his and his team’s second goal of the afternoon on 83 minutes.

“It’s not easy against opponents who hit every ball long, who try to play a lot off second balls and set pieces, which is really where they have their strengths and get chances,” commented Joshua Kimmich. “And it’s not easy to stand up to that.”

Bayern onslaught brings relief

However, the goal did not dampen Bayern's attacking spirit in the final minutes. FCB now set about launching a veritable assault on the Berlin goal – driven by determination, strength and an unbridled belief in their own abilities and in the equaliser. And so it materialised: a perfect cross from substitute Tom Bischof found Kane, who was left unmarked and headed the ball over the line in added time – 2-2, the Englishman's 19th goal of the season and his 75th in 73 competitive appearances for Bayern. The goal was a prime example of Bayern’s brutal mentality and quality. ‘It was a tough game. But we knew what to expect,’ said Harry Kane, exhausted. ‘We had to fight and stay calm, and that's what we did. It wasn't our best performance today, but we still managed to get a draw in the end.’ “It was a tough game but we knew what to expect,” assessed an exhausted Kane. “We had to fight and stay calm and we did that. It wasn’t our best performance today but we still managed to get a draw in the end.”

So, it may not have ended in a 17th win in 17 competitive matches, but it was a 19th consecutive Bundesliga game without defeat. Christoph Freund took a similarly positive view: “At the end of the day, it’s a point gained. The team showed a great mentality, scored the late equaliser and showed they don’t want to lose.” Kimmich hailed the fact that “it takes a lot to beat us at the moment. It’s not easy, you have to survive for 97 minutes. For us it was important that we didn’t lose.” And Neuer concluded with an important takeaway from this last-minute goal ahead of the international break. “The belief is always there in our minds,” described the captain.