Kim Min-jae 27, Bayern Munich, who showed an iron wall defense, was again selected as the "emperor der Kaiser."
Kim Min-jae played full-time against Manchester United Manchester United in the first Group A match of the 2023-2024 season at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on the 21st, contributing to Bayern Munich's 4-3 victory over Manchester United.
With this, Bayern Munich, which took three points, finished the first step toward winning the championship safely, taking the top spot in the group.
Kim Min-jae was in the middle of a slugfest between the two teams. Munich led 2-0 in the first half with Leroy Zane's first goal in the 27th minute of the first half and Serge Gnabry's additional goal in the 32nd minute of the first half.
However, when Manchester United began to chase with Rasmus Höilun's debut goal in the fourth minute of the second half, Munich widened the gap to 3-1 again with Harry Kane's penalty goal. At the end of the second half, Matistel scored a decisive goal when Manchester United followed Casemiro's goal again. Eventually, Casemiro scored again just before the end of the game, but the game was solidified.
Kim Min-jae kept the game by one point. Kim Min-jae, who had fast feet, blocked Manchester United's side with a dedicated defense. The scene of catching up with Bruno Fernandes in the third minute of the second half and putting his head on the ball was a clear demonstration of Kim Min-jae's defense.
In the 25th minute of the first half, Kim Min-jae made a remarkable turn and cut off a long pass with his heel in the process of marking Hoeiroon. He didn't just block the ball, but even delivered it to his teammates exactly.
The tackle was perfect, too. Kim Min-jae cut off the opponent's pass twice in a row in the 20th minute of the second half and took ownership with a strong yet accurate tackle. And he helped the team attack by connecting the ball forward. It was an aggressive defense unique to Kim Min-jae.
Munich attacked Manchester United with Kim Min-jae as one-back. With Dayo Upamecano up, he kept the last stop alone, but few dangerous scenes came out. Manchester United's pressure and build-up were done without difficulty. The exact long pass to the strikers was a bonus.
Germany's "Bavarian Football" selected Kim Min-jae as the "emperor" this time following the last match against Leverkusen. The media praised, "Kim Min-jae fought brilliantly against Manchester United strikers and cleaned up all the passes in the back space."
"Kim Min-jae faced Manchester United well during Munich's fixation in the early stages. After that, when Munich took control of the game, it erased it so that the opposing strikers could hardly be seen. He's certainly living up to huge expectations," he praised.
This means that Hoi Ilun, who joined Manchester United this summer at a ransom of 72 million pounds, also failed to use his strength in front of Kim Min-jae. He also stressed that Munich's runs could not hold Kim Min-jae accountable, saying, "Kim Min-jae could do little in any loss scene," although the team allowed three runs.
According to the soccer statistics media "Foot Mob," Kim Min-jae recorded a 92% pass success rate 97/106, 118 ball touches, one opportunity creation, six clearings, one interception, one tackle, and one shot block. He was ranked first among defense teams with a rating of 6.7. Blush, pass, and clear were the most in the team and never allowed the opponent to break through dribbles.
On the other hand, Napoli, where Kim Min-jae left, won the first button of the European match, but had to be criticized for its defense that was not the same as last season.
Napoli won 2-1 in the first Group C match of the Union of European Football Associations UEFA Champions League UCL in the 2023-2024 season at Istadiu Munisipal de Braga in Braga, Portugal, on the 21st Korea Standard Time.
Napoli's Di Lorenzo scored the first goal in extra time in the first half. Osimhen gave up a long cross from Hvicha Kvaratshelia from the left as a header. Then Di Lorenzo finished with a left-footed volley shot.
Napoli, however, conceded the equalizer to Braga in the 39th minute of the second half. Rodrigo Salasar's early cross turned to a header in front of the gate and connected it with a goal.
Napoli scored the winning goal with a dramatic own goal in the 43rd minute of the second half. Piotr Zielinski's strong cross dug into the left was sucked into his goal by Braga defender Shikuniakate.
The victory pushed Napoli into the lead in a group that included Braga, Real Madrid and Union Berlin. However, the evaluation was harsh. In particular, the absence of Kim Min-jae bothered Napoli again.
Giovanni Scoto, a reporter from Italy's "Il Rome", wrote on his social media, "The lucky own goal was rewarded with bad luck for countless wasted opportunities," adding, "Napoli is paying a big price for Kim Min-jae's departure and uncertain defense." There are a lot of mistakes," he said.
"Napoli is suffering too much in defense. It was a little better above midfield but last season's football is no longer in sight. "I could feel coach Rudy Garcia's thoughts, but Napoli has not been able to express them," he stressed.
Also, "Unfortunately, Hvicha did not shine as usual, and Victor Osimhen also lacked a little luck. Although some improvements are seen, it is urgent to find consistency in the game. "We need patience and two to three good results to better adapt to the shocking change of coach," he added.
On this day, João Jezús and Amir Rahmani came out as the day. However, Rahmani was replaced by Nathan as Napoli led 2-1. Jeju was Kim Min-jae's backup and Rahmani was Kim Min-jae's defensive partner. Natan is a defender recruited as a substitute after Kim Min-jae left. 먹튀검증
However, Rahmani scored 6.2 points and Jeju Island scored 6.7 points, ranking first and second in the team. Napoli is still groaning in the absence of Kim Min-jae.