"A lot of compliments in Germany." Kim Minjae became a hero! "Excellent defense and a come-from-behind goal." Amazing... Munich in Crisis Saved

*This content was translated by AI.

The German media also praised it. Kim Min-jae (30, Bayern Munich) scored his first and final goal of the season, sweeping the local media's highest rating.

Kim Min-jae's team Munich defeated Cologne 3-1 in an away game in the 17th round of the German Bundesliga in the 2025-2026 season at Line Energie Stadion in Cologne, Germany.

With this victory, Munich solidified its sole lead with a 17-game unbeaten streak (15 wins, 2 draws, 47 points) since the opening. The gap with second-place Borussia Dortmund (36 points) widened to a whopping 11 points.

Kim Min-jae was the best contributor to the victory. Kim Min-jae, who was out of power just before the break due to thigh muscle pain and tooth problems, perfectly proved his presence by playing full-time starting in his return match.

Kim Min-jae scored a come-from-behind winning goal in the 26th minute of the second half when the score was 1-1. In the follow-up of the corner kick, Hiroki Ito returned a cross from Luis Díaz with his head, and Kim Min-jae, who was rushing to the gate, connected it with an accurate header to break the net. It was Kim Min-jae's first official goal this season and the winning goal to give the team a win.

He also showed off his monstrous appearance in defense without regret. In particular, Munich faced a desperate crisis in the 10th minute of the second half when center back partner Jonadanta made a fatal error. Ta missed the ball in the center, opening up a perfect one-on-one opportunity for the Cologne striker.

However, Kim Min-jae returned to the defense camp with explosive speed, overcame a physical fight with the opponent's striker, stole the ball, and prevented a run. It was a super save that completely erased his teammate's mistakes.

German media also praised Kim Min-jae's perfect offense and defense performance. Bild, a leading German newspaper, gave Kim Min-jae one point, the highest rating for both teams. The German media rating is divided into 1-6 points, and the lower the score, the better. On the other hand, Harry Kane, who made a fatal error, scored four points, Hiroki Ito scored two points, and Konrat Reimer scored three points.

"Kicker" also gave Kim Min-jae 1.5 points, the highest rating in the team. "Kicker" said, "Kim Min-jae was a strong supporter of Munich. Not only did he show excellent defense against Cologne's Jakub Kaminsky, but he also scored a come-from-behind goal even as a defender. Kim Min-jae's score allowed Munich to win."

Munich also posted a picture of Kim Min-jae on its official social network service (SNS), saying, "Man of the Match."

Football statistics media "Foot Mob" also gave Kim Min-jae the highest rating among the defense. Ito, who collaborated on the winning goal, scored 7.8 points and Ta, who made an error, only scored 6.9.

On this day, Munich operated a 4-2-3-1 formation. Kane was at the forefront, and Díaz, Serge Gnabry and Michael Olise built the second line. The midfield was guarded by Leon Goretzka and Aleksandar Pavlovic, while the four backs were composed by Ito, Ta, Kim Min-jae and Reimer. The goalkeeper's gloves were worn by Manuel Neuer.

It wasn't easy at the beginning of the game. Munich allowed a surprise mid-range shot to Cologne's Lynton Maina in the 41st minute of the first half and lost the first point. In the extra time of the first half, Gnabry scored an equalizer with a sensational shot and finished the first half with a 1-1 balance.

Munich, which brought the atmosphere with Kim Min-jae's decisive defense and come-from-behind goal in the second half, ended the match in the 39th minute of the second half with promising Leonard Karl scoring a decisive goal. Munich secured a 3-1 victory by taking a comfortable two-goal lead with time remaining.

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*This content was translated by AI.