'Why did you bring him on now?' Kim Min-jae receives high praise despite substitution and Bayern Munich's elimination: "Made a crucial defensive play with his body"

*This content was translated by AI.

Despite a sudden substitution and his team's elimination, 'monster defender' Kim Min-jae (30, Bayern Munich) received high praise.

On the 7th (Korean time), the German powerhouse Bayern Munich drew 1-1 in a home match against Paris Saint-Germain (France, PSG) at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, in the second leg of the 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarterfinals. Having lost 4-5 in the first leg, Bayern needed a victory, but failed to secure a win even at home. They missed out on advancing to the final with an aggregate score of 5-6.

On this day, Kim Min-jae came on as a substitute in the 23rd minute of the second half, replacing Jonathan Tah. Bayern struggled continuously against PSG's fast attacks, conceding the opening goal just three minutes into the first half. Moreover, Jonathan Tah had already received a yellow card, making it risky to keep him on the field due to the threat of a red card. Coach Vincent Kompany decided to bring on the quick-footed Kim Min-jae to compensate for this.

The tactical substitution was not a bad move. During his 22 minutes on the pitch, Kim Min-jae recorded 22 touches, one clearance with his foot, and one headed clearance. He won both aerial duels he contested. With a 94% pass completion rate and effective dribbling, he also beat two opposing players. He connected four passes in the attacking third, serving as the starting point for his team's offense.

Most importantly, his passionate defense was commendable. In the 34th minute of the second half, while trailing 0-1, PSG's ace Khvicha Kvaratskhelia faced Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer one-on-one, creating a critical scoring opportunity. Had PSG scored another goal, Bayern would have had to concede the match. However, Kim Min-jae did not give up, followed closely, and pushed Kvaratskhelia away with his body. Kvaratskhelia momentarily lost his balance and failed to take a shot. Bayern escaped the crisis of conceding a goal.

Of course, Bayern failed to advance to the final as they could not score any additional goals in stoppage time besides Harry Kane's. However, thanks to Kim Min-jae's outstanding defense, the match remained tense until the very end.

Even German local media, which had previously given Kim Min-jae lukewarm reviews, praised his performance highly. Today, German sports outlet "Sport1" stated, "He took over Jonathan Tah's position and was responsible for the final minutes of the match. In a game where top-level performance was expected, his lack of match sharpness was barely noticeable. He threw his body into dangerous moments and engaged strongly with opponents," adding, "He even made a decisive defensive play against Kvaratskhelia." The outlet awarded him a rating of 3. In German media, a lower score indicates better performance. Kim Min-jae received a solid rating.

Football statistics platform WhoScored gave Kim Min-jae a rating of 6.3. Another statistics platform, FotMob, rated him 6.1.

Meanwhile, 'Golden Boy' Lee Kang-in, who plays for PSG, was named on the substitute bench but did not play. Like in the first leg, he was absent from the second leg as well.

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*This content was translated by AI.