"Kim Min-jae very stable, tough in duels" praised by German media... higher evaluation than Upamecano, Munich wins 2-1

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Min-jae of the Bayern Munich and a key defender for the South Korean national football team contributed to his team's victory with stable defensive play.

Munich secured a 2-1 away win against Elversberg in the third round of the 2026–2027 German Bundesliga, played on the 14th (Korean time) at Elversberg in Germany.

With two wins and one draw in their first three matches, Munich continued their unbeaten run to sit fourth in the league standings.

Kim Min-jae started as a left center-back alongside Dayot Upamecano, forming the central defensive pairing. He played the full 90 minutes without being substituted.

This season, Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has been rotating between Kim Min-jae, Upamecano, and Jonathan Tah to build his center-back combinations. Although Kim Min-jae appeared to be losing ground in the competition for a starting spot last season, he has clearly seen increased playing time and role this season. He was given another start today as well.

His performance was also strong. In the 17th minute of the first half, there was a tense moment. A ball that accidentally struck Kim Min-jae while clearing an opponent's cross nearly resulted in an own goal but fortunately went wide of the goal.

Afterward, he regained his composure. Kim Min-jae recorded eight defensive actions in total: three tackles, two interceptions, and three clearances. He also successfully won possession five times. In ground duels, he won three out of four attempts, achieving a 75% success rate.

He was also stable in building up play from the back. Over the full 90 minutes, he touched the ball 104 times and accurately connected 90 of his 93 passes to teammates. His passing success rate reached 97%.

Kim Min-jae's performance was also positively evaluated by German media outlets. The German publication 'Abendzeitung' awarded Kim Min-jae a German-style rating of 3 points after the match.

Upamecano, who shared responsibility for central defense, received a lower score of 4 points. In the ratings given by German media, a lower number indicates a better evaluation.

Regarding Kim Min-jae, the publication explained: "He once again had the opportunity to prove himself in the starting lineup. Jonathan Tah sat on the bench."

On the incident in the 17th minute of the first half, the outlet noted: "It was lucky that the cleared cross did not result in an own goal."

At the same time, it praised his performance afterward. The publication stated: "After that, he was very stable," and added, "He had a strong presence and was tenacious in duels."

In contrast, the evaluation for Upamecano was somewhat critical. Abendzeitung pointed out: "Although he often served as the first starting point during build-up play as a central figure in the Bayern defense, he made quite a few passing errors," and added that "he failed to show a convincing performance in this match."

Another German media outlet, 'Sportbild', also gave both Kim Min-jae and Upamecano a favorable rating of 2 points.

Munich took the lead in the 26th minute of the first half with an early goal by Lenart Karl. However, they conceded an equalizer to Maurits Krattenmacher in the 16th minute of the second half, allowing a 1-1 tie.

The hero who saved the team was key striker Harry Kane. In the 27th minute of the second half, Kane scored the winning goal with assistance from Aleksandar Pavlovic.

Munich held on for a 2-1 victory, relying on Kane's winning goal and the concentration of the defensive line, including Kim Min-jae.

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*This content was translated by AI.