16' · Bayern Upamecano 0–1 Won the ball and carried it; Olise's pass, finished himself | 42' · Bayern Gnabry 0–2 One-two with Brown, past Beste | 82' · Freiburg Bischof (o.g.) 1–2 Makengo's cross, turned in under pressure | 90+5' · Bayern Olise 1–3 Sealed it in stoppage time |
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| 01 The Big Take |
| This was the week everything went wrong off the pitch. On it, Bayern were the better side for 80 minutes. |
| The list of absentees: Kompany in hospital, Kimmich with his family, Pavlović with a calf problem from midweek training, Neuer injured, plus Díaz, Kim and Musiala. Urbig played in goal, Laimer moved into midfield next to Bischof, and Brown started at left-back. |
| Freiburg had won all five home games this season. At half-time they hadn't had a shot on target, according to t-online's live ticker, and Bayern were 2–0 up. Expected goals finished 2.44 to 1.07 in Bayern's favour. |
| Before the game, Danks gave the first good news of the week on Kompany. He told DAZN the feedback was "really positive" (our translation) and said Kompany was stable and improving every day. |
| Dortmund won on Saturday. Bayern answered on Sunday, and lead the league on goal difference. |
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| No post-match quotes from Danks or the players had been published when we wrote this. Shot and possession figures are from t-online's ticker at 88 minutes; expected goals from Fussballnationalmannschaft.net. |
| 02 The Tactical Take |
| How a patched-up side won it |
| 1 · Laimer in the middle |
| With Pavlović ruled out, Laimer moved into central midfield next to Bischof and played the full 90 minutes. Stanišić played right-back and Brown left-back. Bayern still had 58% of the ball at the 88-minute mark, per t-online's ticker. |
| 2 · A centre-back on the break |
| The opener started in Bayern's half. Upamecano won the ball back, carried it forward himself and took Olise's pass to score past Backhaus. With Kimmich and Pavlović both out, the drive forward came from the back line. |
| 3 · Gnabry on the left |
| Our B90 Question was Davies or Gnabry. Danks picked Gnabry, and he answered it on 42 minutes: a one-two with Brown on the left, past Beste and in. Brown got the assist from left-back. |
| 4 · The 82nd minute, again |
| Makengo got past Laimer on the left and crossed; under pressure from Yamamoto, Bischof turned it into his own net. That's three games in a row with a goal conceded after the 80th minute. The difference this time: Bayern held on, and Olise scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time. |
| The Gnabry goal is described differently by different sources (a finish through Backhaus's legs, or around him). Both agree on the one-two with Brown. |
| 03 The Numbers |
17 Points, level with Dortmund. Bayern are top on goal difference: +19 to Dortmund's +8. |
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2.44 Bayern's expected goals. Freiburg's: 1.07. |
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0 Freiburg shots on target in the first half. Bayern had four, and two goals. |
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3 Games in a row in which Bayern have conceded after the 80th minute. 90' in Stavanger, 82' against Arsenal, 82' at Freiburg. |
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| 04 Our Preview, Marked |
Holding ourselves to account What we got right, and what we got wrong Right "Davies or Gnabry on the left." Danks chose Gnabry, and he scored. Davies came on for the last 17 minutes. "Who's in goal." Neuer was out; Urbig started. "The last 15 minutes." They mattered again: Freiburg scored on 82 and pushed for an equaliser. Wrong We called Pavlović and Bischof "the obvious pair". Pavlović was ruled out with a calf problem the day before, and Laimer played instead. And we expected tired legs to tell late on for Freiburg. They finished the stronger side. Not tested Freiburg's home record. It was tested, and it broke. |
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| 05 The Counterargument |
| Maybe it was closer than 3–1 |
| — It was 2–1 until the 95th minute. Freiburg scored on 82 and threw everyone forward. Ginter had a header in stoppage time. |
| — The shot count was close. 14 Freiburg shots to Bayern's 15 at the 88-minute mark, per t-online's ticker. |
| — Freiburg were tired. Three days after Monaco, with their run already broken. Bayern caught them at the right moment. |
| 06 What It Means |
| Three things to carry into the week |
1 | Top again. 17 points, level with Dortmund, ahead on goal difference. Freiburg and Leverkusen, who lost 3–0 at Hoffenheim, are four behind. |
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2 | The injury list. Pavlović joins Neuer, Díaz, Kim and Musiala. The club hasn't said how long Pavlović will be out. |
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3 | A big week. The DFB-Pokal against Magdeburg on Wednesday, then first against second: Dortmund at home on Saturday. |
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| Our wishes to Vincent Kompany, and to Joshua Kimmich and his family. |
The B90 Question Upamecano, Gnabry or Urbig: who was Bayern's best player at Freiburg? Tell us on X @Beyond90Bayern. We'll pick up the best answers in the Dortmund preview. |
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Next: Bayern v Borussia Dortmund
Bundesliga · Matchday 8 · first v second
Sat 31 Oct · 17:30 UK |
| Sources: t-online: live ticker, line-ups, goals, stats · Laola1: match report · t-online: report, Danks on Kompany · Fussballnationalmannschaft.net: xG and table · Bundesliga.com: Pavlović injury · Results and table: GoalIQ |
BEYOND 90 Bayern Munich, beyond the scoreline. Tactical insight. Honest analysis. Opinions you won't get from the usual coverage. An independent publication. Not affiliated with or endorsed by FC Bayern München. |
