Bayern’s victory is in danger: 17 seconds with 12!

Bayern warmed up their engines in Freiburg before heading to the Ceramics to face Villarreal next Wednesday in what will be the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. The six-time champion of Europe prevailed against the always tough and complicated Freiburg 1-4 and did so, in part, thanks to the goal of a player who had to wait more than three months to step foot on the pitch again. Goretzka, already in full condition after his knee injury, put on track a Bavarian victory that, after Petersen’s draw, ended up being certified by Gnabry, Coman and Sabitzer. In the absence of only six days and with at least six points difference with respect to Dortmund in second position in the table, Bayern will head to Castellón with what would be their tenth consecutive salad bowl more than on track. But the victory could be in danger: Nagelsmann’s men played a few seconds with 12 players.

Specifically, the people from Munich had one more player for 17 seconds and Freiburg can claim improper alignment. Nagelsmann made a double substitution in the 85th minute and Coman, who had to leave the field for Sabitzer, did not leave the field of play. The match had to be stopped and resumed with a faceoff. Wolfsburg in the Cup made more changes than authorized and was expelled from the competition.

Jochen Saier, sports director of Freiburg, has spoken in Sky on this possible misalignment: “I have to calmly see him again. We informed the referee of the fact that Bayern had 12 outfield players. I don’t know how long, I don’t think it was that long. So Coman slowly walked off the field.” The Freiburg player, Nico Schlotterbeck has also spoken about this event in the same outlet: “Süle came in and I realized that no one was coming out. Then it was played, I counted the players and informed the referee. If I don’t do that, I think Nobody would have noticed.”

The 34,700 spectators in the brand new Europa-Park-Stadion in Freiburg appreciated a clash in which both teams opted for fast and vertical transitions from the start. Little by little, the champion took control and bottled up a Badense team that, yes, knew how to keep the Bavarians away from the frame protected by Flekken. It was at the end of the first half when two strategic moves by the Munich team were about to go up first to the light in the Black Forest. For the rest, a Freiburg was seen with a lot of character that knew how to resist the onslaught of the almighty Bayern.

It was in the second 45 minutes when the cake began to be distributed. It had to be Goretzka, for the first time on the pitch after a complicated patellar tendon injury that kept him sidelined since mid-December, who put the rojiblancos ahead by heading in a direct free kick taken by Kimmich. He commanded Bayern and was about to sentence the duel in a one-on-one match between Coman and Flekken that the Frenchman failed to materialize. Freiburg reacted thanks to the left foot of a Petersen who had entered the field of play 17 seconds before putting the tables. Nagelsmann didn’t think twice. He copied Streich’s maneuver, brought on Gnabry and the German international, the minute he stepped on the green, put Bayern ahead again through Lucas’s cross. In the final stretch, a forehand from Coman and the first goal from Sabitzer with the Munich elastic ended up extending a result which, perhaps, could have seemed somewhat unfair from the local point of view. Now, to think about the Submarine.