Bayern Munich stars Thomas Müller (l.) and Harry Kane (r.) show their frustration in their defeat to … More
On Tuesday, Bayern Munich lost their first-ever competitive game against Benfica. Andreas Schjelderup (13’) scored the winner in front of 33,287 spectators at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The players had to deal with oppressive heat of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). “The conditions made sure the game wasn’t fluid,” Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany said after the game. However, the players were quick to point out that Bayern didn’t lose the game due to the heat.
“We can’t use the heat as an excuse,” goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said. “Both teams had the same conditions. It was our fault that we didn’t bring the same intensity to the pitch in the first half as we did in the second—we just weren’t quite there.”
The match statistics underline Neuer’s observations. Bayern controlled Benfica and had 73% possession. The Rekordmeister also had several chances and would end the game with an xG of 1.98 as opposed to Benfica’s 0.44.
Where Bayern struggled was in finishing the chances, however. Over and over again, Bayern forwards created one-on-one opportunities against Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin. Leroy Sané, Serge Gnabry, and Harry Kane weren’t clinical enough to beat the Ukrainian.
“In the second half, we created a lot of chances and missed a lot of one-on-one opportunities,” Kompany said. “That’s football, you have to take your chances.”
Despite all that, the Bayern head coach somewhat tried to downplay the significance of the defeat on Tuesday. “We made many changes to prepare for the next round,” Kompany said about heavily rotating his squad ahead of the game. “Of course, we wanted to win today, but the fact that we lost does not change anything for the next round.”
It is a statement that was at odds with what his players would say post-match. “It’s not ideal,” midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. “We didn’t achieve our goal of winning the group. We should at least have gotten a draw.”
Joshua Kimmich is frustrated as Bayern fell 1-0 to Benfica. (Photo by Qian Jun/Sports Press … More
On paper, at least, the defeat has short-term benefits but potential long-term risks for the further path of the tournament. Rather than playing Chelsea in the next round in Charlotte, Bayern will now face Flamengo on June 29 in Miami.
“It will be a tough game against Flamengo in Miami,” Kompany said. “The positive thing is that we no longer have to play in Charlotte.” What about the opponent? “It was either Flamengo or Chelsea. It’s a difficult game either way. We have to prepare well and take the momentum from the second half today.”
The long-term consequences could lead to a potential showdown with Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals in Atlanta on Jul. 5. However, just as Bayern must still overcome a powerful Flamengo side, PSG, too, faces an Inter Miami CF side with Lionel Messi that feels very much designed for this tournament.
What can Bayern expect from the clash against Flamengo? As was the case against Boca Juniors on matchday 2, Flamengo can expect a home game at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, given the large Brazilian community in Southern Florida.
“It will be a great game in Miami with a lot of passionate fans,” Bayern star Thomas Müller said when asked about facing Flamengo. “But right now my body temperature feels 40. We have to reset and then focus on the next game.”
There are also financial consequences from Bayern’s defeat in the final group stage game. The Rekordmeister has earned a guaranteed $33.5 million from participating at the tournament. The club then earned another $4 million from the two wins against Auckland City FC (10-0) and Boca Juniors (2-1), but lost out on any prize money from the final match against Benfica.
Bayern has now earned an additional $7.5 million from reaching the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup. Altogether, Bayern has now earned $45 million from the competition. Beating Flamengo would mean another $13.125 million for Bayern.
A report by Sport Bild this week suggested that Bayern, for the first time in decades, would have incurred a financial loss in the double-digit region had it not participated in the FIFA Club World Cup this summer. With the club looking to add another winger, going deep in the tournament is, therefore, important if Bayern wants to remain competitive on the transfer market.
