A 30-metre volley after five minutes gave VfL Osnabrück their dream start. It lasted 13 minutes, and FC Bayern München took 22 shots to their five.
The numbers
| FC Bayern München | VfL Osnabrück | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 67% | 33% |
| Shots | 22 | 5 |
| xG | 3.11 | 0.13 |
| Touches in opp. box | 48 | 8 |
Result the chances deserved: FC Bayern München 94% / 6% / VfL Osnabrück 1% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
FC Bayern München (4-2-3-1): Urbig, Stanišić, Kim Min-jae, Tah, Brown, Kimmich, Bischof, Olise, Saibari, Luis Díaz, Kane.
VfL Osnabrück (3-4-2-1): Krumrey, Fabinski, Müller, Wiemann, Kammerbauer, Wagner, Jacobsen, Badjie, Münst, Beck, Meißner.
VfL Osnabrück subs: Faber & Raimund (62', Jacobsen & Badjie), Opitz & Kyereh (74', Münst & Meißner). No cards. Attendance 15,741 (sold out).
Shapes: FotMob lists VfL Osnabrück in a 3-4-2-1 and Bayern in a 4-2-3-1; FC Bayern's German report lists Osnabrück's defence as a back four (Müller, Fabinski, Wiemann, Kammerbauer). Positions inside Osnabrück's shape are approximate.
Rotation: Urbig in goal, Bischof beside Kimmich, Saibari at 10 and Brown back at left-back. Kim Min-jae started at right centre-back next to Tah, his third start in three competitive games.
Key moments, move by move
- VfL Osnabrück win the ball in midfield.
- The ball reaches Meißner about 30 metres out.
- He volleys it into the top right corner, and Urbig is caught off guard.
- FC Bayern München win the ball back, and Kimmich chips a pass into the box.
- Fabinski's clearance is poor.
- Kane finishes from close range.
- Bischof wins the ball and sets off the attack.
- Olise slides a pass through to Luis Díaz.
- Krumrey parries Luis Díaz's shot.
- Bischof reacts first and scores the rebound.
- Karl finds Olise.
- Olise holds off Fabinski.
- He chips it over Krumrey.
- Pavlović is fouled in the box.
- Kane puts the penalty into the bottom right corner.
A rotated side, the same idea: pin them in, win it back fast
- Rotation around a spine. Kompany kept Kimmich, Kane, Olise and Luis Díaz but changed the goalkeeper (Urbig for Neuer), the second midfielder (Bischof), the 10 (Saibari) and moved Brown back to left-back. Upamecano and Neuer stayed on the bench.
- VfL Osnabrück pinned back. The second-tier side defended with a back five (FotMob's 3-4-2-1) and had 33% of the ball. FC Bayern München made 22 shots and 48 touches in the box to Osnabrück's five and eight, and Krumrey made saves from Olise (45+1') and Saibari (59').
- Goals from winning it back. Both first-half goals started with a regain. For the equaliser FC Bayern München won the ball and Kimmich chipped it into the box. For the second, Bischof won it himself, and Olise's pass sent Luis Díaz through. Bischof followed up the rebound.
- The one hole. The opener also came from a turnover, this time FC Bayern München's, in midfield. VfL Osnabrück's total of 0.13 xG shows how little else they had. A 30-metre volley is a shot teams will happily allow, and Bavarian Football Works still felt Urbig was caught off guard.
Recreate it in FM26
Rotated FC Bayern München breaking down a back five
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Urbig | Sweeper Keeper | Sweeper Keeper |
| RB | Stanišić | Full-Back | Full-Back |
| RCB | Kim Min-jae | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | Tah | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | Brown | Wing-Back | Pressing Full-Back |
| RDM | Kimmich | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Screening Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Bischof | Box-to-Box Midfielder | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Olise | Inside Winger | Inside Outlet Winger |
| AM | Saibari | Advanced Playmaker | Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Luis Díaz | Inside Forward | Tracking Winger |
| ST | Kane | Centre Forward | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Build-Up StrategyPlay Through Press
- Passing DirectnessShorter
- Attacking WidthWider
- PatienceWork Ball Into Box
- TempoHigher
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Defensive LineMuch Higher
- Trigger PressMore Often
- Defensive TransitionCounter-Press
The idea: Pin the opponent in with width, then win the ball back high: both first-half goals came from regains. The Box-to-Box Midfielder next to the Deep-Lying Playmaker needs Work Rate, Anticipation and a good shot, like Bischof following up his own move.
What FM26 can't copy: A 30-metre volley from a team with 0.13 xG is the kind of freak goal FM's match engine rarely produces.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Karl on at 46' not 62' (for Saibari). The plan was right. The only tweak is Karl at half-time, to turn more of the possession into chances. It would not change the result, just the margin. It moves FC Bayern München's win chance from 94% to 94% (xG 3.11–0.13 becomes 3.21–0.13). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer FC Bayern München needed
Manuel Neuer
VfL Osnabrück had 0.13 xG and scored anyway, with a volley from 30 metres. Bavarian Football Works wrote that Urbig was caught badly off guard. Neuer's positioning against long-range shots is still among the best, and a save there leaves Osnabrück with almost nothing all night.
Pedri
The one thing that went wrong was a lost ball in midfield that led straight to the opener. Pedri is among Europe's best at keeping the ball under pressure in tight central areas. Next to Kimmich, he makes that kind of turnover much rarer and speeds up the passing against a deep back five.
What the analysts said
VfL Osnabrück scored the goal of the night. FC Bayern München did everything else.
The numbers leave little to argue about: 3.11 xG to 0.13, 22 shots to five, 48 touches in the box to eight (FotMob). VfL Osnabrück's goal was a brilliant strike from a position that rarely produces one. Four goals from FC Bayern München's chances is about par, and Krumrey's saves from Olise and Saibari kept it from being more.
What makes this worth a look is who did the work. Bischof, starting next to Kimmich, won the ball for the second goal and then scored the rebound. Karl assisted Olise's chip 11 minutes after coming on. Saibari, in his first competitive start, forced a save from Krumrey. Saibari had already made two goals off the bench against VfB Stuttgart. In a season that began with Musiala, Gnabry and Karl injured for the Supercup, Kompany has needed his rotation players to deliver early, and so far they have.
For Korean readers, Kim Min-jae started for the third competitive game running, this time at right centre-back next to Tah, with Upamecano on the bench. VfL Osnabrück gave him very little to defend: five shots in 90 minutes. The only real test of the night was the goal, a turnover in midfield that no centre-back could have prevented.