FC Bayern Munich confidently reached the second round of the DFB Cup. The record champions celebrated a clear 4-0 (3-0) win against third division team Preußen Münster on Tuesday evening (September 26th, 2023) without a central defender in the squad. However, Bayern have to cope with the long-term absence of Serge Gnabry, who broke his forearm.
The goals for the guests were scored by Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (9th), Konrad Laimer (40th), Frans Krätzig (45th + 5th) and Mathys Tel (86th).
“We definitely did well. We gave it our best, the fans were happy too. I was happy that I was able to be on the pitch”said Prussia player Sebastian Mrowca to the Sportschau. “The attitude, the passion were right. It was a great performance from us“, also praised Preußen Münster’s coach Sascha Hildmann.
Bayern play without trained people Central defender
Due to several short-term absences, Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel put a newly formed back four on the pitch on Tuesday (September 26th, 2023). Matthijs de Ligt, Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano remained injured in Munich. Midfielder Leon Goretzka and right-back Noussair Mazraoui therefore formed the central defense on a temporary basis. Daniel Peretz replaced Sven Ulreich in goal, Harry Kane took a seat on the bench.
Hildmann also had to make a change in goal: Johannes Schenk – on loan from FC Bayern – replaced Maximilian Schulze Niehues, who was not in the squad due to the upcoming birth of his child.
Gnabry with serious injury
As expected, Bayern started offensively – Münster was lucky that Jöllenbeck didn’t decide on a penalty after four minutes. Schenk stormed past Serge Gnabry in the penalty area. The national player had to be substituted shortly afterwards due to an arm injury.
The diagnosis came straight after the game: Gnabry was out for several weeks and suffered a fracture of his left forearm. The 28-year-old is therefore not available for the national team’s trip to the USA in October with the new national coach Julian Nagelsmann’s first international matches.
Choupo-Moting starts things off
Bayern Munich found itself stuck in the Münster half in the early stages. Choupo-Moting used a cross from Tel to make it 1-0. Even after taking the lead, Munich continued to dominate the game, but Münster also had their first big chance after almost 20 minutes. A shot from Malik Batmaz was deflected by Goretzka and ended up being parried by Peretz.
After 30 minutes, everyone involved had to be patient again. Jöllenbeck interrupted the game for a few minutes because the Bayern supporters threw numerous tennis balls onto the court. The fans made their displeasure with the game scheduling clear with a banner saying “No to the Supercup on the cup weekend.”
After the restart, the favorite continued to establish itself in the opponent’s half. Münster’s goalkeeper Schenk was able to distinguish himself several times. The 20-year-old brilliantly parried a header from Goretzka (39′). A little later, Schenk had to reach behind himself for the second time. Konrad Laimer refined the Goretzka template with his head. Bayern stayed on the trigger: After a short corner, Krätzig poked the ball through the legs of keeper Schenk to make the score 3-0 at halftime.
Tel puts the lid on it
Even after the break, the guests initially created more chances to score. Kingsley Coman and Tel each missed another goal. After 62 minutes, Raphael Guerreiro celebrated his competitive debut for FCB.
In the final phase, Münster had more confidence and managed to get some shots. Niko Koulis missed his header by just a few centimeters after a corner (74th), shortly afterwards Joel Grodowski failed with a central shot past Peretz (80th).
But Bayern brought the final point. The eye-catching Tel scored from an acute angle after an assist from Bouna Sarr to make the final score 4-0. “Good energy, good attitude: that was very good”said a satisfied Tuchel after the game: “It is our clear goal to win the next five games in the cup.”
Draw on Sunday live on Sportschau
The draw for the second cup round will take place live on the Sportschau on October 1st (7:10 p.m.).