Bayern Munich coach Bang Sang-Kongpani told various stories, including the fate of the defender, which takes longer to be recognized than praising Kim Min-jae’s score in one dimension.
Bayern Munich, which played the fifth game of the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League (UCL) phase at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, won 1-0 against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Bayern took a breather. With two consecutive wins, the team now has three wins and two losses, moving one step closer to advancing to the round of 16. When half of the five rounds were over, the team ranked 11th. Depending on the outcome of other teams’ matches, the team could fall several places again.
On the other hand, PSG is in a crisis. The team has been sluggish so far with one win, one draw and three losses. Its ranking, which was 25th in the fourth round as well, dropped one notch to 26th due to the loss. If other teams continue to play in the fifth round, it will likely go down further.
Kim Min-jae, who supported his win without losing a point in seven consecutive games and scored the first goal in a corner kick situation, was selected as the best player by UEFA. UEFA’s technical analysis department said, “Kim Min-jae scored the goal that determined the game and showed outstanding power in each competition,” adding that it was good in both offense and defense.
In the post-match press conference, Kongpani was asked about Kim Min-jae. However, he said, “Min-jae wasn’t the only one. I already talked about our team’s energy and outstanding individual ability even before we played a single game. All we had to do was try hard. What was important from the first day of training was that strikers should never enjoy facing our 이브벳 defenders. A defender said after the match, “I was not the best. After 10 or 15 good performances, people say, ‘It’s not bad.’ The same goes for the goalkeeper. Our team is on a good track, but we still have to improve.”
This is an answer that contains repeated stories that coach Kongpani has recently told. Coach Kongpani once stressed that strikers should not only score goals but also defend themselves. This is a message that says you shouldn’t enjoy training.
He also said that he should praise Kim Min-jae for his steady performance and improvement, not just by scoring this time. Only when the team’s defense is stable for 10 or 15 games is it the same when he was a defender.
“I don’t look at the rankings. To be honest, I don’t understand the changing way of the tournament,” Kongpani jokingly said of the UCL ranking. “If we win a few more games, I hope we will be in a good position. I just want to win the remaining games. Still, we have quite a chance to finish within the top eight,” Kongpani said, expressing his familiarity with the league phase. If the team ranks within the top eight in all eight rounds, it will advance to the round of 16, and those ranking ninth through 24th will have to pass the playoffs to join the round of 16.