What can Bayern learn from their Champions League draw at Viking?

For a long time, it was hard to tell that the small but thoroughly atmospheric Viking Stadion in Stavanger had seats for the roughly 15,000 spectators attending on Tuesday night. Before kick-off in the club’s first-ever Champions League home match, the fans rose as one to sing and saw no reason to sit down again. Just 70 seconds into the game, something happened that would have had them leaping from their seats anyway, as Gianni Stensness headed in from the match’s first corner to give the underdogs from Norway the lead. It quickly became clear that the artificial turf, which had been the subject of much discussion before the match, would not be the biggest obstacle Bayern would face.

Respect for the opposition

The champions of Norway had “put in a team performance, albeit playing on the edge at times. But that’s all part of the game and they took the right approach,” said head coach Vincent Kompany, paying respect to the hosts after the final whistle. His team had just drawn 3-3 in their first Champions League away trip of the season. Just as four days earlier in the 2-2 draw at Augsburg in the Bundesliga, conceding an early goal had thrown Bayern’s plans into disarray. As a result, the fans inside the stadium were treated to a frantic back-and-forth affair, in which Germany’s record champions at one point staged a comeback but ultimately had to settle for just one point in the Champions League.

“I think the start was the problem again. In each of the last two games, we’ve conceded a goal in the first minute. That can’t happen to us,” a frustrated Konrad Laimer vented afterwards. That said, Bayern didn’t seem shaken for long after conceding that early goal. Laimer himself had the chance to respond in the third minute, but the Viking defence just managed to get a leg in the way. Lennart Karl, Michael Olise from a free-kick and Luis Díaz also failed to find a breakthrough shortly afterwards.

Punished for squandering chances

And even Harry Kane failed to guide the ball past Arild Østbø in the home goal from close range. “We got caught up in a game we shouldn’t have been in, because we could’ve scored more goals,” said Kompany. Viking, he added, “thrived on those special moments, and they deserved them”.

And as is so often the case in football, if you don’t take your chances, you’ll get punished – in this case by Viking’s Peter Christiansen. Right in the thick a Bayern attacking surge, the striker converted a swift counter-attack to make it 2-0 to the home side.

Kompany’s team went into the second half facing a heavy deficit and showed real spirit. Following a foul on Laimer, Bayern were awarded a penalty, which Kane confidently converted in the 54th minute to pull one back. The Englishman has now scored in nine consecutive Champions League matches. Prior to this, only legendary strikers such as Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy had achieved the feat in the competition.

Now the momentum was back with Bayern, who were clearly playing for the win. Just six minutes later, it was the impressive Kane once again who headed home the equaliser from a cross by Joshua Kimmich. In the 71st minute, the England captain even set up Munich’s lead, producing a superb chip to Laimer, who laid the ball square across the box for Díaz to simply guide into the net.

Down to ten

“We had a poor first half. We did much better in the second. We were the better side, created chances and turned the game around to lead 3-2,” double goalscorer Kane explained afterwards.

However, from Bayern’s point of view, the visitors unfortunately didn’t have the last word with this impressive comeback. Olise was shown a second yellow card in the 74th minute. From then on, Bayern had to defend their lead with ten men. They managed to do so right up until the closing stages, partly because Jonas Urbig just managed to repel a header from Henrik Falchener off the line in the 80th minute.

As the clock struck 90, though, the pressure from Viking became too much. Substitute Herman Haugen eventually headed in an equaliser for the Norwegians. “The sending-off obviously changed everything, especially in the last 15 to 20 minutes,” Kane summed up. “We simply made too many mistakes away from home against a good side. When you make such big mistakes, you get punished. That’s exactly what happened today.”

Bayern now have four days until their next fixture against RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday to put these mistakes right. “At the moment, it feels as though every chance the opposition creates leads to a goal. But that’s no excuse, because we’re creating these situations ourselves,” explained Kompany.

A team on the right track

With 25 shots to eight, 65 percent possession and an xG of 3.51 to 0.56 from Bayern’s perspective, the match stats all confirmed the coach’s feeling that his team is fundamentally on the right track. “What’s important to me is that I don’t see any lack of energy in my team. The players are working hard, and mentally they’re always on the ball,” Kompany continued. But it’s not enough to say that they deserved a win. “You can only show a reaction on the pitch,” the coach insisted.

Jan-Christian Dreesen echoed the sentiment that evening at the post-match meal in Stavanger. The team must now learn from their mistakes, the club’s CEO explained in his speech to the team and the guests present. “We must look ahead. I believe that is your task now,” he stated. If the team take this to heart, they will soon be rewarded for their efforts once again.