Whilst things have come to a standstill at FC Bayern, the Munich-based professionals are out and about in the world of football. Here’s how things have gone so far for their national teams – one youngster even made history.
What was Joshua Kimmich up to on his laptop? The German national team captain certainly looked busy as he flew back from Amsterdam to Nuremberg with his team-mates to prepare for the next Nations League match against Greece following the 1–1 draw in the Netherlands.
On Sunday evening, the German team will be aiming for their first win of the Jürgen Klopp era; Kimmich is expected to lead the way as always, and the same is likely to apply to defensive stalwart Jonathan Tah and left-back Nathaniel Brown. They are three of the five Bayern Munich professionals who originally travelled with the DFB squad. Jamal Musiala has already had to withdraw due to a torn muscle fibre, whilst Serge Gnabry, following his long spell on the sidelines, is likely to be used as a substitute against Greece.
Only after their second match will the quartet check out of the training base in Herzogenaurach and be allowed a brief breather before returning to action with FC Bayern. Replacing them will be goalkeeper Jonas Urbig, Lennart Karl and the other midfielders Aleksandar Pavlovic and Tom Bischof, who, as captain on Saturday, provided an assist in the German Under-21s’ 4–0 victory in Latvia.
Kane slips up – Olise draws level with Kopa
Things also went quite well for some Bayern players at international level. Dayot Upamecano kept another clean sheet in France’s 1–0 win in Turkey, whilst Michael Olise set up Kylian Mbappé for the winning goal, thereby recording his ninth assist this calendar year. The last French player to achieve this was Raymond Kopa in 1958. Olise has five matches left to break the record outright.
Min-Jae Kim played for 75 minutes in South Korea’s 3–0 friendly win over Ecuador, whilst Hiroki Ito played the full 90 minutes in Japan’s 3–1 victory over Uruguay. Just like Josip Stanisic, who, playing at right-back, helped his Croatian side to a 2–1 win in the Czech Republic. Coach Slaven Bilic’s team are level on points with Spain in Group 3, who simultaneously won 3–2 in England.
Harry Kane had put the Three Lions ahead at Wembley Stadium after they’d fallen behind early on, but then missed the chance to make it 3–1 after the break. The Ballon d’Or contender hit the bar from the penalty spot because his standing foot had slipped slightly. For Kane, it was his first missed penalty in an England shirt since the World Cup quarter-final against France (1–2) in Qatar four years ago.
Saibari punished late on – Osmani makes history in Kosovo
Ismael Saibari was suspended for Morocco’s 2–0 victory over Gabon in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. The reason was that Bayern’s summer signing had intervened during the scandal-hit final against Senegal last winter, when a Moroccan ball boy tried to steal Edouard Mendy’s towel. Saibari later described the incident as a “mistake”, but has now had to sit out the match. Saibari had actually been suspended for two matches in CAF competitions, but following a reduction in his ban, he is now eligible to play again when Morocco face Lesotho on Tuesday (3.00 pm CET).
Team-mate Bara Sapoko Ndiaye did not feature in Senegal’s 1–1 draw in Mozambique. Konrad Laimer has also yet to make an appearance for the Austrian national team and has recently been keeping fit in Munich, after the full-back suffered an adductor injury ahead of the recent 7–0 win against Union. Laimer, who has been enjoying himself at the Oktoberfest in the meantime, is due to join the national team on Monday.
It was a special occasion for one young FC Bayern player: Erblin Osmani made his Regionalliga debut just a few days ago, and now the defensive talent has made his first appearance for the Kosovo senior national team. Osmani, who was born in Munich and has been with FC Bayern since the Under-9s, was brought on by manager Franco Foda in the 87th minute of the 1–0 win against Ireland, making him the youngest Kosovo debutant of all time.
