FC Bayern have returned to winning ways at the end of the third Bundesliga matchday. Following the 2–1 win at Elversberg, Lennart Karl’s celebration was also a talking point.
Bayern’s first away win of the still-young Bundesliga season was hard-fought. Newly promoted Elversberg put up a strong fight, but were caught off guard for the first time in the 26th minute.
Ismael Saibari provided a superb assist, and Lennart Karl – who, as in the 0–0 draw at Schalke, was in the starting line-up – stepped up at the far post to finish the move. Afterwards, however, the teenager drew the ire of the opposing fans.
After scoring the 1–0, Karl turned towards the home stand to celebrate and put his finger to his lips. “Those are emotions. If the fans took it the wrong way, I’m sorry,” the 18-year-old explained contritely to DAZN after the 2–1 win.
The SVE fans, however, hadn’t forgotten Karl’s gesture so quickly and met the young international with loud boos every time he touched the ball until he was substituted in the 65th minute.
Kompany: “I thought it was a festival”
This was hostility that the Munich side had not otherwise experienced during their visit to the Saarland. On the contrary: even the journey there was special for manager Vincent Kompany, as the Belgian openly admitted after the away win.
“On the pitch it was a battle, but everything off the pitch was just how you’d expect football to be in a dream,” said the 40-year-old: “I’d never seen anything like it before. When we arrived at the hotel, I thought, ‘This is a festival.’ But it was the fans who’d been waiting. We’re used to a lot, but this was a different experience.”
The defiant newly-promoted side thus gave him “plenty of good reasons to hope that Elversberg stay in the league and that we get to come back here again”, Kompany concluded his eulogy.
And Karl? The international, who is still some way off his pre-injury form, went largely unnoticed apart from his goal. He got stuck twice whilst dribbling and won only one of four challenges.
“Elversberg didn’t make it easy for us,” he went on to say: “It was a very difficult match and we did have plenty of chances. It was definitely a very important win for us and, more generally, for our confidence in the coming weeks.”
