“A crazy story”: Bayern boss predicted Lennart Karl’s goal | OneFootball

Lennart Karl not only made history in FC Bayern’s 4-0 victory over Club Brugge – he also enchanted the entire club. With his goal on his Champions League debut, the 17-year-old became the youngest German goalscorer in the competition’s history. Sporting director Christoph Freund was overwhelmed by the super talent’s performance after the match.

At 17 years and 242 days old, Karl is now the youngest Bayern goalscorer in the Champions League – and no German player has ever scored younger in this competition. Coach Vincent Kompany had surprisingly named the attacking player in the starting eleven, and the youngster seized his chance in impressive fashion: after just five minutes, he fired the ball into the top corner to make it 1-0 and paved the way for a commanding 4-0 win.

After the match, Karl was named Man of the Match by UEFA – an emotional highlight for the 17-year-old, who is considered one of the biggest talents in Munich.

“You see it every day in training”

For Christoph Freund, Karl’s gala performance was no coincidence. The sporting director spoke about his impressions after the match in the mixed zone – and hinted that he had almost seen the goal coming. “Of course, it’s a crazy story,” Freund said in the mixed zone. “You see it every day in training – he joins in, he’s simply a really good footballer, has an outstanding finish.”

The Austrian praised Karl’s self-confidence and maturity: “He wasn’t nervous at all, but showed a lot of confidence. The guys respect him because he’s simply a good footballer.”

The fact that a homegrown player like Karl takes responsibility in such an important match fills Freund with pride: “To score the opening goal in his first Champions League start – that’s just special. He’s fun for the whole team.”

“We had a feeling” – Freund’s premonition comes true



Especially remarkable: Even before kickoff, the Bayern coaching staff already had a good feeling. “We were sitting in the dressing room beforehand and said: We have a feeling that Lenni will score his first goal today,” Freund revealed. “He finishes so well in training – and then that’s exactly what happens.”

The celebrations on the bench were correspondingly exuberant. “Everyone was genuinely happy for him,” Freund continued. The fact that Kompany and the entire coaching staff also joined in the celebrations underlines the family atmosphere in the team.

A symbol of the new Bayern way

Freund sees Karl’s performance as confirmation of the record champions’ new sporting direction. FC Bayern is once again focusing more on youth players from its own campus, gradually introducing them to the first team.

“It’s very, very nice that we have such a top talent with us again,” Freund concluded. “He’s a boy who has everything – talent, attitude, mentality. We want to develop him calmly, but today he showed why we believe in him.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.