Dream goal from Olise! Bayern struggles to victory in Wolfsburg | OneFootball

FC Bayern showed a reaction after the bitter Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and won 1-0 at VfL Wolfsburg. The Munich side had major problems, especially in the first half, benefited from a strong Jonas Urbig and decided the game after the break with a remarkable goal from Michael Olise.

Vincent Kompany made seven changes to his starting XI from the 1-1 draw against PSG, with Manuel Neuer, Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah, Konrad Laimer, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Luis Díaz initially on the bench and Alphonso Davies missing from the squad through injury. Jonas Urbig, Josip Stanisic, Minjae Kim, Hiroki Ito, Tom Bischof, Leon Goretzka and Nicolas Jackson started in their place.

Bayern immediately took control of the game in the opening stages, but initially found few gaps against a deep-lying Wolfsburg side. VfL lurked for transitional moments and were dangerous early on: After a cross from Joakim Maehle, Vinicius Souza headed over from close range but was denied by Urbig (7′).

Wolfsburg then became increasingly courageous and posed problems for the reshuffled Bayern defence on several occasions. It was only after 18 minutes that Munich had their first dangerous attempt on goal: following a short corner, Jamal Musiala failed to beat Kamil Grabara from an acute angle. Just a minute later, Tom Bischof hit the crossbar from around 20 metres out, with Stanisic narrowly missing the rebound.

Wolfsburg miss the lead several times

At the other end, Wolfsburg remained the more dangerous team. Christian Eriksen’s shot was blocked after a confusing scene in the penalty area, and Dzenan Pejcinovic’s overhead kick was also blocked (25′). Shortly afterwards, Leon Goretzka had to receive treatment after a free-kick from Konstantinos Koulierakis hit his head.

Wolfsburg’s best chance of the first half came in the 28th minute, when Patrick Wimmer latched onto a cross from close range but was initially denied by Urbig and then shot over the goal from a few metres out. VfL missed several good opportunities at this stage.

Bayern then suddenly had a great chance to take the lead when Michael Olise was played in by Koulierakis in the penalty area after a long ball from Joshua Kimmich. There was initially a question of a possible offside, but after a VAR check, referee Matthias Jöllenbeck awarded a penalty. Harry Kane stepped up, slipped as he shot and chased the ball over the goal (36′).

Wolfsburg remained dangerous before the break, with Denis Vavro forcing Urbig into a strong save with a powerful long-range shot, and the Bayern keeper also defused Eriksen’s follow-up shot brilliantly (38′). Just before half-time, Pejcinovic narrowly missed from a promising position, meaning the hosts went into the break goalless despite having more chances.

Olise scores fantastically to give Bayern the lead

Kompany made two changes for the second half, with Dayot Upamecano coming on for Minjae Kim and Konrad Laimer replacing Goretzka. Bayern looked much more alert and determined after the break, with Musiala testing Grabara immediately after the restart and Jackson trying his luck from distance a little later.

The record champions then took the lead in the 56th minute. Laimer played the ball to Olise on the right, who cut inside and flicked the ball into the far corner with a left-footed shot that touched the bottom of the crossbar and was unstoppable to make it 1-0.

The goal gave the Munich side confidence. Wolfsburg were hardly able to create any relief offensively, while Bayern continued to play forward. In the 61st minute, Kane forced Grabara into a strong save with a low finish from around 17 metres. Things got dangerous again a little later when Luis Díaz brought the ball into the penalty area after his substitution and Musiala laid it off to Kane. The Englishman slipped again as he finished and the ball bounced off Musiala just past the left post (64′).

Kompany had brought on Díaz for Jackson shortly beforehand. Dieter Hecking responded with a double substitution for Wolfsburg: Lovro Majer came on for the stricken Wimmer, while Mattias Svanberg replaced Eriksen. The hosts failed to produce any real reaction after that. Bayern controlled the game and pressed for the second goal. First, Bischof shot straight at Grabara from 18 metres, then Kane placed the ball sensitively into the path of Olise, who failed to hit the ball properly.

Post saves Bayern late on

Wolfsburg remained almost exclusively occupied with defensive work for a long time. Kumbedi appealed for a penalty after a cross and contact on Stanisic’s arm, but the arm was close to his body. Kompany brought on Lennart Karl for Musiala and Jonathan Tah for Ito in the closing stages. Karl tried a left-footed shot from the right shortly afterwards, but his finish was no problem for Grabara.

Shortly before the end, things got really tense once again. After a misplaced pass from Bischof, Kento Shiogai made his way onto the ball and defended against several Bayern defenders. The joker crossed for the completely free Svanberg, who hit the right post from around twelve metres (89′). Shortly afterwards, Shiogai was shown a yellow card after a foul on Díaz.

Bayern did not lose any more chances in the five minutes of stoppage time and held on to their narrow lead. Wolfsburg were not rewarded for a strong first half and must continue to tremble for a relegation place.

FC Bayern will continue their campaign next weekend with the final Bundesliga matchday, when they host 1. FC Köln at the Allianz Arena. Wolfsburg have to play FC St. Pauli at the same time, where they will go head-to-head for the relegation place.