Injury Concerns and Saibari’s Debut: Bayern Wins the Telekom Cup Against Leipzig

Today, Saturday, the Telekom Cup match between FC Bayern and RB Leipzig took place at the Allianz Arena. For both teams, it was a real test of their mettle following their preseason preparations so far.

Bayern had set out to take a step forward after narrowly defeating Jeju SK and Aston Villa in their most recent matches. Since then, however, things have changed: the players returning from the World Cup have increasingly found their rhythm, and players like Ismael Saibari and Jamal Musiala have been training with the team.

Both of them, along with Alphonso Davies, were named to the roster for the first time. Michael Olise, Harry Kane, Dayot Upamecano, Serge Gnabry, Lennart Karl, and Joao Palhinha were absent.

Laimer injured; Diaz scores the opening goal

The match in Munich got off to an entertaining start; a shot by Gomis tested Manuel Neuer for the first time after two minutes, but it posed no problem for the goalkeeper. Bayern took a few minutes to really get into their rhythm, but then became more lively. There was also a minor shock early on, as Konrad Laimer had to be substituted due to injury.

After twelve minutes, FC Bayern took the lead. Following a dribble by Binder, the ball found its way to Luis Diaz, who reacted quickly and immediately fired it into the far corner. Binder was already showing promise; he was confident and frequently went into one-on-one duels.

Photo: IMAGO

Leipzig kept switching play quickly, but Bayern defended consistently. After 40 minutes, RB finally had a good chance. Following a precise cross from Ridle Baku, a header by Banzuzi narrowly missed the far post.

Shortly before halftime, a shot by Sacha Boey, who had come on for Laimer, was deflected for a corner kick. Shortly thereafter, the referee blew the whistle for halftime, with Bayern leading 1–0—a well-deserved lead.

Leipzig’s momentum was short-lived

Immediately after the break, Leipzig enjoyed their best spell of the game so far, as Bayern played a bit more passively. Johan Bakayoko, who had just entered the game, tested Manuel Neuer twice and hit the post once. Leipzig capitalized on Bayern’s slump and tied the game at 1–1 through Brajan Gruda. His bouncing volley found the far corner, leaving Neuer with no chance; the clock read 52 minutes.

Bayern took a moment to react. But their response came in the form of a goal. Nathaniel Brown was played in well and remained ice-cold in front of the goal—2–1! That gave FC Bayern more confidence again, and the momentum shifted back in their favor, even though the game was more evenly matched than in the first half.

Late in the second half, Minjae Kim had to come off injured, which Vincent Kompany used as an opportunity to make several substitutions at once. Ismael Saibari made his Bayern debut, and the young players Wisdom Mike and Maycon Cardozo also entered the game. The latter immediately made his presence felt, dribbling and taking a shot from a tight angle.

Shortly afterward, the score became 3–1. Saibari was involved with a dribble, and Musiala finished the play. His deflected shot found the back of the net in the right corner. Shortly afterward, however, Musiala also had to be substituted; he appeared visibly dazed. An emergency medical team was even briefly sent onto the field, but the Bayern star was able to leave the field on his own. Nothing else happened after that, and the game ended 3–1 in favor of FCB.