A team having fun and that's fun to watch | OneFootball

The travelling fans were celebrating and they were absolutely right to do so. “Mathys Tel! Mathys Tel!“ echoed through Borussia-Park on Saturday evening. The hero on the night was tapping the Bayern badge on his chest and his teammates were beaming. “I was so delighted for Mathys because he gives everything in every training session and game. He’s a young player who’s developed extremely well. He deserves his chances and underlined the fact he’s rightfully getting them,” said Joshua Kimmich in praise of the man who scored the winning goal away at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Tel’s goal in the 87th minute crowned a courageous performance by Bayern in Gladbach. It finished 2-1 in the end as morale, patience, quality and confidence continue to show ahead of the international break. Three games in the Bundesliga this season, three wins – “That’s good,” said Thomas Tuchel succinctly.

Foals finally beaten

Bayern maintain perfect start with Gladbach victory

Bayern had failed to win any of their last five visits to Gladbach but finally got the better of the Foals this time. The Bundesliga champions didn’t let Ko Itakura’s goal in the 30th minute unsettle them but remained calm, disciplined and courageous. Their dominance was clear and eventually converted into goals in the second half. “The second half was our best half so far this season. It was more fluid and more aggressive,” Tuchel summarised.

A strong team unit

The team played as a strong unit and produced a number of highlights. Kimmich’s chipped pass for Leroy Sane’s equaliser was perfect – as was Tel’s timing to meet Kimmich’s corner.

Sane in particular was an ever-present threat in second half. The 27-year-old is in impressive form, dribbling with confidence, shooting, battling and representing Bayern’s overall performance, which will have pleased fans.

Photos from the late win in Mönchengladbach

The best photos from Bayern's Bundesliga game away at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 3 of the 2023/24 season.

Sane would also track back when needed. The same could be said for Harry Kane. It was the striker’s first Bundesliga game where he failed to score, but he was given rapturous applause from the travelling Bayern supporters when he pulled out a sliding tackle in his own half with minutes remaining.

“There’s a smile on my face. It was fun being out there. In the second half we changed things a bit, had our foot on the gas,” explained Thomas Müller. Stats of 64.8 percent possession, 25-7 for shots, 15-1 corners, 23-7 crosses show how clearly Bayern dominated.

Valuable impact from the bench

Whether it was Konrad Laimer, Serge Gnabry, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Matthijs de Ligt or Tel who came on, they all made a valuable impact from the bench. “We kept trying in the second half and never gave up. We all just kept going and kept creating chances. In the end, we got the reward and deservedly won,” Laimer claimed.

Nine points from three games is a good foundation going into a busy September. Bayern return to action on Friday, 15 September when Bayer Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso – also with a perfect haul so far – come to the Allianz Arena. Five days later, it’s Manchester United in Munich for the first game of the Champions League group stage.

“It’ll definitely be a big one. We need to build on this performance,” said Tuchel looking to sharpen senses for the coming challenges.

Reaction to the win in Gladbach:

Thomas Tuchel: ‘Our best half’