Bayern Munich secured a 1-0 victory against Freiburg to maintain their position at the top of the Bundesliga table. Joshua Kimmich expressed his satisfaction with the win, which he saw as a form of retaliation
Kimmich expressed regret for his “unsportsmanlike behavior” after celebrating Bayern Munich’s victory against Freiburg in front of their fans.
Bayern won the tight Bundesliga game 1-0 at Europa-Park Stadion, with de Ligt scoring a long-range goal in the second half.
Bayern Munich’s win against Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday was revenge for their elimination from the DFB-Pokal by the same team just four days earlier. Freiburg had reminded Bayern of their cup defeat before the match.
After the victory, Joshua Kimmich celebrated in front of the home fans by clenching his fists and making a gesture, which he later apologized for, describing it as “unsportsmanlike.” His actions led to a confrontation on the pitch.
Freiburg midfielder Nicolas Hofler criticized Joshua Kimmich for his “unsportsmanlike and unnecessary” behavior and suggested that Kimmich should not intentionally provoke fans.
Kimmich, when asked about Hofler’s comments after the match, admitted that he may have gone too far with his celebrations. Bayern Munich won the tight Bundesliga contest 1-0 against Freiburg, thanks to Matthijs de Ligt’s early second-half long-range strike.
Kimmich talks about emotions
“There were many emotions involved,” he told reporters. “It was an important win for us – the DFB-Pokal defeat hurt deeply.
“I got carried away; I shouldn’t be doing that. You can say it was unsportsmanlike.”
Asked what provoked his actions, Kimmich added: “During the warm-up, there was a 10-minute film about the Pokal game being shown [on the big screen].
“I can understand anyone who describes [my reaction] as unsportsmanlike. In the end it’s just emotions.”
Yann Sommer made some crucial saves, while Bayern missed some good opportunities before and after Matthijs de Ligt’s goal, during their match against Freiburg.
“We knew it would be a difficult game,” head coach Tuchel said. “They were 12 games unbeaten at home and beat us in the Pokal midweek.
“In the end, I think the win was deserved. We had big chances to score in both halves. I’m happy that we won and kept a clean sheet. It was so important.”
De Ligt’s goal had a low expected goals (xG) value of 0.02, even though it took a deflection before beating Mark Flekken. He was particularly pleased to score against his Dutch national team colleague, who made seven saves throughout the game.
“I always score against Mark in training, so I thought I’d just give it a try,” De Ligt said. “Our performance was good, but we still have a lot of room for improvement.”
After Tuchel took charge, Bayern have won two out of three matches and are now preparing for the first leg of their quarter-final match against Manchester City in the Champions League.
“We have to be brave. We have to believe in ourselves. be smart. Have tactical solutions and go to the limit of our physical efforts,” Tuchel said of Tuesday’s tie in Manchester.
“City have been playing at an absolute top form for weeks. We need to regenerate and hope to have everyone fit.”
