Bayern Munich Dominates Osnabrück 4-1 Amid Musiala's Absence
OSNABRÜCK, Germany — Bayern Munich are cruising on the pitch, but Vincent Kompany’s mind is still partly with the player who isn’t there.
Jamal Musiala, the brightest of Bayern’s homegrown stars, remains on the sidelines as he continues to deal with a neurological issue that caused him to collapse twice in preseason. Bayern brushed aside second-tier Osnabrück 4-1 in the German Cup on Wednesday night, yet Kompany spoke with clear caution when Musiala’s name came up.
He stressed that the 21-year-old will return only on his own terms.
“He might be an option” for Saturday’s Bundesliga game against promoted Schalke, Kompany said, before quickly drawing a line. “But I don’t want to put any more pressure on the guy.”
Musiala has revealed he is suffering from treatable absence seizures, a diagnosis that followed two alarming incidents in four days. He first collapsed during a preseason game against RB Leipzig, then again on Aug. 18 in a friendly, prompting a halt to his involvement under Bayern’s new coach.
On Wednesday, he was not in the squad. Bayern did not need him to get through.
Kane at the double as Bayern roll on
If Musiala’s absence is the cloud hanging over this early part of the season, Harry Kane continues to be the reassuring constant. The England captain scored twice, taking charge of a tricky tie in a tight, noisy stadium where top-flight sides can easily be dragged into a scrap.
Osnabrück even landed the first punch. Robin Meissner stunned Bayern with a spectacular opener, smashing a shot from around 30 meters into the top right corner. It was the sort of goal that stops everyone for a second, teammates and opponents alike.
Kane and even Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig went over to congratulate Meissner for the strike. Respect paid. Statement made.
But Bayern did not wobble for long. Kane equalized soon after, restoring order, and Tom Bischof flipped the game on its head in the 24th minute to make it 2-1. From there, the defending champions controlled the tie without quite killing it off.
“I think it was a good performance. Games like this are never easy,” Kane said. “We played away from home against a good side and the atmosphere the fans created was really impressive. In games like this you have to be disciplined and mentally switched on — especially when the opponents start with such an outrageous goal.”
The pressure finally told late on. With Osnabrück forced to open up, Michael Olise struck in the 73rd minute to give Bayern breathing room, and Kane completed the scoring from the penalty spot to finish with a brace and seal a 4-1 win.
Kompany goes strong and gets his reward
Kompany resisted the temptation to rotate heavily against lower-league opposition. There was no experimental XI, no gamble. He went strong from the start, naming Kane, Luis Díaz and Olise in the front line and handing new signing Ismael Saibari his first start since arriving from PSV Eindhoven.
Bayern’s control built gradually rather than explosively.
“We kept finding the spaces and the chances eventually became bigger as well,” Kompany said. “We were battling their compactness in the first half; in the second they tried to press us, which also gave us opportunities.
“At the end of the day, it’s a 4-1 win away in the cup. You can’t get much better than that against a compact, defensively strong team, who have built their success on just that. To win a match like this 4-1 away from home is not easy.”
The result continues a ruthless start to life under Kompany. Bayern opened the campaign by beating Dortmund 2-1 in the Super Cup, then thrashed Stuttgart 5-1 in their Bundesliga opener. This cup win keeps that momentum rolling.
Yet the Musiala question lingers in the background. Bayern are scoring freely, the new coach has started fast, and the squad looks stacked with attacking talent. When their most gifted playmaker is finally ready to step back onto the pitch, how much higher can this team climb?
