Smoke, chaos and records as Bayern survive Cologne scare
Delays, flares and a frantic start
There was plenty of smoke in Cologne, and for a while it looked like Bayern Munich might choke on it. The Bundesliga clash was delayed for almost 10 minutes after thick flare smoke from the home fans drifted across the pitch, forcing the referee to halt play early on.
When the game finally settled, Cologne were the sharper side. Bayern looked rattled and were nearly punished inside two minutes, only for Manuel Neuer’s quick reactions to deny teenager Said El Mala on the break. The hosts fed off the atmosphere and made life uncomfortable for the league leaders.
Cologne strike first as Bayern wobble
Cologne’s pressure paid off four minutes before the break. Linton Maina stole the ball from Serge Gnabry deep in Bayern territory and surged forward, finishing a superb solo run to put the hosts ahead. It was deserved and exposed a Bayern defence that reacted far too slowly.
The lead did not last long. Gnabry responded almost immediately with an outrageous finish from a tight angle, bouncing the ball off the turf and looping it over the goalkeeper to level the score. It was a moment of quality that steadied Bayern just in time for halftime.
Bayern turn control into goals
The second half was less chaotic but still far from dominant from Bayern. Cologne defended deep and frustrated the visitors, who struggled to find space in the final third. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 71st minute from a clever short-corner routine.
Kim Min-Jae rose highest to head Bayern into the lead, scoring his first goal for the club in nearly a year and ending a long scoring drought. With the pressure lifted, Bayern looked more assured.
Teenager seals history
Seventeen-year-old Lennart Karl wrapped up the win late on, finishing first time from a Luis Díaz pass to make it 3-1. It was Karl’s fourth Bundesliga goal of a remarkable breakout season.
The victory takes Bayern to 47 points at the halfway stage, matching Pep Guardiola’s record from 2013–14 and surpassing it on goal difference. Not vintage Bayern, but another step toward the title.
