Bayern Munich secured a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory against Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday, a match largely overshadowed by a contentious 11 minutes of added time. Freiburg held a 2-1 lead heading into injury time, but Vincent Kompany’s Bayern side managed to score two goals within what was initially announced as eight minutes of extra play. Following the final whistle, referee Daniel Siebert issued yellow cards to several protesting Freiburg players and staff.
The post-match press conference revealed a stark contrast in opinion between the two head coaches regarding the extensive stoppage time. Due to scheduling constraints, Bayern’s Vincent Kompany offered his perspective first, responding to several questions before Freiburg’s Julian Schuster could deliver his opening statement, with Kompany departing early.
Kompany Defends Lengthy Stoppage Time
“It could have been even longer,” Kompany stated when asked directly about the additional minutes. “I have certain theories on this, which is likely where Julian and I diverge today. I felt a degree of frustration [with Freiburg’s time-wasting tactics], though I admit I would have acted similarly if in their position.”
Kompany elaborated, “We must ensure the game maintains its flow. Every instance of players delaying or arguing with the referee costs 15, 20, or even 30 seconds. While opponents are entitled to employ tactics to secure a win, our priority remains to keep the play active. This is precisely why I believe the added time was not excessive.”
He concluded by pointing out, “We could just as easily have conceded a goal during that extra time. In that scenario, these eight minutes would not have been deemed inappropriate.”
Following a question about Serge Gnabry and Leon Goretzka, which Kompany confessed he didn’t fully grasp, the Bayern coach offered a sportsmanlike hug to Schuster before leaving. Schuster, for his part, initially sidestepped the extra time debate in his opening remarks.
Julian Schuster’s Rebuttal
“We gave our absolute best against a team of Bayern’s caliber,” Schuster stated in his opening. “Atu [Noah Atubolu] produced some phenomenal saves. There’s little to fault in our overall performance. This is a bitter pill to swallow, and it truly stings. On the upside, we get an extra day off, allowing us to regroup and prepare for our upcoming Europa League fixture on Thursday.”
When directly questioned about the added time, Schuster remarked, “I simply couldn’t understand the eight extra minutes. Perhaps there were minor justifications for some additional time, but not that much. And during those eight minutes themselves, there wasn’t a significant amount of stoppages. There was one goal [Tom Bischof at 90+2]. If an elaborate celebration had occurred, then further extensions might have been warranted.”
“However, that wasn’t the case, and I believe concluding the match after eight minutes would have been entirely reasonable [Lennart Karl scored at 90+9],” Schuster continued. “But, I feel it’s ultimately unproductive to dwell on this. Let’s not even get into it. We must take some accountability for our defensive lapse on the third goal, and that’s a more critical focus moving forward.”
