VfL Osnabrück vs. Bayern Munich: Gamethread

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OSNABRUECK, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 02: Tom Bischof of Munich of Munich celebrates after scoring his team's second goal with Harry Kane (L-R) of Munich during the DFB Cup 2026/27 match between VfL Osnabrück and FC Bayern München at Stadion an der Bremer Brücke on September 02, 2026 in Osnabrueck, Germany. (Photo by Marvin Ibo Guengoer - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Fulltime Observations

  • Hats off to Osnabrück for playing a fearless, organized, and counterattacking style rather than just shelling up in the back. Bayern played an uptempo game and Osnabrück never looked overwhelmed by the moment. Each goal required an unfortunate bounce in Bayern’s favor and that proved to be the difference.
  • Lennart Karl is such a game changer. He brings a unique pace and urgency to every match. It came as no surprise that he brought the spark moment to the second half.
  • After a brilliant second half against Stuttgart, Ismael Saibari struggled all night. The game seemed a little too quick for him to play comfortably. This is not a huge cause for concern just yet but something to keep an eye on when Bayern plays faster, especially with Tom Bischof in the lineup.
  • Konrad Laimer as the number nine was not on my bingo card. At least he fired one shot on target.
  • It is always refreshing to watch a match without VAR. The referees are more confident in their decisions and positioning, plus the game flows much smoother.

Thanks for hanging out! Bayern is back to Bundesliga action on Saturday with a road match against newly-promoted Schalke.

Friendly reminder that if you are in the USA, the SB Nation app is live! It’s the best way to follow Bayern Munich and discuss the game in real time. You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.

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FT: Bayern wins!

90’: Three minutes of added time.

89’: Substitution. Bernd Riesselmann replaces Fridolin Wagner. Osnabrück is also out of substitutions.

87’: Substitutions. Konrad Laimer and Bara Sapoko Ndiaye replace Harry Kane and Michael Olise. Bayern is out of substitutions.

86’:GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 4-1. Aleksandar Pavlović gets clipped in the box and Harry Kane buries the penalty kick.

80’: Substitution. Aleksandar Pavlović replaces Tom Bischof.

74’: Substitutions. Leon Opitz and Daniel-Kofi Kyereh replace Leonhard Münst and Robin Meißner.

73’:GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 3-1. Lennart Karl creates a turnover and hits Michael Olise who fights through a slide tackle to chip the keeper. Brilliant stuff!

62’: Substitutions. Lennart Karl and Alphonso Davies replace Ismael Saibari and Nathaniel Brown. Konrad Faber and Luca Raimund replace Ismail Badjie and Bjarke Jacobsen.

46’: Second half is underway!

Halftime Observations

  • Harry Kane scored in his seventh consecutive DFB-Pokal game, matching Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang record streak.
  • Tom Bischof led the Bundesliga in tackles (91) during the 2024/25 season at Hoffenheim. Tonight, he won a tackle that eventually ended in a rebound goal. His ability to be effective on both sides of the pitch continues to pay dividends.
  • I’m not even mad about Robin Meißner’s goal. Sure, Jonathan Tah could have done better on the header challenge but the ball seemed closer to midfield than the endline and Meißner didn’t even look at Jonas Urbig. The good and bad news is that we will see that highlight for decades to come.
  • Despite the early goal, Bayern are in full control. Bayern needs one more goal to possess comfortably and coast through the rest of the match.

HT: Bayern up 2-1 at the break.

45’: Two minutes of added time.

45’+2: Michael Olise’s rebound shot is parried away by a sprawling Jonas Krumrey.

24’: GOOOAAALLL! Bayern up 2-1. Tom Bischof finds Michael Olise who plays Luis Díaz into a 1v1 shot. Bischof cleans up the deflection with a right-footed finish.

18’:GOOOAAALLL! Bayern tied 1-1. Joshua Kimmich chips a ball into the box and the defender fails to make the clearance. Harry Kane calmly hits the one-time volley for his first goal of the young season.

5’: Goal, Osnabrück. Bayern down 1-0. Robin Meißner wins a header and blindly hits a long-distance volley for a wonder goal to give the home team an early lead.

1’: GAME TIME, HOO! LET’S GOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Vincent Kompany is taking no chances in the opening round of the DFB-Pokal. Bayern is rolling out a regular starting lineup with a few rotational changes from the Stuttgart win. Ismael Saibari, Tom Bischof, Josip Stanišić, Jonas Urbig and Jonathan Tah will replace Alphonso Davies, Aleksandar Pavlović, Konrad Laimer, Manuel Neuer and Dayot Upamecano.

Thanks to a second half hat trick from Harry Kane, Bayern Munich claimed a record 21st DFB-Pokal title back in May with a resounding win over Stuttgart. Bayern will begin their title defense on the road against Osnabrück in the Round of 64. With a quick three day turnaround to Saturday’s Bundesliga match at Schalke, Vincent Kompany will have the luxury of rotating some players.

Osnabrück has bounced back and forth between the second and third division of German football for the past two decades. Osnabrück has reached the DFB-Pokal quarterfinal stage on four separate occasions. The most recent visit in 2009/10 saw the underdogs take down Dortmund and Hamburg before finally falling to Manuel Neuer’s Schalke side.

Prediction

Bayern wins 6-0. Jonas Urbig will have to come to midfield to get his touches because Osnabrück won’t register a shot on goal. Ismael Saibari will score twice early before Michael Olise and Luis Díaz swap goals. Super subs Harry Kane and Lennart Karl will polish off the result with simple finishes in the second half.

Match Info

Location: Bremer Brücke, Osnabrück, Germany

Date: Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026

Time: 8:45pm CEST (2:45pm EDT)

TV/streaming: DFB Play,Find Your Country

Odds: n/a

SBN App: If you are in the USA, the SB Nation app is live, and it’s the best way to follow Bayern Munich and discuss the game in real time. You can download it by searching SB Nation for iOS or Android.

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