Match awards for Bayern II’s derby win against 1860 Munich

Bayern Munich’s second team continued their meteoric run in the 3. Liga with a thrilling, and deserved, 2-1 win over city rivals 1860 Munich. Although the men in red went down 1-0 in the first half, two late goals in both halves saw them emerge as top dogs in Munich once more. Here’s who stood out.

Jersey Swap: Sascha Mölders

The 1860 captain was their bright spot, scoring the opener with a great run into the box. Despite being older than Bayern’s current oldest player (Manuel Neuer) at 35, the striker was a constant threat to the Bayern II defense, and could easily have scored a goal or two more had his midfielders supplied him with better passes. Plus, it’s always heartening to see a player built more like myself rather than a traditional footballer play so well.

Tip of the Cap: Nicolas Feldhahn

It wasn’t just 1860’s skipper who had a decent outing. Bayern II’s captain commanded his defense well, making a couple of last-ditch tackles to bail out his fellow defenders and goalkeeper. When Chris Richards was caught out of position, it was Feldhahn who came back to save the day. He didn’t have the best start to the game, but he grew into it beautifully and swept up the back line as well as his counterpart in the first team. The Bottom line is: Feldhahn kept Bayern II’s defense steady, which was one of the main reasons why Sebastian Hoeness’ men were able to deliver the win.

Golf Clap: Kwasi Okyere Wriedt

On the other end of the pitch, the big striker was a constant threat to 1860’s defense. It was clear that his physique would cause the Lions multiple problems, and so it did. Wriedt not only tried to score himself, but he also used his body to hold off defenders and open up space for his fellow attackers. Hence, although Wriedt did not register as many shots as you would expect a 25-goal striker to take, he created a lot of chances for his teammates. Of course, he also did his main job by scoring the equalizer deep into stoppage time after the first half.

Wriedt has been a stalwart for Bayern II for the past few years, and it is a shame that he is swapping Germany for the Netherlands come next season. Bayern II will miss him dearly and find it hard to replace him. We at BFW wish Kwasi nothing but the best in the future, and Bayern’s doors will be wide open for him should he wish to return.

Standing Ovation: Derrick Köhn

Wriedt is not the only German-Ghanaian dual citizen to make today’s awards. Köhn was superb on the left side of defense. When Bayern II failed to make an immediate impact on the game early on, it was Köhn who stood out, making multiple galloping runs towards the attack and playing a number of good passes to the forwards that were just missed. He also did a fine job in defense, using his pace to snuff out attacks that could have proved vital to the visitors and fatal to the hosts.

In many ways, Köhn’s performance today was reminiscent of David Alaba. He showed good attacking qualities, good defensive qualities, and good ball-playing abilities as well. Of course, it also helped that he was playing in Alaba’s position while wearing Alaba’s number. A lot of casual fans (myself included) probably saw a lot of Alaba in Köhn today and maybe thought back to the days before the Austrian became a full-time center back. Who knows, maybe one day Köhn will follow in his footsteps.

Meister of the Match: Wooyeong Jeong

Was there any doubt? The young South Korean was by far Bayern II’s best player of the evening. Playing on the left side of Bayern’s three-man midfield, he operated as an auxiliary winger, tearing up the 1860 defense with his pace. He was often seen holding the ball to play it to his strikers or darting into the box in case he was needed. He also helped out in defense, tracking back as far as his own penalty area if necessary. Simply put, Jeong was absolutely everywhere on the field and stamped his authority on the game like no other. He assisted both of Bayern II’s goals, one with a blistering run to catch a seemingly overhit pass, and the second with a sumptuous, accurate cross right across the face of goal.

As a South Korean myself, needless to say, I was delighted by the fact that my compatriot was the best player in the first-ever Bayern II game I watched. Not only because I am proud to see a Korean play wearing the Bayern crest, but because this means that he has talent, and a lot of it. Hopefully Jeong can replicate his form throughout his career, both for club and country. If he becomes the next Heung Min Son, especially while playing for Bayern, I don’t even know how I’ll react. You better believe I’ll be the first one to buy his jersey.