Bayern Munich News: The aftermath of Germany’s loss on penalties to Paraguay; The lowdown on FC Bayern, FC Barcelona, and Harry Kane; plus MORE!

Die Folgen: Germany’s 1-1 loss on penalties to Paraguay (Bavarian Football Works)

Prior to the game, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann sent shockwaves across the fanbase (and maybe the team, too) by sending Jamal Musiala to the bench and elevating Deniz Undav. There is no doubt that change was needed, but after being so reluctant to change in previous games, the timing was curious.

The move ultimately had no effect as Germany scuffled against Paraguay and failed to reach the Round of 16 after a 1-1 final that was decided on penalties. Simply put, Paraguay just wanted it more.

Let’s get into the details, here are some quick hitters on the match:

• As always, let’s begin with a look at a very surprising starting lineup:

• The only change is the one that everyone was talking about. It has been obvious for a long time now to Bayern Munich fans that Jamal Musiala has not been himself. While this does not seem like a hard-benching, it does seem like — after weeks of pumping up the young star — Nagelsmann realized that Musiala just was not able to give the team what it needed at the attacking midfield position. There were a couple of curious questions on the move, including why Musiala was not tried at wing after scuffling centrally and if there is an injury issue that fans were not aware of. Given that he was used as a sub later in the game, the injury scenario went out the window. Musiala also did eventually end up playing wing.
• Manuel Neuer was tested in the first minute on a scuffed shot from Junior Alonso (who was briefly all alone after a corner). It was not a difficult save, but it was a tense situation. Yikes!
• Undav had a good look in the 6th minute, but got a little too cheeky with his attempt, which never curled back near the goal. This was the start of a very “off” performance for Undav, who just never got his bearings.
• Wirtz had a good look in the 8th minute, but ripped his attempt way high. Wirtz was active early, but was very sloppy. Otherwise, Germany’s movement and passing were crisp early on.
• The gap in quality was very evident, but Paraguay was ready to face the Germans. There was a level of energy to the game that was going to keep Germany on its toes.
• The game would slowly morph into one of rushed decisions and poor execution. Germany was in control, but not super-effective and it had trouble adjusting to Paraguay’s physical style.
• As the first half was almost over, Neuer, whose first minute save was most of his action, was the squad’s best player — so there is that.
• Some of the same problems existed as previous games, Aleksandar Pavlović and Felix Nmecha had no chemistry and failed to impact the game; Leroy Sané hustled, but was ineffective; and Havertz’s movement and decisions were perplexing. When you factor in that Wirtz was rushing everything and Undav barely touched the ball, it was a pretty blah half, until…the 42nd minute.
• As Germany looked hapless (and borderline hopeless), Paraguay took advantage of a corner that, while it was not successful, set up a good scoring opportunity. Julio Enciso headed home a cross from Matías Galarza for a goal and a 1-0 lead. Enciso was all alone in the center of the box, not being marked by anyone at all. Nmecha, Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, and Antonio Rüdiger were all in the area, but Nmecha was the closest and it appeared to be his mark.
• It should be noted that Nathaniel Brown was very undisciplined early in the play and left Galarza to chase another player who was already marked by Pavlović.
• How bad was it? Germany had 79% possession and had no shots on target. Now, the pressure was on.
• Leroy Sané’s first half: 51 touches (15 lost possessions), 0/4 on successful dribbles, 0/5 on accurate crosses, 0/4 on ground duels.
• Wirtz’s first half: 37 touches (12 lost possessions), 0/0 on successful dribbles, 0/2 on accurate crosses, 0/1 on ground duels.
• Wirtz had a much better second half, but Sané? Not so much.
• Those were the starting wingers — and yes, we could go on with stats, but the central midfield (Pavlović and Nmecha) and the wings stood out for being particularly bad. With Undav being invisible, too, it was a a rough half.
• The lack of defending on the Paraguay goal turned out to be unforgivable as Nmecha was benched at halftime for Leon Goretzka.
• Neuer was tested early in the second half after mistake by Joshua Kimmich, but stopped Enciso.
• FINALLY! In the 54th minute Havertz woke up and scored! Wirtz, who also desperately needed to do something, whipped in a long, diagonal cross from the left-side toward Havertz and a cutting Goretzka. The Arsenal man got his head on it for a flick and ignited the German squad with a goal!
• Germany played with a renewed sense of confidence after the goal, but nothing was going to come easy against Paraguay.
• Musiala came on for a very ineffective Undav in the 63rd minute. In these situations, a player like Undav has to rise to the occasion and not get lost in the shuffle. From that perspective, Undav blew a big opportunity.
• Havertz had another strong look at a header in the 78th minute off of a Wirtz cross, but Orlando Gill (easily Player of the Match) made the save. It was a tremendous stop from Gill.
• When Waldemar Anton checked in for Pavlović in the 79th minute, Kimmich shifted into the midfield, finally giving the Germans a look that many observers had been waiting for.
• Germany was all over Paraguay, but was still very shaky on the ball and with its decisions.
• By the time Sané was subbed off, he was 0/7 on successful dribbles and lost possession on 23 of his 80 touches. Musiala shifted to wing when Nick Woltemade came on and did create some headaches for Paraguay.
• As the game was knotted 1-1 it went into extra time and the tension, well, it extremely heightened.
• The Paraguay defenders were just putting it all on the line during extra time. Any shot by Germany was being contested or blocked. What an effort for a team that was under duress.
• Bayern Munich was dominating Paraguay and just running them into the ground. Corner after corner was happening and so much pressure was put on Paraguay. Still, nothing was going into the net.
• In the 102nd minute, Brown whipped in yet another corner, which found the head of Tah, whose line drive header found the back of the net to make it 2-1! Or so we thought. After VAR, it was ruled that Anton interfered with Gill and the goal was called off. What a massive shift of momentum!
• The call was controversial and debated as many pundits and observers felt as if the contact was not enough and others felt like it was just as much Gill’s fault as Anton’s.
• Regardless, no one would score as both teams looked emotionally and physically drained.
• There were a lot of really poor decisions when dribbling for Germany in extra time. The Germans just always kept the dribble a hair too long rather than making a pass — and it nearly always resulted in a turnover.
• Germany was by far the stronger, better team in extra time, but it was still unable to capitalize on its chances.
• In the 119th minute Anton got up on a corner and hit his header hard, but it was right at Gill.
• That would be it…the shootout was on and fans of both teams likely ran for a beer or a bottle or both.
• What a nightmare this was the Germans — Havertz (miss), Kimmich (make), Musiala (make), Woltemade (miss), Amiri (make), Tah (miss — yikes). Along the way, Paraguay missed one and Neuer made a save, but the Tah miss would prove to be the nail in the coffin.
• Just like that, Germany’s run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup had come to an extremely unsatisfying end.
• Overall, it just wasn’t good enough from Germany — the coaches, the players…everything. It was a disappointment and one that signifies that not much has really changed from 2022 or 2018. Sure, Germany got out of the group stage, but it was against a very weak set of teams. Now, the focus for Germany will be on how to pick up the pieces. Which players should be back? Were the player selections correct? Why were there a dearth of wings and right-backs? Are Musiala and Wirtz going to be good enough to lead the next generation? Those are all fair questions, but the biggest one will be this — should Julian Nagelsmann be back? With no sympathy headed its way, the DFB had better get it all sorted out…and quickly.

What’s the deal with Kane and Barca? Let’s find out! (ESPN)

On Monday, there were some very interesting (yet unlikely) rumors that linked FC Barcelona to having massive interest in Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane:

Barcelona are considering a move for Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, according to The Daily Mail. The Blaugrana are have expressed their interest in the 32-year-old, who has one year left on his contract at the Allianz Arena, and are set to explore a potential switch at the end of the World Cup. Kane isn’t actively seeking an exit, but the LaLiga side are prepared to go all-out to sign him. Meanwhile, Barcelona still hold interest in Bournemouth forward Junior Kroupi, 20, as an alternative to Atletico Madrid star Julián Álvarez, according to Diario Sport, while Mundo Deportivo reports that Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic is a free transfer who could replace Ferran Torres if he leaves the club. A source told ESPN that former Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski is finalizing the details of a deal with Chicago Fire that would see him move to MLS this summer.

It did not help with this story also floating around (as captured by Barca News Network):

In the last 24 hours, it’s been reported that Barcelona are ready to move for Harry Kane after the 2026 World Cup. The Catalans view the Bayern Munich striker as their preferred alternative to Julian Alvarez, whose signing is proving difficult due to Atletico Madrid’s strong desire not to sell to one of their direct rivals.

Kane is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the world right now, and given that he’s 32, there is a feeling that Barcelona could get at least 2-3 good seasons out of him – as they did with Robert Lewandowski, who was also signed from Bayern in 2022. However, their interest is not as far advanced as first reported.

The reports from England have claimed that Barcelona will go all-out for Kane after the World Cup, but according to Sport, they have only held initial talks with the England international’s representatives, at which point they were hold that he is very happy at Bayern, and hopes to sign a new contract in the coming weeks.

Right now, Barcelona have the Kane operation on the backburner, and the only way it becomes active is if Bayern fail to agree a new contract with their star striker, whose current deal is due to expire at the end of next season. A move could happen later in the summer, but even if it does, the Catalans have been told that the total package could get close to €200m.

Bayern would reportedly demand a fee just below €100m if they were to entertain the sale of Kane, while the player himself would be asking for a four-year contract (which he already wants at Bayern) at €25m per year – a total of €100m. This could be too much for a club still unsure about its financial situation, although a final decision will not be made for a few weeks.

However, there were a lot of retorts, including this one from Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg:

🚨❤️ As just reported live on our Transfer Update show: Harry Kane’s clear priority, together with his family, is to extend his contract with FC Bayern beyond 2027.

Concrete negotiations are planned after the World Cup. There is currently nothing to the rumours linking him with FC Barcelona. @SkySportDE🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

There really does not seem to be a reason to worry about anything when it comes to Kane or even Michael Olise. It seems as if Bayern Munich is aligned with two of its top players on planning for the future.

United not done with Šeško yet (TEAMtalk)

There were some rumors floating that Manchester United was thinking of selling striker Benjamin Šeško, but those might not be true:

Manchester United have no interest in parting ways with Benjamin Sesko this summer, despite interest from Spain and enquiries from intermediaries acting on behalf of both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, TEAMtalk understands.

The Slovenia international endured a mixed start to life at Old Trafford following his £70million-plus arrival last summer, but sources inside the club insist there is no scenario currently being considered that would see him leave.

Sources have confirmed to us that intermediaries have made contact regarding Sesko’s situation, with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both informed of the player’s circumstances should there ever be an opportunity to pursue a deal.

TEAMtalk understands that interest from both Spanish giants is closely linked to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Julian Alvarez’s future.

Barcelona continue to view Alvarez as their dream signing, but with Atletico Madrid determined to retain the Argentine and competition for his signature remaining fierce, the Catalan giants are actively assessing alternative options.

Sesko is among the names being studied should their pursuit of Alvarez ultimately fail.

LFC eyeing El Mala (ESPN)

Liverpool FC is reportedly looking into several attacking players and FC Köln’s Said El Mala could be one of them:

Liverpool are monitoring the situation of FC Cologne winger Said El Mala. Nicolo Schira reports that the Reds have shown interest in the 19-year-old. who has recently been linked with Chelsea, Brentford and Brighton, as they continue to explore the transfer market to find a successor to Mohamed Salah. El Mala scored 13 goals in 34 Bundesliga matches last season and is seen as an alternative to RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, after sources told ESPN that Paris Saint-Germain are closing in on a deal to sign him worth around €100 million.

El Mala seems like he is almost assuredly leave the Billy Goats, but Liverpool has its eye on so many players, it is tough to know just how serious it might be about El Mala.

United, Chelsea eyeing Nmecha (TEAMtalk)

Felix Nmecha, who had a pretty terrible set of games vs. Ecuador and Paraguay for Germany, is on the radar of Manchester United and Chelsea:

Felix Nmecha will not be joining Newcastle United this summer, but TEAMtalk understands the Borussia Dortmund midfielder remains a genuine Premier League target, with Manchester United and Chelsea now emerging as the English clubs showing the strongest interest.

The Germany international has enhanced his growing reputation with a series of outstanding performances at the World Cup, prompting fresh enquiries over his future.

If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…

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