Bayern Survive Heidenheim Scare to End Pre-Season on a High

Bayern Munich were made to work hard in their final pre-season friendly, rallying from behind twice before late goals from Luis Diaz and Nathaniel Brown secured a 4-2 victory over Heidenheim.

The hosts could hardly have dreamed of a better start. Just five minutes in, Bara Sapoko Ndiaye's attempted clearance around the halfway line was intercepted by Yannik Wagner, who raced the length of the pitch before coolly slotting past Jonas Urbig to give Heidenheim a shock lead.

Wagner continued to threaten, working Urbig from a tight angle and then dragging a gilt-edged chance wide 20 minutes in. That profligacy proved costly when Felipe Chavez equalised 25 minutes in, bending a free-kick from just outside the box into the top-right corner after winning the set-piece himself.

Heidenheim were not done, however, and regained their lead on the stroke of half-time. Julian Niehues lashed a volley from the edge of the box after Bayern failed to clear a corner, sending the hosts into the break with a deserved advantage.

Kompany's Big Guns Turn the Tide

Bayern found an instant response after the restart. Just two minutes into the second half, Niehues brought down Tim Binder inside the area, and Arijon Ibrahimovic stepped up to coolly convert from the penalty spot and restore parity.

Vincent Kompany's introductions off the bench proved decisive. Michael Olise's trickery down the right flank created the opening for Diaz, who emphatically finished from close range 12 minutes from time to put Bayern ahead for the first time. Nathaniel Brown then capped the performance in the 83rd minute, weaving his way through a crowded box before firing a low strike past Thomas Dahne.

Bayern eventually finished the match with 14 shots, bolstered by the arrivals of Harry Kane, Olise, and Diaz, with the former pair making their first appearances since the World Cup. Both pushed for a late goal to add further gloss to the scoreline, with Dahne making a sharp save to deny Olise before Kane blazed an easy chance over the bar.

Musiala Concern Looms Over DFL-Supercup

While Kompany's primary aim was to avoid further injuries, there was a worrying moment when Jamal Musiala was forced off just minutes after his introduction. The concern is amplified by the fact that the 22-year-old collapsed on the pitch during Bayern's previous win over RB Leipzig just days earlier.

In the first half, Bayern had struggled to cope with Heidenheim's threat on the counter-attack, with the hosts getting four of their six attempts on target, and Wagner could easily have doubled his tally before the break.

Despite the early struggles, Kompany will be largely pleased with the resilience his side showed. Bayern now turn their attention to the DFL-Supercup against Borussia Dortmund this weekend, where they will hope Musiala's condition does not prove to be a serious concern.