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The German Super Cup, Germany’s equivalent of the Community Shield, finished in a fantastically surprising turn of events when “Lord” Nicklas Bendtner was substituted on for Wolfsburg. An equalizing goal within the last few minutes of regulation paired with a game winning penalty shot gave Bendtner the right to be called lord once again.
However, Bendtner was not the only headline of the German Super Cup. Bayern Munich introduced two new signings to their traveling faithful with the likes of Douglas Costa, who played the entire match, and Arturo Vidal. Costa arrived in Munich from Ukrainian club Shaktar Donetsk this summer, and blended into the starting eleven of Munich as if he had been born in Germany. His pace on the left wing gave Wolfsburg troubles for the entire match, all the way up to a quick step over that provided the assist for Arjen Robben’s goal. Costa is sure to be an exciting signing this season that will prove to be a good replacement for the departure of Xherdan Shaqiri, and long term replacement for Franck Ribery.
Bayern Munich’s confidence on the ball became they’re own enemy at times throughout the match, and sweeper keeper Neuer felt the full wrath. After attempting to clear the ball with his head twenty yards off his line, Kevin De Bruyne popped the ball over Neuer’s reach and had a clear shot on goal. From a moment of brilliance to a moment of embarrassment, the Belgian midfielder pulled his shot wide of the target, missing a rare moment to score on the world’s best keeper.
A Super Cup filled with excitement and drama did not just remain on the pitch. Ivan Perisic, who was substituted off early in the second half, managed to find his way into the referee’s book from the bench. His anger got the best of him as he threw an out of bounds ball right into the face of a Munich player.
Arturo Vidal was right behind Perisic to receive a yellow card from the referee after only being on the pitch for twenty minutes. Whether or not the Chilean deserved the card is up for debate, but his past reputation could make life slightly more difficult in the Bundesliga. Vidal’s impact on the game was minimal, as Guardiola only used him as a late substitution, but his passion to wear the red of Munich was so apparent that with time he could be the right man to fill the boots of Bastian Schweinsteiger.
First looks at Arturo Vidal in training with Bayern Munich preparing for his first match. Photo: @PurelyFootball | Twitter
From start to finish, the German Super Cup previewed what is to be an exciting season for the Bundesliga with top club clashes that can end in the most unsuspecting ways. Pep Guardiola and his team will surely take this match as a hard lesson when heading into what is expected to be another league winning season.
