With 13 minutes to play and trailing 1-3, Viking looked done. Instead, the Norwegian side conjured one of the more remarkable results of this UEFA Champions League campaign, earning a 3-3 draw at SR-Bank Arena against Vincent Kompany’s Bayern München. Substitute Herman Haugen, on for just 18 minutes, fired home in the 90th minute off Zlatko Tripic’s assist to complete the comeback. Bayern, who had dominated possession at 66 percent and generated an xG of 3.57, had only themselves to blame after Michael Olise was sent off in the 73rd minute.
Key Moments
- 2′, Viking stun Bayern almost immediately. Gianni Stensness finishes from a Zlatko Tripic pass to give the hosts a stunning early lead.
- 38′, Peter Christiansen doubles the advantage. Erik Botheim picks out the forward, and Viking head into half-time 2-0 up against one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
- 45′, Bayern make three changes at the break, bringing on Alphonso Davies, Dayot Upamecano and Ismael Saibari in a clear signal that Kompany has seen enough.
- 54′, Harry Kane converts from the penalty spot after a VAR review confirms a foul. Bayern are back in it at 2-1.
- 60′, Kane strikes again, this time from open play with Joshua Kimmich providing the assist, to level at 2-2.
- 71′, Luis Diaz puts Bayern ahead for the first time, turning home a Konrad Laimer cross to make it 3-2.
- 73′, Michael Olise is shown a straight red card, leaving Bayern down to ten men with 17 minutes remaining.
- 90′, Herman Haugen, who had only come on in the 72nd minute, heads home from a Zlatko Tripic delivery. Final score: 3-3.
Tactical Breakdown
Bayern controlled the game in almost every statistical category: 66 percent possession, 25 total shots to Viking’s eight, 15 corners to five, and an xG of 3.57 compared to Viking’s 0.64. On paper, a comfortable win. But Kompany’s side were carved open twice in the opening 38 minutes by a Viking team that pressed high and punished every lapse in concentration. Stensness and Christiansen both finished calmly, and Bayern’s high defensive line left space that the Norwegian side exploited far more efficiently than their overall numbers suggest.
The triple substitution at half-time was Kompany’s immediate response to the embarrassment of going in two goals down. Davies added width, Upamecano replaced Tah at center-back, and the team’s structure tightened noticeably. Kane’s penalty and second goal in a six-minute spell turned the game completely, and Diaz’s strike at 71 minutes appeared to have put the visitors in control. Then came Olise’s red card. Whatever tactical cohesion Bayern had rebuilt fell apart in the final quarter of an hour, and Viking used the extra space ruthlessly, with Tripic’s second assist of the night setting up Haugen for the equalizer.
For Viking, the numbers look misleading. Their xG of 0.64 for three goals is the definition of clinical finishing. They were outclassed for long stretches but defended with enough organization to limit Bayern to just eight shots on target. Ostbo made five saves. The issue for Bayern was not creativity but execution: 13 blocked shots and four goals conceded against a side they should, by every metric, have beaten comfortably.
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Verdict
This result hands Viking a point from their second Champions League outing and, more than anything, a story. They now have one point from two matches in the league stage. Bayern, with four points from two games, drop a result they will feel they should have secured comfortably, and Kompany will have to answer questions about a defense that conceded three times against a side with an xG under 0.65. The Olise red card will be the headline excuse, but the first 38 minutes were indefensible regardless of who was on the pitch.