Kimmich's complaining to the referee with success: "Not possible"

Joshua Kimmich was immediately in the picture. And the Bayern professional's persistent intervention with referee Florian Badstübner ultimately led to a curious Leipzig goal in the opening match of the Bundesliga being disallowed four minutes later - and rightly so.

"I noticed that the referee blew his whistle after the free-kick and the (Leipzig) player just dribbled off. I thought, that's not possible," said Kimmich after the German champions' 6-0 win and added, looking at the referee: "In the end, I'm glad he had the courage to take it back."

Lukeba dribbles off at the free-kick

What happened in the 66th minute? With FC Bayern leading 4-0, the game had long been over when RB professional Antonio Nusa drilled the ball under the crossbar from an acute angle. But Kimmich and other Munich players and officials complained vehemently to the referee. Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba had initiated the action with an incorrectly taken free-kick. However, many in the stadium had not even noticed.

Kimmich did. "Then we just conceded the goal and I complained accordingly. Then it was reviewed, I don't even know what. Then the goal was given. I continued to complain and got a yellow card. But they then checked it again and quite rightly took it back," said the national team captain.

"It was crucial to complain there"

"It was crucial to complain there," said Kimmich, admitting: "I probably would have given myself a yellow card because I was relatively persistent." He said to the referee "that the goal was a scandal, that it wasn't possible". It was therefore a good thing "that we have a few cameras and assistants in the stadium."

Bayern sporting director Max Eberl praised Kimmich and Co. for intervening with the referee: "If the team hadn't reacted like that, he would have given the goal." Eberl also reported that he had contact with Badstübner after the game about the scene. "I think he was confused, like we all were," said Eberl. And: "He is very annoyed."

However, the Bayern manager did not want to blame the referee: "That the situation leads to a goal probably happens once in 10,000 such trivial free kicks. I told Florian that too."