Leon Goretzka’s historic goal brought to mind a past mishap. The German international humorously remarked, «Before this, I made it into the history books with the fastest own goal in the Bundesliga. So, this is perhaps a good correction now.»
In the 2018/19 season, Goretzka, who was born in Bochum, scored an own goal in Augsburg after just 13 seconds, a record that no player has yet broken. Now, the long-serving Bayern professional, who will leave the club after the season, scored his team’s 102nd goal of the season in Bayern’s 5-0 victory over St. Pauli. With this, Vincent Kompany’s team surpassed the nearly 54-year-old record from the 1971/72 season, celebrating the team record collectively.
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany is delighted with his team’s record
«I just find it beautiful,» said Kompany about his team’s special achievement. «It’s incredibly difficult to set any record at Bayern Munich. It’s almost impossible, it’s crazy, everything is top-notch. And when you achieve a goal record, it’s also a good sign for the guys.»
This is another positive sign shortly before the highly anticipated quarter-final second leg on Wednesday against Real Madrid, where Goretzka will likely have to return to the bench. In the first leg in Madrid (2-1), the 31-year-old was only substituted in stoppage time. However, Joshua Kimmich emphasized Goretzka’s importance in Hamburg. «Generally, he deserved to score this special goal because, with his mindset, he is a good role model for many players and people out there,» said Kimmich. «He demonstrates that it’s always worth working for your chance. That’s why I’m happy for him.»
Leon Goretzka: His stats for FC Bayern Munich this season
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 3 | 3 | 4 |