Olise Sees Red
Michael Olise had gone his whole senior career without a red card. Across Reading, Crystal Palace, Bayern and France, never once. On Tuesday night in Stavanger, that run ended in the most avoidable way possible.
A comeback worth celebrating
Bayern arrived in Norway as heavy favourites and were stunned. Viking led 2-0 at half-time, and the first half was shambolic from the Germans. The second half was a different story. Harry Kane pulled two goals back, and Luis Díaz made it 3-2 in the 71st minute. The three points looked safe.
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The moment it all went wrong
Olise had spent the afternoon being fouled and badgered by Viking captain Zlatko Tripić, and it clearly got under his skin. He first dragged back defender Henrik Heggheim to stop a counter-attack and was booked. Seconds later, he picked up the ball and threw it into Tripić’s face.
Second yellow. Straight off. The first red card of his senior career, in the 74th minute.
Viking smell blood
Bayern’s momentum died with that decision. Viking threw men forward, and in the 90th minute substitute Herman Haugen grabbed the equaliser. A game Bayern had won on the pitch finished 3-3, and the Norwegian champions had a famous draw.
The fallout
Vincent Kompany did not dress it up, calling the red card “super dumb.” He said Olise was sorry and regretted letting his teammates down. The Bayern boss also made a sharper point, saying the opponent had outsmarted his player. When you are the better team, he argued, you just play your game and avoid pointless confrontations. Sporting director Max Eberl was reportedly furious too, calling it “stupid.”
Arsenal will be relieved
The suspension is the real sting. Olise misses Bayern’s Champions League clash with Arsenal in Munich on October 21, and he has been among the most dangerous attackers in Europe this season, with 8 goals and 4 assists in just 9 games. Arsenal could hardly have hoped for a bigger favour.
The verdict
Tripić got exactly the reaction he wanted. Olise has the talent to decide any match, but Tuesday showed the other side of that fiery edge. Kompany hopes it becomes a lesson learned. For Bayern’s sake, they need it to be, because the big games are only getting bigger.
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