Ismaël Saibari began his official adventure with Bayern Munich by winning a trophy. Coming on in the 81st minute for Nathaniel Brown, the Moroccan international contributed to the Bavarians’ victory over Borussia Dortmund (2-1) on Saturday in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup. These were his first minutes in official competition with his new club, as well as in German football.
Bayern opened the scoring in the 28th minute through Nathaniel Brown. The Bavarian recruit recovered the ball at the edge of the box before beating Gregor Kobel. Michael Olise then doubled the lead in stoppage time of the first half (45+1), finishing with the outside of his left foot after a swift acceleration.
Dortmund responded in the 75th minute thanks to Fabio Silva, a former PSV Eindhoven player, following a perfectly executed team move. Joey Veerman, another former teammate of Saibari in the Netherlands, had also come on a few minutes earlier for his debut with BVB. Six minutes after the score was reduced, Kompany launched the Lion of the Atlas for a more uncertain end to the match.
Despite his limited playing time, Saibari had two opportunities to make an impact. Before the red card, he forced Gregor Kobel into a save with a well-placed shot. In the 90th minute, the Moroccan then suffered a dangerous tackle from Ramy Bensebaini, who was sent off immediately. In stoppage time, Saibari again surged towards goal, but a Dortmund defender got ahead of him before Kobel neutralized the action. A brief but active appearance for the 25-year-old attacking midfielder, who confirms his return after a thigh muscle injury and already secures his first trophy with Bayern.
